And while the UDP gears up for a hotly contested off-season convention, on Saturday, the PUP will be holding the convention for its City Council slate.
A total of 15 candidates will vye for 10 councilor candidate openings, and two women will offer themselves to be the PUP's candidate for mayor.
In an odd twist, it won't be an open convention; it will be a closed convention where only divisional delegates can vote. That reduces the voter pool to 512 hand-picked delegates, culled from the City's 10 divisions. That changes the dynamic significantly - and is unusual because such a format is usually only used to elect party officers at a convention.
But, odd though t may be, we spoke to one of the mayoral candidate hopefuls today and she was unfazed. And that's probably because Karen Bodden is a newcomer to politics. She's never been up front for the PUP, or for that matter, even in the background. In fact, as a career counselor and social worker, she's always stayed far from politics, but she says it's that same community work which is now pressing her forward.
Karen Bodden
"I think that is where the idea first got birthed, when I came face to face glaringly with the lack of opportunities for young people. The fact that these kids especially at schools like Sadie Vernon - you have kids who are intelligent enough to go on to another level but there are no opportunities for them."
Jules Vasquez
"Why would you get into this game of politics? It's such a dirty game."
Karen Bodden
"And that precisely why I decided to get in because it doesn't have to be. I believe that politics is a vehicle that could be used to improve the lifestyle for people if it is used properly."
Jules Vasquez
"Do you think that it a wise time to get involve particularly with the PUP when their future is uncertain in terms of the next imminent election?"
Karen Bodden
"I think it's the appropriate time precisely for all those things that you have just sighted because evolution is an exciting process and what the party is going through is a sort of evolution."
Jules Vasquez
"Now the convention you are going up in will not be an open convention. It will be a delegate's convention which doesn't really happen too often. Is it something that concerns you that it's not open and you can't bring your people to vote for you directly?"
Karen Bodden
"A lot of people will tend to look at it that way but I have always been an optimist and I always believe in me and it's not cocky its confidence and so that is the reason why. No, I am not nervous about a delegate convention."
Jules Vasquez
"Do you feel you have a lock on a sufficient number of divisions that will enable you to win on Saturday?"
Karen Bodden
"I believe I do and primarily because the team I am a part of is representative of each of those areas and so I find that that makes it a bit easier for me to be confident - that the message is reaching throughout the constituencies."
Jules Vasquez
"Most people who enter into politics have at some point maybe been in the background and are now coming into the forefront. So as I know you've never been in the political background. What has that learning curve or that process been like? Has it been enlightening, illuminating or in some cases maybe even frightening?"
Karen Bodden
"All of the above because I have always seen the world through my eyes and entering the political arena I realize quickly that that was not sufficient. That thing was not always what they seem, but it was also very encouraging because its learning human behavior in which I have always been interested. Learning about human behavior on a new level, so it has been exciting, it has been frustrating at time but at the same time I feel that you cannot place value on any type of learning and so I value experience."
Bodden currently teaches and counsels at Sadie Vernon. Her opponent in the mayoral candidacy race, Sharole Saldivar has confirmed that she will give us her interview tomorrow afternoon.
The convention will be held on Saturday afternoon at the St. Mary's Hall.
