Given that the One Bermuda Alliance has a mere 12 seats in Parliament, and generally appears to be at a crossroads fighting for its existence, you would imagine there might be a tad bit more urgency to fill the void left by the resignations of Jeff Baron and Grant Gibbons.

But, yet again, the former ruling party has allowed the Progressive Labour Party to steal a march in the race for votes.

Maybe it is because the PLP has more recent experience at being the Opposition; or more experience in general.

Whatever the reasons, Jeanne Atherden’s belated YouTube statement that gave no clues about possible candidates left much to be desired and smacked of strategic confusion.

This may not matter much for Paget East, which has been a virtual stronghold for the OBA and the United Bermuda Party historically, but Warwick North East was only marginally won by Baron over Kathy Lynn Simmons last July, and the PLP is scenting blood.

If all else holds true, Curtis Dickinson’s task is to change 33 minds to provide the PLP a 25-11 advantage at the least.

With the OBA waiting six full days to unveil Justin Mathias, Dickinson may have got off to such a head start that he might be forgiven the ill-advised choice of apparel when knocking on the doors of those who voted OBA last time out.

“Landslide!” would not be the image OBA voters, or those sitting on the fence, would want to be confronted with. It lacked class, grace, humility, respect for the process and gave not the best first impression of a young man whose credentials and reputation appear out of step with the vanity play his T-shirt depicted.

The OBA’s dilly-dallying has given him the chance to make a better second, third and fourth impression even before Mathias has properly entered the race.