Backbench MP Trevor Moniz is calling on the six candidates running for election onto the Corporation of Hamilton to take a firm stand on the issues affecting the city.

The Opposition politician told The Royal Gazette the municipality had been an old boys' club for too long and those aiming to get voted in as common councillors on Monday should have opinions and ideas on key topics.

Bermuda National Trust has also highlighted the issues it hopes voters will consider when they head to the polls and pointed out that what happens in the capital affects everyone on the Island.

"They are not running on any issues," Mr. Moniz complained of the candidates. "They are just saying: 'I'm a good manager'. What about issues like high rise buildings, the lack of protection for historic buildings, reclaiming half of Hamilton harbour, casino gambling?

"Where do they stand on these issues? Nobody seems to be approaching it. I think these people need to be coming out on these issues in a broad sense. This is the time to test people on these issues."

There are six candidates contesting the three vacant councillor seats at City Hall, mainly from the business community. They are: Diane Gordon, Charles Gosling, John Harvey, Anne Kast, Graeme Outerbridge and Glen Smith.

Each have answered a series of questions about issues in Hamilton put by this newspaper, which will be published on Monday, and written a letter to the city's 430 voters outlining what they will do for the capital.

But Mr. Moniz said the letters he had seen did not get to the heart of the matters affecting Hamilton. And he accused the media of failing to take enough interest in Corporation elections — despite elected members having control of a $21 million budget.

He said the Corporation was in a "complete mess" and that voters should consider recent events when deciding who to vote for. "There is no clear direction at the Corporation of Hamilton," he said.

Dorcas Roberts, Bermuda National Trust's director of preservation, cited the lack of effective protection for the city's historic buildings and the desperate need for an updated City of Hamilton Plan as issues pertinent to Monday's by-election.

"The trust has long advocated for the list of historical and architecturally significant buildings within the city to be completed, but as yet only the Anglican Cathedral benefits from such protection," she said.

"Another related issue that should also be of major importance in this election is that the City of Hamilton is going through a period of rapid change and development, evident by the increasing trend of planning approvals for high rise buildings; i.e. buildings that significantly exceed the height and storey limits set out by the City of Hamilton Plan 2001.

"As a matter of urgency the City of Hamilton Plan 2001 must be reviewed to establish if the city can indeed accommodate such buildings and if so, where. More importantly, it should be identified where such developments would not be suitable."

She added: "The future development of the city is an issue of national importance and the whole community should take an interest in the many issues that affect the city and, by extension, the Island as a whole."

Former councillor Pamela Ferreira is the city's new alderman. She became the only candidate for the seat after opponent Kathryn Gibbons pulled out of the election yesterday. Mrs. Ferreira's election creates a councillor vacancy, meaning another by-election will have to be held shortly.

• See Monday's edition of The Royal Gazette for full pre-election coverage.