Liberal Vannin candidate Gary Chambers is standing for one of the two House of Keys seats in Rushen, promising to bring the concerns of local residents to the heart of Government.
Born and bred in Port St Mary, Gary Chambers has lived in the south for most of his life, attending Rushen Primary School and Castle Rushen High School.
He has worked for the Department of Infrastructure and its predecessors for 24 years, initially as a bus driver before becoming a transport supervisor 11 years ago.
That role, he says, has given him extensive experience of dealing with the public, managing drivers and vehicles and responding to incidents involving emergency services and Government departments.
Gary is also a current Port Erin Commissioner and says this has given him a further understanding of the issues facing local communities.
Sport and community involvement are also important to him. He has taken part in charity fundraising events including Tough Mann, the Easter Festival of Running, charity football matches, the Parish Walk and Thriller in the Villa.
A lifelong Evertonian, Gary has also coached and managed football teams. While living in Manchester in the 1990s, he established a community football team in a deprived area, while after returning to the island he coached Douglas Royal juniors, helping the team progress from the bottom of its league to champions the following season.
His manifesto sets out a wide range of issues he wants to raise if elected, including affordable housing, employment, wages, support for small businesses, food security, healthcare, roads and travel connections.
On housing, he backs greater provision of affordable homes and says more needs to be done to help young people get on the property ladder. He also proposes greater regulation of the private rental market and action on empty and neglected properties.
Gary wants the island to move towards a Living Wage, while supporting small businesses through the transition, and says more should be done to support local producers and the island's farming industry.
Food security is another key concern, with his manifesto calling for greater promotion of locally produced food and restrictions on farmland being sold for development.
He is also calling for a major programme of road resurfacing, improved access to GP and NHS dental appointments, and reform of the student awards system, including incentives for graduates returning to work in essential services.
For the south specifically, Gary highlights the future of Castle Rushen High School and its swimming pool, local roads and coastal footpaths, the Ballafesson glamping site, the former Marine Biological Station area and the derelict Traie Meanagh outdoor swimming pool.
He also wants greater scrutiny of major government projects, including the Liverpool Ferry Terminal and Manxman, and is calling for a more transparent and accountable Government.
Gary says he does not want to make promises he cannot keep.
‘I don’t have all the answers but I’m ready and willing to listen to YOU,’ he says in his manifesto.
He adds: ‘No Gimics, and no promises that I can change our island immediately, just to do it right.’
Standing as a Liberal Vannin candidate, Gary says his aim is to put constituents’ concerns at the centre of his work in the House of Keys.
‘Together we can make a difference,’ he says.
Promoted by Liberal Vannin, The Rigs, Mount Auldyn, Ramsey, IM8 3PJ and published by Media Isle of Man (formerly Isle of Man Newspapers), 18 Finch Road, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 2PT