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Reform Jersey's candidate for Chief Minister yesterday made an appeal to the public for the top job in a hustings event.
States Members will head to the Chamber tomorrow morning to vote for either Deputy Sam Mézec, Deputy Lyndon Farnham or Deputy Ian Gorst.
In St Helier Town Hall yesterday evening, Deputy Mézec raised the matter of why he should appeal to the public when Islanders were not, in fact, the ones to vote.
He said: "I am here because I don't think we can afford to lose sight of who this is really about: the people of Jersey."
The Reform leader further said he was determined to "burst the Royal Square bubble" and "bring politics back to the people".
After being welcomed by applause, he began his 10-minute speech by stating that last week's decision to oust Deputy Kristina Moore from her role as Chief Minister has been "the right decision".
He continued: "For the last 18 months, we've seen a Govenrment plagued by dysfunctionality, inaction, and broken promises. It leaves office with Jersey a more unequal society than when they started.
"Now is a time to reset and get back on track. Now is certainly not the time for politicians who can offer little more than nice words and cheap rhetoric or for those who are determined to preserve the status quo."
To the Members who have spoken about "status quo", he said: "It does not not matter how steady your hand is on the tiller if you're sailing the ship towards an iceberg."
Deputy Mézec laid out his three priorities, if he were to be successful.
As laid out in his vision statement, these are to "resolve Jersey's housing crisis" by establishing an emergency taskforce, alter the Island's response to climate change to a "just transition", and "restore faith and confidence in our Government system".
With just nine signatories from Reform Jersey on his nomination paper and no other declared supporters, Deputy Mézec currently seems in third position in the race for the top job.
There has been speculation as to whether or not Reform members might take seats in a government led by Deputy Lyndon Farnham.
Pictured: Reform Jersey has around a fifth of the seats in the States Assembly.
Deputy Farnham did not disclose this when he spoke to Express earlier this week, but did speak of his support for a more "representative" Council of Ministers and said that it would not be "unreasonable" for Reform politicians to become Ministers.
He described his relationship with Deputy Mézec as "very sound", but added that "my political position is more centrist" than the socialist-democratic party leader.
The other Chief Minister challenger – current Treasury Minister and previous Chief Minister Ian Gorst – has ruled out working with Reform.
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