Office of Representative Talleyrand

[Talleyrand]

Hello all. After a short absence from Atlasia, I have been drawn back into the game again- this time as a candidate for Governor of the Northeast. It has been quite some time since I've served in office at a regional level (and my times in the Northeast and Mideast Assemblies were the most enjoyable periods for me in Atlasia), and I have never held office on an executive goal.

My main goal, if elected, will be to boost the activity levels of the region, whether through a new system of election for Representatives to the Assembly, or trying to foster more heated debate in the body, along with trying to get more new people involved.

I don't have a detailed policy platform at the moment, although I am willing to answer any questions thrown my way. I hope to have some ideas available over the next few weeks to share with you all. Ask away!

[Talleyrand]

Excellent! Glad to see you back Talleyrand!

Thank you! The same to you.

[Talleyrand]

Thank you all for your endorsements. Here is my banner, courtesy of Homelycooking.

[Talleyrand]

No questions???

Anyway, tomorrow I'll be talking about some ideas to reform the Assembly's structure.

[Talleyrand]

Reforming the Northeast Assembly (Two Proposals)

One issue the Northeast has seen many times in the past is an inability to secure enough active candidates or Representatives for the Assembly. Quite often, it has been a struggle simply just to find a person to hold a vacant seat. However, there are a couple of fixes we could do to possibly resolve this issue.

Three Representatives

This would undoubtedly be the easiest policy, because it would increase competition for fewer seats, while maintaining our current election system and the like. The Mideast Region currently has a system in which the number of seats available in its Assembly is tied to the number of declared candidates (3 seats if less than 6 choose to run; 5 otherwise), and I would be willing to compromise with something similar if needed, but after speaking with some longtime Northeast politicians, the more effective solution would simply be a permanent reduction. Having three active representatives instead of three active and two inactive representatives is certainly preferable.

Two District, Three At-Large

The Southeast Region has had success with this system, which allows for the election of two legislators from districts carved out of different states by population and three legislators in the traditional At-Large method. The idea behind such a change would be to shake up the system through which we choose the five representatives, instead of reducing them in number. Having two separate mechanisms to run for or elect members to the Assembly could do just that. With two districts of around twenty citizens each, this could work very well. The only roadblock is that the federal constitution currently allows for state changes once every twenty-four hours, which could render this system meaningless. I would try to push for a change to this law with the backing of some Senators if we tried to implement this.

[Talleyrand]

As a member of the IDS system, I am actually not a great fan of it. I hope, if you do go with a change, that is a three member legislature.

Yeah, I would probably prefer that too, but I understand that some might prefer to keep five members.

[Talleyrand]

Updating the Wiki

The Northeast Statute page has not been updated since April. If elected, I will work to update the wiki to all legislation from the 25th and 26th Assemblies which are not already catalogued. In addition, the categorical index of Northeast Statute has not been updated since the 22th Assembly. This is an unfortunate development, as this page has been indispensable to the creation of legislation over the years, and I will work to remove repealed laws and categorize all laws from the 23rd Assembly onward with the assistance of the Representatives elected in the upcoming election.

Repealing outdated legislation

I would work to find and remove obsolete, unenforceable, and draconian laws from our books. I would first begin with the Northeast Cabinet Act- this bill was intended to allow newcomers to the game to "participate" without winning a political office, and has worked a few times, but as of late, all the offices within it are vacant (and I believe that if they exist at all, they should permanently be held by NPCs). I do not think that allowing newcomers control over a bureaucracy with little, at most, influence at all is a good way to integrate them into the game, plus this will reduce the office to active citizen ratio (sorely needed).

Consolidating legislation

I remain highly skeptical of a total legislative reboot in Atlasia, but its proponents do make a point that the preponderance of old laws in this game have made it difficult for some new members to enjoy. To combat this, I think legislation pertaining to some common issues should be combined (as we saw with the federal animal welfare act that passed in 2012). Some areas where this could be applicable include drilling, etc.

Allowing the CJO to administer elections

This has been proposed already, but as far as I am aware, it has yet to become law. I believe the person best suited to administer elections in the Northeast is the Chief Judicial Officer, the person most attuned to our legal system and statute. It would give a sorely needed additional responsibility to the position as well as take some weight off an executive's shoulders so they could spend more time working with the Assembly instead, along with making election administration theoretically more impartial.

[Talleyrand]

Did you support fellow Laborite Windjammer's unconstitutional assault on free speech?

I believe the Supreme Court made a correct decision in striking down the Midwest LGBT Hate Crimes  Law, which was unenforceable and discriminatory, whatever its intentions may have been. That said, while Windjammer has some unorthodox views on free speech which I strongly disagree with, there is no evidence he is spearheading any coordinated assault for its removal. I continue to believe he has been an excellent Governor of the Midwest and would make a fine Vice President.

If elected, what would you do to make the game more fun?

Atlasia is an elections game, and I think the 'fun' in it mostly depends on activity and competitiveness, which I have indicated I would work to increase if elected. In addition, I am open to any ideas to game reform for that purpose, and strongly support a Constitutional Convention, which would, at the very least, unclutter the game a fair bit for some time to come.

[Talleyrand]

Thank you Alfred and SirNick.
 
Any questions in the last few days before voting begins?

[Talleyrand]

I will be traveling for much of the next 2 to days, so my activity might be spotty or nonexistent during that time. I encourage everyone who has not already voted to go out and cast a vote in the regional and federal elections.

[Talleyrand]

Congratulations, Governor-elect.

Thank you!

The competitiveness of the Assembly election has been a pleasant surprise, despite the initial lack of candidates on the ballot. I still plan to introduce an amendment to alter Assembly membership, although now I am fairly doubtful of a permanent reduction to three members.

I think I will be taking office in a week, and am excited to work with the new Assembly,

This really should be "Elect Former Governor Talleyrand"

IIRC, I was only Governor for about a week and a half, although I suppose that could have been a better title for the thread.

[Talleyrand]

Thank you all again.

I would like to congratulate Senators Bore, Yankee, TNF, and DC on their re-elections and offer my commiserations to their challengers, Deus, Maxwell, RR1997, Madman Motley, and Ben, who all ran spirited campaigns. Congratulations also go out to President-elect DemPGH and Vice President-elect Windjammer, along with condolences for Governors SirNick and Dallasfan, who ran a good campaign but fell slightly short of a win.

The Pacific Race appears too close to call, so I won't comment on that yet.

[Talleyrand]

Thanks again.

Congratulations to SWE, Napoleon, Mr. X, BaconBacon96, and Rpryor on their wins in the Assembly election. I am sad to see Dr. Cynic, a friend, lose narrowly and hope he continues to stay active in Atlasia, and wish the same for JoMCaR.

[Talleyrand]

I have officially sworn in as Governor of the Northeast. I would like to thank outgoing Governor Dallasfan and the outgoing Assembly for a very productive session, and hope that this one can follow in their footsteps.

Executive Orders

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x Talleyrand

This will simply enforce what is already stated in the Constitution, and allow the Governor more time to focus on the Assembly (while adding a measure of impartiality to our elections)

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Napoleon is currently one of the two most senior representatives, and with SWE likely to be Speaker, I see no reason for him not to continue in his current post.

Bills


I have introduced two bills into the queue.

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[Talleyrand]

Sorry for the double post, but I only now noticed this.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but Deus's vote seems to have been cast after the official close of the poll at 11:59 PM EST on 22 June.

Dallasfan, SWE, and I were discussing this earlier, and we came to the conclusion that since Dallas opened the booth 33 minutes late, Deus's vote falls narrowly in the 72 hour period the booth was open, so it should still be valid. Although maybe a court case couldn't hurt activity in the region.

[Talleyrand]

On second thought, a court case would be fun...

Glad to hear it.

CJO Opening

With CJO Averroes leaving to become SoEA, we will be in need of a new Chief Judicial Officer. This person should preferably be a Northeast citizen for at least several months now, with a good working knowledge of regional law, and the ability to remain mostly active. They will also have to be available to open all voting booths in the region. I have already spoken to two candidates; if anyone else is interested please contact me.

Note that I am looking for someone who will be able to serve for at least a majority of the six month term. If you plan to run for another office soon, you would be better off not applying.

[Talleyrand]

One Two of the potential candidates I have contacted for the CJO position have outright declined, while another has stated he is reluctant to take it. I have just reached out to one more person. I encourage anyone who is interested to step up and contact me so I will have more choices to choose from.

In addition, I have introduced a preliminary budget for July-October (aka the last budget) so we can get some debate going and find all the legislation that we need to factor in before asking for a G.M. estimate.

The Assembly has been fairly slow, and I hope it's just people busy with vacation (as two Representatives are currently out for that reason) so we can get back to normal soon.

[Talleyrand]

Appointments for Assembly and the Chief Judicial Officer will be made over the next few days.

[Talleyrand]

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Barnes has served in a myriad of offices during his time in Atlasia, but never as C.J.O. During our discussions, he has demonstrated his interest in and commitment to this position. I am confident he will serve solidly if he is confirmed by the Assembly.

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Dr. Cynic has served honorably as a Representative on and off during the past year, and only narrowly lost reelection last time. I am certain he will do well in the interim period, and represent the views of the Representative he will replace, Mr. X.

[Talleyrand]

I am officially back from my leave of absence, and would like to thank the Assembly (especially Speaker SWE) and Napoleon for acting as Governor in my place.

A referendum on the Northeast Cabinet Repeal amendment will be held next week.

I will announce a new Lieutenant Governor and an interim Representative once Napoleon swears in officially as Game Moderator. In the meantime, I encourage all Northeast citizens to vote in the ongoing election.

[Talleyrand]

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x Talleyrand

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x Talleyrand

SirNick has served this region well as Governor and Representative for the past two years, and has generously offered to serve in the latter position again for the interim period.

[Talleyrand]

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x Talleyrand

I encourage citizens to participate in the debate over the July-October budget resolution which has just been introduced, and contribute ideas as to how we can best utilize a portion of the $5 billion in spending to combat homelessness apportioned by the federal government.

[Talleyrand]

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x Talleyrand

I am pleased to welcome back Dr. Cynic to the Assembly and to have him serve as Lt. Governor, a position I have no doubt he'll do well in. I also hope that JoMCaR, who ran a good campaign, will run again at some point in time for the position of Representative.

[Talleyrand]

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x Talleyrand

Due to the vacancy created by BaconBacon96's expulsion from the Assembly, I am happy to appoint former Vice President Matt to his seat.

[Talleyrand]

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x Talleyrand

I plan to appoint the head of this program soon.