Who will you vote for? (From Penarth Times)

Who will you vote for?

THE NATIONAL Assembly elections are upon us once again so it's now time for you to decide who to vote for.

This year the elections will be held on Thursday, May 1.

Four years ago, in May 1999, the Labour and Co-operative Party candidate Lorraine Jayne Barrett was elected as the Assembly Member for Cardiff South and Penarth.

Mrs Barrett, standing for re-election this year, has lived in Penarth for many years.

She has been a member of the Vale of Glamorgan and Penarth Town councils.

Mrs Barrett has been a governor of Albert Road School for more than 15 years and is a founder member of Penarth Youth Project.

She is married to Paul who works in the showbusiness world. Her son is an international DJ and her daughter is an actress in Australia.

David Charles Bartlett is standing for the Socialist Party Wales. He is 50 and has been a member of the party for more than 20 years.

His present job is working for Cardiff Magistrates Court and he is also an adult literacy teacher.

He obtained a degree in history and politics from Cardiff University and has lived in the Cardiff area since the 1960s. He is originally from Milford Haven.

Politics has always been an interest since his days at university and he used to be a member of the Labour Party until he was expelled.

Rodney Simon Berman is a member of the Welsh Liberal Democrats and lives in Cardiff.

He is 33 and has a PhD in pharmacology. Originally from Glasgow where he completed his education, Mr Berman is now the leader of the opposition on Cardiff County Council.

Mr Berman took up a post in Cardiff as a researcher for Cardiff University at the University Hospital of Wales, Heath. He enjoys travelling and going to the cinema.

He stood in the last General Election.

Richard Rhys Grigg is standing for Plaid Cymru. He is 35, lives in Cardiff and is married to Gwenllian, a BBC Wales journalist.

They have a five-month-old son called Caradog. Mr Grigg is a trainee solicitor and will be fully trained in a year's time.

With a degree in business studies from Staffordshire University, Mr Grigg went on to work for BBC Wales for eight years, first as a researcher and then as a producer. He has also owned a launderette which used to be his father's.

In his spare time he is a keen Cardiff City fan and enjoys following the Welsh football team.

Dianne Rees of the Welsh Conservative Party has been involved in politics for the last ten years.

Mrs Rees is married to John who is a QC and has three sons and a daughter.

Her 15-year-old son lives at home along with her 85-year-old widowed mother.

She is a member of St Mellons Community Council and is a governor at St Mellons Church in Wales School.

Before going into politics she was a geography teacher in Cardiff, having graduated from London University with a degree in geography.

Dianne is a business woman nowadays and has been a Justice of the Peace for 14 years.

In the 1999 election Mrs Barrett got 11,057 votes compared to the next nearest challenger Mary Davies (Conservative) with 4,254.

The lowest vote aggregate was 210 for Tom Davies (Celtic Alliance).

Proportional representation is used which means each party receives seats in proportion to the number of votes cast for its candidates.

John Brown bookmakers have not taken any bets on the election yet.