A look back at Terry Lister’s political career

Terry Lister, who resigned from the PLP today, was a long-time stalwart of the Progressive Labour Party, having represented them in the Senate and as MP for many years.

He was first appointed a PLP Senator in 1993 and also served as the Oppositions spokesman on Finance, Tourism, Marine Services, Technology and Information.

He was part of the PLP Class of 1998 that swept into power when he won Constituency #33, Sandy’s South.

Mr Lister then was re-elected in 2003, 2008 and 2012 by crushing margins. In December’s General Election he won with 57 per cent of the vote to One Bermuda alliance’s Toni Spring’s 43 per cent.

He ran for leader of the party against Marc Bean after Paula Cox was defeated in 2012 General Election, but lost by a wide margin of 111 to 25.

Mr Lister also lost a leadership battle after Dr Ewart Brown stepped down in October 2010. He received 39 votes to Paula Cox’s 124 and Dale Butler receiving just two. Mr Lister then ran for Deputy Leader but lost by a narrow nine-vote margin to Derrick Burgess.

Mr Lister was in the first PLP Cabinet as Minister of Development, Opportunity and Government Services. Since then has held a number of portfolios which included Labour, Home Affairs and Public Safety - 2001-2003; Works and Engineering -  2003 - 2004; Education  and Development  - 2004 - 2006; Energy, Telecommunications and E-Commerce  2007-2009; Transport - 2010-2011.

Within the PLP, he served as campaign chairman of the PLP's Sandy's Branch in the 1989 General Election and in 1993 as the Party's National Campaign co-chairman.

Mr Lister was educated in Bermuda at the Southampton Glebe School and The Berkeley Institute. After studying at Trinity College School in Port Hope, Ontario, he became a Bermuda Government Scholar, completing his Bachelor of Commerce Degree at Queen's University's School of Business, Kingston, Ontario. At York University in Toronto, he graduated with a MBA Degree.

Upon graduation he worked in Toronto for three years with the accounting firm PriceWaterhouse. During this period, he qualified as a Chartered Accountant. He returned to Bermuda in 1980 and in 1981 opened his own accountancy practice. In September 1982, he joined Deloitte and Touché as a full partner where he remained until 1998 when he retired to become a full time politician.

His record of public service includes Chairmanship of the Berkeley Institute Board of Governors and the Berkeley Educational Society. Mr Lister also served as Chairman of the Bermuda Debate Society and as a member of the 1985 Hurricane Emily Relief Committee. He was a member of the Board of the Atlantic School of Chartered Accountancy and President of the Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bermuda. He is a Life Trustee of the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences.