Cathy Whitehead's mother is "furious" with her for her decision not to cast a vote in the upcoming Pembroke West by-election.

She, like a number of other Pembroke West voters, are so disillusioned with politics and politicians that they do not consider their vote achieving much.

It did not help much that Police were called to attend to a "disturbance" at Admiralty House on the night The Royal Gazette sought the views of potential voters in the upcoming by-election.

Customers at the Spanish Point Boat Club early last week were of one accord - politicians will tell you everything you want to hear around election time and then you don't hear from them until the next poll comes around.

So it is, they believe, with Wednesday's poll to select a replacement for Gary Pitman who resigned his seat in December.

For most of the voters interviewed in the last ten days by The Royal Gazette crime in Pembroke West features quite highly on the priority scale.

Nothing has changed in the last ten years - except for an increasing sense of insecurity, they said.

Few of the almost dozen voters interviewed randomly by The Royal Gazette wanted their names in the paper.

And none had been visited by either of the two candidates currently making the rounds in a bid to become the newest Member of Parliament.

Long time residents of the area remember walks, concerts and family outings at Admiralty Park back in the day.

Today, they swap stories of near misses, verbal abuse and outright assault committed by young people hanging out outside Admiralty House.

One man - a 37 year old mechanic who has lived in the area for 27 years - told of how he was waylaid by a group as he was driving by a year ago.

He, his car and his girlfriend were beaten up when the car came to a halt after swerving to avoid them.

"No one has done anything about it," he said, "and I don't know if anyone can." Asked his impressions of the candidates - the United Bermuda Party's (UBP) Jamahl Simmons and the ruling Progressive Labour Party's (PLP) Carvel VanPutten - he said neither of them had come around and he did not care much.

"I don't really need to see them - I'm not interested," he said.

"I don't even think I want to vote. No one has done anything about the problems because it's a UBP stronghold and they think everybody's happy. Why vote for anybody - it's been 27 years and nobody's done anything... You can't even take your dog out for a walk because you don't know what's going to happen."

There is a sense that, with the political will, the crime problem can be cleaned up. One Police officer who lives in the area said that efforts in the past have been mere lip service.

"We have the resources," he said. "(Former Police Commissioner) Coxall allegedly put more officers on the street but all he did was change the names of departments. They didn't put anybody else out on the streets

A middle-aged woman, who works as a nanny, agreed. "I used to go to Admiralty House all the time with the children," she said. "But I don't think it's safe anymore." She too had unpleasant incidents to relate - the last one just last weekend when she was verbally abused by a "whole bunch of guys" as she walked by Admiralty House.

Admiralty House should have been turned into a hotel school, as proposed some years ago, she said. Traditionally a supporter of the UBP, she said she planned to vote but had no idea how. Besides the security factor, she wants the trees across from Tulo Valley cleaned up. "There's so many trees there now you can't see the water," she said.

An elderly couple made it known that, besides crime, healthcare and "recognition" for seniors was their number one concern.

While they plan to vote for the PLP candidate, they said, the party should not make assumptions about voters.

"It's always been mentioned as a UBP stronghold - I don't think they should go on that premise," said the 60-year-old father of five grown children. For several elections in years past the Progressive Labour Party either did not put up a candidate or have their candidate visit. And not being a family to waste their vote, they were forced to vote for whoever was presented to them. "I think the whole party took it for granted (that some households were UBP)... You can't go on that assumption and you can't go by what people say. When they go to the voting booth they might do something else."

The couple had to impress upon Mr. Vanputten that he had to knock on everybody's doors. This time around they have been visited by both candidates.

Mr. Simmons, they said, is worrying because he has been an active member of all three political parties.

"He seemed like a pretty progressive young fellow - he had some pretty good views. My only question is he had changed parties - this would be his third party," he said. His wife added :"It just doesn't seem like there's loyalty there."

Mr. VanPutten, however, "knows the community - whereas Jamahl says he has relatives in the area - and has stood behind the PLP. Carvel is a people person. He's one of us."

They, too are are somewhat disenchanted with politics. "They all say they are going to do something for senior citizens, but nothing ever happens," he said. And they wonder about plans for a Police sub station at Admiralty House, first mooted under a UBP Government, but which never materialised."I would like to see a sub Police station materialise before the next election," he said.

As to their major concern, they were both of the view that this Country is squandering the talents and experience of its seniors.

"I still believe and I'll believe it until I die - when you reach a certain age, you're put on the back burner and they're losing because we're the ones who have something to offer... I'm a retired insurance agent and my wife is a retired nurse. We're educated people and this Island wouldn't be where it is if it weren't for people like us."

He added : "There's lots of people who are retired and just sitting there." Asked about the PLP's performance in Government so far, he said "I don't know - it seems to me they're not living up to what they promised. I have a feeling they have been a bit complacent. They could do better. But they definitely deserve another chance... You can't make all the changes in four or five years. But I do think they have to pull their socks up for the next election. They just can't sit on their laurels - it's obvious people are getting disenchanted."

Cathy Whitehead, a 40-year-old mother of a teenage daughter and a six-year-old son, said no one is going to get her vote.

The gas station manager who works for the same company as UBP candidate Mr. Simmons, gave two reasons for her abstention.

"Firstly, I haven't seen any candidate... If they can't be bothered to come see us, why should I be bothered to go and vote? It's as simple as that. Secondly, they make a bunch of promises they don't keep. At this point in time they will tell you everything you want to hear and do nothing," she said.

"Not one thing has changed since the last election when they made a bunch of promises." And neither of the two candidates has paid her a visit. "I happen to know Jamahl is running because he's with Shell, and I'm glad to see some young people going in."

Ms Whitehead added that she is not the sort of person to vote along party lines. "I vote for whoever I feel is the best person for the job." And while she declined to divulge who she voted for during the 1998 general election, she is "very unhappy with who I voted for".

Her major concern is a national one - the state of public education. The mother of a dyslexic child said she is paying $24,000 a year for her daughter's off-Island education - money that should be spent here - because facilities here are inadequate and she knows at least eight other local children in the same school and four others who plan to follow her lead."

Education on this Island sucks," she said.