Toppling the Premier was the biggest giant-killing moment, but others made their mark too
In an evening of celebration and heartbreak, a handful of candidates managed to topple some of the Island’s political elite.OBA’s Glen Smith landed a huge blow for the One Bermuda Alliance early in the evening by defeating Premier Paula Cox by 40 votes.While the seat had historically been considered a safe seat for the Progressive Labour Party, the seat gained almost 200 voters from Devonshire South Central in recent boundary changes.The former Deputy Mayor said following his victory that he didn’t focus on who his opponent was but on the constituents themselves, waging a “personal campaign” in the constituency.“When you look at the popular vote, it is clear that the people want change,” he said.Meanwhile the OBA’s Michael Dunkley soundly defeated the PLP’s Patrice Minors, who had served as the Minister of Economy Trade and Industry.Mr Dunkley had previously lost to Ms Minors in the 2007 election, falling 92 votes short of victory. This year, however, he was able to earn double the votes of Ms Minors, thanks in part to boundary changes.He said he had put in a great deal of hard work, and had done whatever he could to build a relationship with his constituents.“I’m just humbled to have the opportunity to work in Smith’s North, and the constituents all know they have my total commitment.”St George’s Mayor Kenneth Bascome meanwhile won his second election in a year by defeating Education Minister Dame Jennifer Smith in St George’s East.The two candidates had faced each other in two past general elections, with Dame Jennifer narrowly defeating Mr Bascome on both occasions — by eight votes in 2003 and 25 votes in 2007.Mr Bascome, who defeated Alfonso Harris to retain the seat of Mayor in May, was this time able to topple Dame Jennifer, scoring 52 percent of the vote.He thanked God for his victory, saying that while he will have to step down as Mayor, he would have more stories to tell his grandchildren.“I was the last Mayor elected under the old rules, I was the first Mayor elected under the new rules and I was a part of the first OBA victory at the polls,” he said.“This is something I have dreamed about, representing the community where I live in the House of Assembly.”And the OBA’s Nandi Davis narrowly defeated former UBP leader Kim Swan and the PLP’s Renee Anderson-Ming in a heated three-way battle for St George’s West.Mr Swan had defeated PLP’s Dean Foggo by 17 votes in 2007, but chose to run as an independent candidate this year following the dissolving of the UBP.This year he was outperformed by both opposing candidates, earning only 23 percent of the vote. When the ballots were counted, Ms Davis was ahead of Ms Anderson-Ming by just four votes.While a major victory for the rookie candidate, the victory was a landmark for the OBA, guaranteeing the party control of the House of Assembly.