Video: BNV With OBA Candidate Ben Smith
Ben Smith — who will be the OBA’s candidate for the bye-election in Smith’s South on October 5th – is joining Bernews today [Aug 29] for the latest episode in the Bernews News & Views series.
The bye-election was called due to the resignation of Cole Simons, who has held the seat for over two decades, winning twice under the UBP and three times under the OBA, with winning percentages ranging from 63.24% to 73.84%. The PLP have not yet announced their candidate, but is expected to do so in the coming days.
Mr Smith — who was previously the MP for Southampton West Central Constituency 31 — has said he “plans to win the bye-election,” stating, “I have huge shoes to fill as this seat has been held by our former leader, Cole Simons for the last quarter century. Cole is a man of integrity and has been trusted by the residents in constituency 8 to advocate for them. I intend to do the same.”
The PLP has said, “This move from the OBA is an admission that Ben Smith cannot win C-31 and is being moved to a potentially winnable OBA seat. On the doorstep in Southampton, voters told us that Ben Smith was an invisible MP who rarely spoke up for their issues – and it looks like the OBA wants to subject the voters of C-8 to the same fate.”
Ben said in the video we built a team over the last 3 years that looks like Bermuda! Isn’t this what the UBPOBA have always done. He forgot to mention that the party has a 95% white voter base. How diverse is that ….never mind!
Ultimately you should judge have the current government done a good job. Burt’s regime has been a disaster, so you vote OBA, the. Judge what the OBA do . If you vote for any other reason than that, then you are hurting your own pocket, your children’s future and the future of Bermuda.
Something stinks here! The OBA party is a white establishment with majority white voters yes! So why is the party running mostly black candidates?
If you go on the party website it looks like the party is black Bermuda. Does the party feel that black Bermudians ….WILL NOT…. support a white candidate or are the intelligent + potential WHITE candidates not selected to run because of their skin color?
Who’s racist NOW!!!!
And how diverse is the PLP’s voter base , much less the PLP themselves ? Never mind .
As a white swing voter I would tell you stop worrying about the PLP. Concern yourself with this weak opposition the island has. I actually voted for the PLP one election and after I informed my friends they actually distance themselves from me. After this treatment from my own as we say it had me thinking, which segment of Bermuda really has an issue with skin complexation.
LOL , true story , inna ?
It’s a ‘complexation’!
Sadly, I am not surprised by what Sam writes
This actually happened to me as well. All my colleagues in my office believe I vote OBA but now I vote for the candidate.
This was a mess.
The convo with Leah was a disaster. The Premier was born in Bermuda BUT even if he wasn’t it doesn’t matter as his father is Bermudian.
He doubled down and that was embarrassing.
He has abandoned Southampton which is making everyone scratch their heads. I am sure others in OBA would have loved to run in C8. Why did Ben get this opportunity? He lost a safe seat in Southampton.
I really believe some OBA in C8 will really be over it and not support Ben.