Kenneth Bascome will contest the general election as a candidate for the One Bermuda Alliance, The Royal Gazette understands.The St George’s Mayor, who indicated that he is mulling a run for elective office, sauntered into OBA headquarters yesterday afternoon as a press conference was about to start and headed straight into the party’s inner sanctum.An insider later confirmed that Mr Bascome had attended several OBA caucus meetings and will be unveiled as a candidate at the strategically appropriate moment.The conference, called to criticise Government’s debt, was headlined by Shadow Finance Minister Bob Richards, candidate Sylvan Richards and Party Leader Craig Cannonier.Asked when Mr Bascome will be rolled out, an awkward pause ensured before Mr Cannonier said that the OBA will reveal the rest of their candidates when it was ready to do so.“I don’t think this is the forum for that,” said Mr Cannonier. “We’re here talking about debt and there has been no rolling out of any candidates lately. We have chosen all of our candidates. And we will choose the time that we release them.”He said it was incorrect to suggest that the OBA was struggling to find candidates.The Opposition party has unveiled 30 candidates for the general election, leaving six to be introduced if the party fields a full slate. “We have always said from the very beginning — we are standing strong, and I believe that the polls are saying that. And I believe the Island is very clear that it now has an Opposition which is willing and ready to take over the Government.”Mr Bascome would have to give up his position as St George’s Mayor, and a run in St George’s North could imperil incumbent Dame Jennifer Smith’s chances of returning to Parliament. In 2007, Dame Jennifer held onto her seat by just 25 votes against Mr Bascome who ran for the United Bermuda Party. But a Progressive Labour Party insider told The Royal Gazette that they were unconcerned about a Bascome candidacy.The press conference itself focused on Government debt which Sylvan Richards said has grown by 700 percent since 2005.“Government’s interest payments to pay off the current debt now amount to $230,000 dollars a day or $85 million dollars a year,” Mr Richards said. “These payments take away its ability to fund other areas that need attention such as public services, support for teachers, maintenance of buses and ferries and the ability to keep our communities safe and secure.”He added that the voters should consider whether the “soaring debt” is in Bermuda’s best interest and whether Government is doing “what’s best for our children.”The OBA’s approach would be to stick to the Budget, Mr Richards said. But he later added that the way forward is to cut back spending and improve revenues. Bob Richards assured the public that the debt situation can be solved. “We in the OBA are confident that the mess that this Government has put us in is a solvable mess,” he said.“We have the solutions for these problems. You don’t have to go to the United Kingdom, you don’t have to refer to any other country. Most of these problems are made in Bermuda and the solutions can be found in Bermuda.”Mr Cannonier told The Royal Gazette later that the party will be issuing a “platform piece” next week — “an appetiser which will give you an indication of where we’re heading,” he said.The OBA’s full platform will be rolled out later, and will not be a lengthy tome, he revealed.“I believe what’s in place in Bermuda only needs to be followed through on. We don’t have to be creating a whole industry.“We need to follow through on what we have,” Mr Cannonier said, adding that an OBA government would bring back confidence to Bermuda.“Bermuda’s problem is lack of confidence. There’s millions of dollars out there that is available. Why aren’t they coming to Bermuda? We’re still strategically placed as a country. We’ve been able to leverage our relationships with the UK and the US to make a cost of living second to none. We’re still a destination that has an excellent infrastructure for business. The problem is confidence is gone.”He said: “The greatest entrepreneurs came together in Bermuda and created products for the world. That’s no longer happening.”