Former school head top in Town

THE new deputy for St Peter Port South is former headmistress Jenny Tasker. Mrs Tasker, the only one of the eight candidates who actually lives in the electoral district, romped home with 306 votes, 31.4% of the total cast.

'It's great,' she said.

'I am obviously very pleased that the electorate has given me their support. I look forward to doing as I said in my manifesto.

'Everything that the States does has to be for the benefit of all the people in the island.'

A major casualty of the night was former deputy and recently re-elected Guernsey Consumer Group chairman Roy Bisson. He came fourth with 125 votes ' less than 8% of the total.

He made a sharp exit after the results were declared.

Angus Perfitt, the candidate who submitted his nomination at the last minute and then decided he did not want to stand but found out it was too late to pull out, picked up six votes despite not campaigning.

Yet Mick Bourgaize, who was at the hustings but not there for last night's announcement, managed only 19 votes.

Jan Kuttelwascher placed second but Hampshire Lodge licensee Peter Leigh got just 58 votes.

'I am disappointed, but there is always the general election,' he said.

'It is always in my mind, but we will have to see what has happened two years down the line.'

When the polls closed at 8pm yesterday the ballot boxes from St Stephen's Community Centre were brought to the other polling station, the Constables' Office in Lefebvre Street.

Inside the office, which was barred to all but the election officials, the two sets of votes were counted in separate rooms as a crowd including media, States watchers such as Mike Chandler and Peter Wilson and current deputies including Barry Brehaut, Peter Roffey and Rhoderick Matthews gathered.

Then at just after 9.15pm St Peter Port senior constable and returning officer Richard Barneby emerged to reveal that Mrs Tasker had won the race for the seat left vacant by the sudden death of Mike Burbridge on 27 June.

'I have to thank everybody who supported me,' said Mrs Tasker in a speech afterwards. 'I must also say thank you to the fellow candidates for what has been a interesting few weeks and a fair contest.'

She was making a quick getaway before heading off this morning on the red-eye flight for a Trefoil Guild (a branch of Girl Guiding) meeting today in Salisbury. She will be sworn in on Tuesday and enter the House on Wednesday.

'I am really looking forward to Wednesday,' she said.

Mrs Tasker lost out to Barbara Bartie in an attempt to become a jurat but she said that was now in the past.

And Mrs Tasker, who will have to give up her non-States roles on the Public Accounts Committee and Home Department, is already eyeing up the positions on Scrutiny and deputy minister at Public Services left vacant by Mr Burbridge's death.

The St Peter Port douzenier and junior constable plans to continue in those roles as well as being a deputy ' for now.

'We will just have to see how it goes regarding the balance of it all,' she said.

Mr Barneby said that he had been up since 6am sorting out the election and that there had been 50 people involved.

There were 2,963 people signed on the electoral roll, of whom 963 voted ' the turnout was therefore 32.5%.

'We have never had a by-election under the new system, in which there are two districts for the parish, so we did not really know what to expect,' said Mr Barneby.

'I would say, though, that is a pretty good turnout.'

Mr Barneby, before the final announcement, had to call Bailiff Geoffrey Rowland to get his permission to declare the result and then, once it had been, he had to make a courtesy call to Chief Minister Laurie Morgan to inform him.