Wayne Caines, Anthony Richardson and Rose Ann Tucker were yesterday unveiled as Progressive Labour Party candidates for the General Election.

Mr Caines, a former senator and chief of staff to the Premier, will fight for Devonshire North West, the seat previously held by former premier Paula Cox but won at the last election by Glen Smith of the One Bermuda Alliance.

At a press conference at Alaska Hall, Mr Caines, a former prosecutor of seven years, described himself as “a son who is at home” in Devonshire North West, having spent his childhood and teenage years in the constituency.

The former CEO of Digicel Bermuda and former captain in the Bermuda Regiment, said his priority was to “end gun and gang violence in our island home.”

Mr Caines continued: “This is a responsibility that I do not take lightly, particularly during these challenging times in our island. I have always been committed to service.

“My goal is simple — to be an advocate for hope and to foster the belief that as Bermudians we deserve to have a better Bermuda for all. Our children deserve to go to world-class schools. Our seniors deserve first-class medical care. Our young men and women deserve to have legitimate access to the professional opportunities that exist in their own island.

“Additionally, I plan to work tirelessly to end gang and gun-related violence on our island.”

Opposition leader David Burt said of Mr Caines: “Wayne is a member of many civic organisations and sits on various boards. Impressively, he was the recipient of the Community Leader Award from the Detroit-based non-profit organisation Operation ReachBack.

“With his military discipline and community activism, Wayne is an ideal candidate for the PLP in Constituency 14.”

Mr Burt said of chartered accountant Mr Richardson: “With his professional and community experience, I am convinced Anthony will make an excellent representative for Smith’s West”.

Mr Richardson, the deputy chairman of the party, will run in Hamilton South, which Sylvan Richards will defend for the OBA.

He has held numerous senior positions such as accountant general of Bermuda, chairman of the Bermuda Hospitals Board, CEO of the Bermuda Health Council and chief financial officer for the Bermuda Land Development Company.

Mr Richardson pledged to work to make the education system “first-class once again” as well as addressing Bermuda’s social ills and fiscal management.

Speaking on his canvassing experience, Mr Richardson said concerns raised related to education, road safety, water supply and employment.

Urging voters to play an active role in the 2017 election, he said: “I pledge to ensure that our education system can be one that is first-class yet again, and I do believe it can. I pledge to ensure that we address the social ills that are plaguing our country. We can fix this, and we will.

“And I pledge that with my financial background I will play a role in ensuring we govern with responsible and prudent fiscal management.

“I have a vested interest in the success of Bermuda as I have two children whom I love dearly and whom I want to live a happy, healthy, successful life in Bermuda. “

Ms Tucker, a former assistant secretary for the PLP who has been involved at the branch and executive levels of the party, will run in Smith’s South, where education minister Cole Simons has been MP for the OBA since 1998.

In the 1980s, Ms Tucker was a founding member of People for Positive Change (having ESP), grass roots, lobbyist group focusing on what she described as “the then economic, social, and political shortcomings of the UBP” and in the 1990s lobbied as the National Tenants and Future Homeowners Association “bringing awareness to the Housing crisis and breaking down the barriers to get access to the houses on Southside”.

The self-employed entrepreneur who operates a concierge service said: “There are two Bermudas and Bermudians must come first in opportunity, jobs and success in our own country.

“It is quite clear to me, that key challenges island wide, are in the area of employment, education and healthcare costs. There has been no increase in jobs for Bermudians. There is a serious deficit in our historical and liberal education. Our transportation system has failing equipment, infrastructure and scheduling deficits and there is a pressing need to reduce the cost of nutrition and further reduce the cost of healthcare in this island.”

Mr Burt added: “Rose Ann understands the true meaning of hard work. A family immersed in politics fostered in Rose Ann a lifelong interest and desire to become involved in the political process and to contribute to the betterment of all Bermudians.”