By Tammi Sulliman
Date: Friday, 21 March 2025
Candidates
- Robert Bodden (TCCP)
- Dwayne ‘John John’ Seymour* (PPM)
*incumbent
The seventh forum in the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce’s candidate series took place on Friday night, spotlighting the Bodden Town East constituency. With only two candidates on stage, the head-to-head format allowed for a pointed and revealing exchange of ideas.
Incumbent Dwayne ‘John John’ Seymour, a recent Progressives-joiner, faced off against challenger Robert Bodden of The Caymanian Community Party. Both men laid out their visions for the district and the country, with questions drawn from the chamber’s advocacy agenda and public submissions.
Key issues
What three national issues would you seek to address?
Both candidates identified the cost of living, housing and immigration as top national issues, but their proposed solutions offered clear contrasts.
Seymour focused on affordability and economic pressure post pandemic.
“The $100 you spent ten years ago is not the same $100 today,” he said.
“When the minimum wage is less than a 12 pack of eggs, we’ve got a serious problem.”
He added that a missed opportunity to negotiate utility prices was a failure of leadership but proposed a new initiative: “I’ve been working on a programme for a government discount store with discounts on products already duty-free. Leadership didn’t think it was important. I do.”
Bodden said the system itself needs an overhaul.
“The main drivers of the cost of living are housing, electricity, food and health insurance,” he said.
He called for removing duty on fruits, vegetables and renewable energy items, and the creation of a consumer protection agency to ensure price transparency.
On health care, he said, “Too many people with health issues and no insurance are being neglected. It’s a crisis.”
Fixing traffic, saving lives
Traffic and road safety continue to plague the district.
Seymour, who supports the East-West Arterial extension, said enforcement and infrastructure were essential.
“Every day I drive that road, I see speeding — from heavy equipment and regular vehicles. Someone is going to get hurt if we don’t act.”
Seymour proposed a district survey on speed humps and said regulations for speed cameras were now in place.
Bodden said traffic mismanagement was fuelling chaos.
“In the mornings, people in Lookout Gardens are overtaking on the shoulder just to jump the line,” he said.
He proposed rerouting heavy equipment via back roads and increasing police presence at key junctions to manage the school and work rush hour.
Housing and stamp duty
On home ownership, both men supported changes to stamp duty concessions, especially for those who are divorced or purchasing again.
Seymour, who referred to himself as “the Minister of Land”, said, “I don’t think one-time stamp duty is enough. People who are divorced deserve a second chance at the concession.”
He pointed to his record. “I’ve bought more property than any other minister — fact check me.”
That land, he said, is being used to create public beaches and future facilities for seniors and children.
Bodden was more critical of the system itself.
“Land is unaffordable to the average Caymanian,” he said, proposing 100% financing for homes — not just vehicles — and criticising banks for pegging mortgage rates to the US market.
“Why are we still held hostage to US interest rates when our banks don’t even borrow from them?”
Vertical solutions
Both candidates supported the construction of multi-storey affordable housing developments in the district.
Bodden said rezoning would be necessary but worth it.
“Not everyone can afford a home. Government-built affordable apartments could replace the unsustainable rent support system,” he said.
Seymour agreed and backed going tall: “I support 20-storey structures — I’ve said that publicly. We can’t use up all our land. We have to build up.”
He added that the affordable homes built under his previous leadership had durable materials and strong finishes to reduce stigma.
Jobs for returning students
Seymour said he had already asked the civil service to prepare jobs for Caymanian students returning with bachelor’s degrees.
“No Caymanian coming back with a degree should ever say they can’t find a job,” he said. “We must budget to make sure they all get a chance — even if temporary.”
He also floated building affordable housing for them on government-owned land.
Bodden said immigration reform must come first.
“We need a moratorium on work permits in certain sectors to create space for returning students,” he said.
He added, “Employers say our young people lack experience — but everyone starts somewhere. With the right aptitude and attitude, we can excel.”
Immigration reform
Both candidates supported the ongoing immigration white paper but highlighted gaps.
Seymour, who tabled the paper as minister, said, “It’s not perfect. If an employee is forced to change jobs because of a bad employer, they shouldn’t be penalised with a one-year gap. That needs review.”
Bodden criticised what he sees as temporary work permit abuse and calling for a full overhaul.
“Temporary means temporary, but people are extending these permits again and again, even without proper health checks. That’s dangerous,” he said.
He also pushed for the civil service rollover policy to be included in reforms.
Diversifying the economy
Asked how to expand Cayman’s economy beyond tourism and financial services, Seymour said the jurisdiction needs to focus more on medical tourism, referencing the development of Health City as an example of driving economic diversification.
He took the opportunity to applaud the leadership of former Premier McKeeva Bush in whose 2009 United Democratic Party administration Seymour was a member.
“We have the weather, the accommodation and the appeal. The Cayman Islands are the perfect place to combine medical treatment with the trip of a lifetime,” Seymour said.
Bodden pitched motorsports tourism as a niche but growing area in the region.
“Circuit racing has a strong Caribbean following — why not create a space here for that?”
He also added, “We don’t have a revenue generation problem — we have a spending problem.”
Food security
Bodden advocated for new shipping routes from South and Central America and criticised the high markup on US imports.
“By the time food reaches our shelves, it’s marked up 400%. We’re paying quadruple the actual cost.”
Seymour agreed that reliance on the US was risky: “We need to grow what we eat and eat what we grow. Backyard farming should be encouraged — and we need to finish the work we started sourcing from other countries.”
Making Bodden Town a tourism hub
Both men had bold visions for economic growth in the district.
Seymour said he had already engaged with cruise tourism leaders about developing the public beach in Bodden Town.
“I’ve built kiosks and bought property with this in mind. We can take pressure off Seven Mile Beach and create opportunities for locals right here,” Seymour said.
Bodden pitched a rezoning and redevelopment plan for central Bodden Town.
“That stretch has some of the best beaches outside of Seven Mile. Imagine boutique hotels, cafes, crafts, culinary tourism — a walkable community,” he said.
“It’s a crying shame nothing has changed there in 20 years. We’ve let our first capital deteriorate.”
Landfill and recycling
Bodden said the current landfill plan is “exorbitant” and unsustainable.
“Why don’t we have recycling at the household level? That’s basic. We need a new plan that’s actually affordable,” Bodden said.
Seymour defended his decision to cap and remediate the landfill during his time as minister of environment.
“The explosions have practically stopped. That alone has made a real difference,” he said.
He added that delays in advancing the waste-to-energy facility under the current government had caused the project’s cost to balloon.
Tackling corruption
Seymour said there are checks and balances in place, and ministers don’t award contracts.
“We don’t even see the bidders until a decision is made. If corruption is happening, it needs to be reported — but our systems are strong,” he said.
Bodden argued for a mandatory code of conduct for all MPs and board appointees.
“If wrongdoing is proven, that politician should be criminally liable and removed from office. Full stop,” Bodden said.
Notable exchange
There were few direct confrontations during the debate, but sparks flew at one point.
Bodden criticised Seymour’s performance in office, saying, “Young Caymanians can’t qualify for a home based on the wages this government has allowed. We’ve got to do better.”
Seymour hit back indirectly — and memorably — when Bodden claimed Columbus would still recognise central Bodden Town because “nothing has changed there in 20 years”.
Seymour quipped, “Christopher Columbus didn’t actually come to Bodden Town — he was in Cayman Brac. He never even saw Grand Cayman.”
Standout moments
Seymour, now contesting his fifth election, underscored his experience and long-standing ministerial track record.
“Since 2009, every time I’ve been elected, I’ve been made a minister,” he said.
“The people of Bodden Town East see the qualities in me. I can work with any side that is running the government. I can work as a minister in any group that is chosen.”
Bodden, by contrast, pitched himself as a grounded and relatable alternative.
“I am your neighbour. I am raising my family here. I am going through the same cost-of-living crisis, the same traffic — just like you,” he said.
“Enough with the empty promises. Enough with the election-time handouts. If they can buy you, they can sell you out.”
The chamber’s next candidate forum, focused on Bodden Town West, will be held on Monday, 24 March as the countdown to Cayman’s 2025 elections continues.
Watch debate online
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