For Sale: 48-foot sailboat... owner too busy to enjoy it!

It is one of the pastimes that new St. George's Mayor, E. Michael Jones doesn't have much time for after election to the top town post four months ago made an already busy schedule even more hectic for the 52-year-old who also runs a couple of businesses.

But he knew the job was demanding when he took it.

“Her name is Ayesha and I'm going to put her on the market,” the businessman revealed this week.

“She is available and looking for a good home. She sleeps nine and has two ‘heads'.

“I just don't have the time. I love to garden at my house... I don't do that anymore. I love to swim... I don't do that anymore. I love to do photography and that hardly ever occurs anymore.

“I leave home at 6 o'clock mornings and it's not uncommon for me, particularly in the summertime, to get home 10 or 11 o'clock nights... four or five nights a week. On top of that there are the various dinners, lunches, functions, funerals, special events and church services you are invited to attend. Then there are visits to Government House, dignitaries who come and visit your town, private functions... it just never stops.”

He added: “I am also president of the St. George's Historical Society and that requires some of my time. It's not uncommon to feel I'm going home at a certain hour, but if I go into the Corporation office before I go home to check on messages, I could be going home at 7 or 8 o'clock at night.

“Of course the Mayor also heads up the Preservation Authority so that is another chair. As the Mayor I chair all the Corporation meetings, then I've got to be the liaison between the Corporation and Government up in the big city, so it keeps me going.”

The owner of two coffee stores, one in St. George's and the other in Hamilton, Mr. Jones brings a business background to the Mayor's post, in the same way that previous Mayors Norman Roberts and Henry Hayward did.

He cannot wait for the cruise ships to return to the Old Town in late April, even though it will mean even more demands on his time as a shop owner and the Mayor trying to promote his town, a World Heritage Site. He also goes out one day a week to greet the tourists with the man who replaced him as Town Crier, David Frith.

Mr. Jones had to step down from the paid position of Town Crier in order to run for the volunteer position of Mayor last November.

He won a close contest against Ross Smith and Mariea Caisey, having failed in his first attempt against Smith and Henry Hayward a few years ago.

“I didn't even see myself as Mayor, I never had the desire to become Mayor,” said Mr. Jones who first got involved with the Corporation in 1991. He inherits his business sense from his parents, Winifred Jones who owns East End Florist and Erwin Jones, a now retired veteran taxi operator.

“Both my parents are very involved in the community and my interest was to be involved in the community. As a matter of fact having served quite a bit of years on the Corporation I never even ran for alderman but remained a councillor. There were councillors who were junior to me who passed me by and went on to become alderman and deputy mayor.

“I started as a councillor 12 years ago, served nine years as a councillor and ran for Mayor but wasn't successful. Then I came back three years later to run again. This time I was successful and I certainly am pleased that the people of St. George's and the community at large put their faith in me. I will do all I can to do the best for the town.”

The St. George's born Mayor promised back in November that he would be visible in the town. He certainly has been, walking around the town to speak with both locals and visitors. His engaging personality is one of his strengths.

“Being a person who comes from the activities and public relations side of things - I spent a number of years with Tourism, the hotels in Bermuda, the airlines in Bermuda, a taxi driver still - I just love being with visitors,” he revealed.

“It's not like work when you have to deal with visitors. Both my parents have worked with visitors for many, many years and I served with the Department of Tourism in Toronto and Boston. I was right in the centre of things.

“My views on activities and promoting the town are also very strong. I was fortunate enough to be the founding chairman of the St. George's Activities Committee which brings us New Year's Eve (celebrations). One of the things I have been very firm and strong on is reinstating the Activities Committee so that it is a community-wide organisation, no longer attached to the Corporation.

“We would like the community to be involved and if there is anybody in the community interested then feel free to contact Francine Trott, Sonya Whayman, Jill Raine, Ross Smith, the Corporation or myself. I want people to be aware that being on the Activities Committee is not something where you have to come to every meeting - or any meeting.

“You could say ‘I can help out with this project' or ‘I can help out with that activity' or ‘that sounds like fun, I'll make a few hours available and come and help out'.”

The whole idea is to encourage St. Georgians to have a say in the direction their town is going. Mr. Jones isn't afraid to lead from the front, however, as this year the committee working with him will make a third attempt to stage the St. George's Boat Parade.

The first one was postponed because of a lack of sponsorship, while last year's planned event was scrapped because it clashed with the General Election. July has been targeted again this year and already Mr. Jones has been jutting down proposals on his computer.

“The activities for the town, I feel, should have input from the community and I would like for the community to own it,” he stated.

“People will come with ideas, and many of them are very good ideas, but we may not have the passion that they have for it. Come and bring the idea and make it work, you may be able to do it better than we can.

“I would like to think we can do three or four good activities this year, and I know that the Activities Committee already has a few good ideas in mind. One of those is the Boat Show, and this is our third try. The first year we couldn't get the financing organised, while last year it was scheduled to be the Saturday night before the General Election. I don't think too many people were going to be worrying about a Boat Show the weekend before the General Election.

“I have been in contact with the sponsors from last year and they are still very interested and very keen. That, I hope, will occur the first part of July, once I get something in my mind I don't give up easily, I keep going until I get it.”

Four months into the post Mr. Jones has delivered his campaign promise to get rid of double taxation, which was confirmed in the Finance Minister's recent Budget. He does admit it came much faster than he had anticipated.

“For me it's been too early to get all the ‘why-didn't-you' and ‘why-aren't-you',” he concedes.

“I'm sure it will come in time but it hasn't come yet. I think there is a lot on the plate and my goals were very much to see how we can avoid the double taxation and that looks like it is going to come... sooner rather than later.

“I was also very interested in promoting the town, etc. but I have found that you need to have a great deal of people skills.

“It requires being a good arbitrator, being able to talk between the town folk and working staff, elected officials and those employed in the office.

“Obviously, having the one or two businesses that I'm involved in, has allowed me to sharpen my business skills. I believe it is also important that a Mayor should be competent in business opportunities. You need to make decisions on sound business reasons.”

He added: “Very often I think people view the Mayor as being the steward of the town. He is the person who needs to stand up and be counted, who has sufficient skills to be able to talk under any circumstance and at any time.

“You can't say ‘come back next week and I'll give you my opinion'. You need to be able to think on your feet.”

As businessman and Mayor, Mr. Jones is anxiously awaiting the start of the new tourism season which he hopes will generate more life into the town. He admits the lack of business is hurting most of the stores in the town, with some facing an uncertain future.

“In the summer I'll do evening walking tours for the ships and there will be other group activities that I'm involved in. It will be hectic,” he accepts.

There is a Corporation staff of 15 which keeps the town running smoothly, but along the way there are bound to be issues to deal with.

“You don't live it until you get there, but you are certainly aware,” he says of the Mayor's post.

“Most of the people in the town didn't want me to move on from being the Town Crier, and both my parents asked me if I needed to go to the Doctor. Here you are a very busy businessman and then you take on what is basically a volunteer position that probably requires 15 to 20 hours a week or more. It certainly will be 40 hours a week coming up.”

Mr. Jones admits taking on the post will actually costs him money, and even more so when the season begins. The same applies to Mayor of Hamilton, Lawson Mapp, but it comes with the position and Mr. Jones has no regrets.

“As I understand the Mayor of Hamilton is looking at how can a Mayor, who is a small businessman, be compensated because a Mayor who is a small business person loses money when they take on this volunteer position,” said Mr. Jones.

In that respect he can identify with what other business owners in his town are going through. Recently the Bridge House Gallery closed because of a lack of business in the town. Others are also falling on hard times.

“We're taking licks, which we do every winter,” he revealed, speaking for the other businesses

“Many of the shops in St. George's have reduced hours or will close for certain periods of time and some for the entire (winter) season. You need to plan your business strategy so that you can maintain your costs over the winter period.

“It was like this at Christmas time. We had a hard time finding somebody walking on the street. People have often said that St. George's needs to find its own niche, something that encourages the locals to come and shop, as well as the odd visitor that comes at this time of the year.

“It's going to be very important for the Chamber of Commerce, the Corporation, the key players in the town to ascertain exactly what it is that we need that will be supported financially.

“It's a very challenging issue. Most of our residents work in town (Hamilton) and it is just as convenient for them just to nip out during their lunch hour and pick up whatever they require.

“Without the cruise ships, St. George's would not be in existence... period. Many of these shops, including mine, would not be in business if there were no cruise ships.”

Over the last couple of decades dozens of stores have come and gone.

“There is lots of space available to rent for anybody wanting to open up a business,” the Mayor encouraged.

“There is hope but this is the key... what do you put in a town like this that people are going to want to buy on a regular basis?”