In 2012 the battle for Pembroke Central came down to just six votes, with Progressive Labour Party stalwart Walton Brown squeezing his way into Parliament ahead of One Bermuda Alliance newcomer Andrew Simons.

This month Mr Simons and Mr Brown go head-to-head again and both are under no illusions that every vote matters.

For Mr Simons, constituency 17 was almost his back yard as a child. He grew up in Spanish Point, where his great-grandfather ran a dry-cleaning business, and attended West Pembroke Primary School and The Berkeley Institute.

Mr Brown was also born and raised in Pembroke and lives on the Pembroke Central boundary of Ferrar’s Lane — he travels through the constituency every day — and he told The Royal Gazette that he was “cautiously optimistic” about his chances of retaining the seat, and had learnt from 2012 that “truly every single vote matters”.

“The area represents the wonderful diversity of Bermuda,” Brown added. “It is home to people who reflect both the successes and challenges of our island but they are all seeking a better Bermuda.

“I’ve been canvassing since February but have held a number of public meetings over the years for constituents. People want a government that listens to their concerns and responds accordingly. They do not want to be taken for granted or disrespected.

“Locally, there are areas which require a focused policing effort, better traffic flow and garbage disposal.

“Nationally, there are persistent themes: firstly unemployment, underemployment and quality jobs; secondly the urgent need for better care for our seniors and the related cost of healthcare; and thirdly the demand we fix public education — from infrastructure needs to student performance.”

Mr Simons believes his experience from canvassing four years ago and his subsequent time on a string of boards and committees as well as in the Senate, make him a better candidate now than in 2012.

“After 2012 I decided to channel my energy towards a number of boards like the Health Council, the CedarBridge Board, the Financial Assistance Board and the Pembroke Parish Council,” the former Regiment officer said.

“Now, through the various boards and committees I have learnt about what works and what does not work; I have been able to improve some of these areas and fix some problems like helping to introduce a robust health insurance enforcement from the Health Council.

“I have a sense of how difficult it is to pass legislation. When I am at the doorstep now I am better able to answer questions and talk concretely about what we have done.”

Mr Simons, a keen runner and self-confessed “policy nerd”, ran again for Parliament in 2016 against the PLP’s Diallo Rabain in the PLP stronghold of Devonshire North Central, but came off second best. He went on to take a seat in the Senate in the same year.

He said: “I am taking the same approach that I did last time; work as hard as I can so I don’t have any regrets. The harder I work the happier I will feel about my chances.

“I am a better candidate now that I was in 2012. In 2012 I could draw on experience and leadership from the Regiment and work in international business and my experience at Stanford where I studied chemical engineering.

“I also have my work ethic and sincerity; I am humbled by the work and am genuinely trying to make Bermuda better.”

Mr Brown is a respected political commentator; for 12 years he worked as a lecturer in politics and history at Bermuda College, and in 2007 he was appointed to the Senate.

Before taking his place in the House of Assembly for the first time in 2012, he had run unsuccessfully in the 2007 election in Spanish Point.

Outside of the political arena, and away from the marketing research firm he runs, the father-of-three loves to travel and read Dan Brown books.

“The privilege of serving in the House of Assembly is the ability to raise critical issues for the public to get insight and reflect on,” Mr Brown said.

“There are two components to this election; firstly the national sensitivity permeating the country of how people feel about the direction we are going in and secondly a critical component will be on the doorstep. The election is won on the doorstep; it’s vital to turn out and it’s vital to listen.

“Moving forward it is absolutely critical that we find ways of working together; many of the most fundamental issues are inherently divisive, so it does not make sense for one party to force their will on another.

“I sit on the Immigration Working Group — a bipartisan group — and this must be a template moving forward.”

Mr Simons struck a similarly conciliatory tone; and admitted he rarely talked politics on the doorstep.

“I don’t tend to see it as one against another,” he said. “What people want is someone who is honest, competent and who gives a damn. I feel I brought those qualities to the constituency in 2012, but I have learnt so much more in the last five years and am better able to draw on that experience.

“It would be premature to talk about confidence; I have more houses to visit and more conversations to have.

“The biggest challenge about canvassing is finding people and registering them; it’s not saying nasty things about people or parties.

“I genuinely believe that this government has done a tremendous amount despite governing with a slim majority

“I have spent a lot of time working with the audited financials; we inherited a large deficit and now four and a half years later we will shortly be in a position to have a balanced budget that will allow us to put down on that debt.

“That outcome was achieved while still keeping the wheels of government turning. Having said that people are still struggling; and there is no sense of denial about that.”

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