Office of R2D2 (I-MA) - Statement

[Grumpier Than Thou]

Greetings friends, I am very late to the party in opening an office, but better late than never.

I will try my best to keep citizens updated on the proceedings of the Northern Assembly, as well as other happenings within the Northern Region.

UPDATES 1/20/17:

Debate has been opened on two bills in the Northern Assembly:

Clean Land, Air, and Water Act
Campus Protection Act

The Regional Name Act was passed unanimously and citizens are encouraged to propose new names for the region.

As a reminder, all citizens have the right to propose legislation in the Northern Assembly. I pledge to sponsor any bill proposed by a civilian to be brought up for debate in the Assembly.

We are still looking for help with the Northern Budget. If anyone can help us determine tax revenue numbers, that would be very helpful. Please contact either myself or Governor Mike Wells if you can.

Governor Wells has an official thread for the region in place. Please refer to this for news in the region as well.

Office holders can be reached in the following offices:

Governor Mike Wells (L-NY)

Assemblyman Drewmike87 (L-WI)

Assemblyman JGibson (D-IL)

And finally, the Northern Vital Civic Information thread can be found here. All office holders representing both the citizens of Atlasia at large and the citizens of the North can be found here.

Feel free to ask questions, make suggestions or comments, and thank you for visiting!

[Grumpier Than Thou]

UPDATE 1/22/17:

I have announced my candidacy for re-election to the Northern Assembly. That election will be held from Friday, February 17th until Sunday, February 19th. I believe my work in the assembly reflects my commitment to passing legislation to benefit working Northern families, as well as revitalize our region's legislative activity. With the help of Governor Wells, and Assemblymen Drew and JGibson, I believe in the work we can achieve together to make this region even greater. I hope I've earned your vote.

Thank you all.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Endorsed for reelection.

[Wells]

You've been doing a fantastic job in the Assembly and as Lieutenant Governor. Endorsed.

[Grumpier Than Thou]

UPDATE 1/24/17:

I have a very important announcement that I will make tomorrow at around 7 PM EST. Thank you.

[Maxwell]

keep up the good work gents

[Grumpier Than Thou]

UPDATE 1/25/17:

I have decided to move up my announcement to right now, due to some scheduling conflicts later.

First of all, I would like to thank everyone who has supported me in the Northern Region throughout my terms in the Assembly. It has been a true pleasure and honor to serve the wonderful people of the North and I look forward to continuing to fight tirelessly for working class families, both in the North and around Atlasia.

I would also like to thank Governor Mike Wells for his exemplary service on behalf of the North, and I truly believe that he, along with the Northern Assembly, can continue to bring about positive change in the region.

I have gathered you all here to make a very important announcement concerning my future. As some of you know, I took an extended absence from politics after some personal issues forced me to resign as Governor of the former Northeast Region several years ago. I have since been hesitant to return to politics, but my work in the Northern Assembly has revitalized my love of political service.

I have given a lot of thought to this decision, and it is not one I have taken lightly, but I am hereby announcing that I will be joining the Labor Party and I will be a candidate for the Northern Class I Senate seat in next month's election.

I have spoken with Former President Blair, and he has given me the necessary push to dive into this with full confidence. I am excited to join Labor and to serve the Northern people in the Atlasian Senate, should you be kind enough to give me your vote.

I will never forget the work I've done in the Northern Assembly, nor will I cease working with the Assembly to further the interests of our wonderful region.

I am eager to campaign and talk about my desire to bring the values of the North to the Senate, along with our wonderful Class II Senator and a long time friend, Scott.

Thank you all for your time. I look forward to the next few weeks, and serving you all in the Senate!

[Blair]

You've served the North brilliantly as Speaker and Lt.Gov; whilst I know that Mike will be sad to see you leave,  the Senate and the Labor Party will be truly blessed with your continued service. You'v been on the frontline of making the North active, and you've got a bright future ahead in Atlasia

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Proudly endorsed.  You've done the region a great service in your capacities and I look forward to working with you in the Senate.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Endorsed!

[Wells]

This is an easy endorsement. Your record in the Assembly that you are an effective legislator. The Senate will greatly benefit from your skills.

[Grumpier Than Thou]

UPDATE 1/30/17:

The suggestion thread for new names for the Northern Region will close tomorrow night (January 31st) at 11:59 PM EST. Please get your suggestions in before then!

The Assembly has passed a Constitutional amendment that alters the amount of time that one must be a citizen of the region before voting in an election. This will appear as a referendum on next month's ballot, so please become familiar with the issue and remember to vote!

The Assembly is currently debating a second Constitutional amendment that seeks to provide specific language allowing the Governor to break a legislative tie, should one occur in the Assembly.

I have signed a petition that seeks to recall Senator Clyde. It pains me to have to do so, but Clyde has sought a leave of absence with no definite end date. We must prioritize activity in our representation at all levels, and I believe it would be in our best interest as a region to support his recall.

Finally, I would like to congratulate my friend, former President Blair, on his election to the House of Representatives. I applaud the Atlasian people for placing such a fine public servant in that seat, and I look forward to his work in the House.

Thank you all.

[Grumpier Than Thou]

UPDATE 2/3/17:

The Assembly is currently debating new names for the region to appear on this month's ballot. Citizens are encouraged to voice their opinions in this thread as well, but the Assembly currently lists Franklin, Lincoln, and Atlantic Union as preliminary favorites based on an aggregate of the region's opinions, as well as the Assembly's opinions. Please make your voice heard in the next 48 hours if you would like!

Finally, I have been asked by Former Governor Sawx to deliver the following message in response to his name suggestion (Sawxistan) not receiving popular support in the suggestion thread:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Thank you all.

[Grumpier Than Thou]

Hello my fellow Northerners! It's been a while since we've last spoke.

I just wanted to make a brief statement reflecting on my tenure in the Northern Assembly.

When I was first elected to the Northern Assembly last October, I initially did not believe I would serve longer than that term, nor did I believe I would take the job seriously. After working with some wonderful colleagues including Mike Wells (who went on to become our Governor, and has done an incredible job in that office) as well as Maxwell, Drewmike, and JGibson, and Senator Scott, who has been my greatest political adviser and friend since I re-entered public service, I took my job seriously and focused on serving the Northern people to the best of my ability. I believe I have done that. With the help of Governor Wells, we passed massive economic revitalization measures to help get the North restarted after an economic downturn and activity crisis. We have also passed a few Constitutional amendments that will appear on this month's ballot that address voter integrity (lengthening the amount of time one must be registered in the North in order to vote) as well as any ties that may occur in the Assembly, which the Governor would be allowed to break. We have passed measures to improve protections for our environment, as well as for citizens of the North who may be discriminated against in the workplace, or in general. We have banned weapons from college campuses. We have done immeasurable amounts of good for this region--and I believe the next assembly, which will be composed of five assemblymen (this is truly another incredible feat) will only continue that trend.

It has been the honor of my career to serve as an Assemblyman for the North, and I hope I will be extended the opportunity to serve as your Senator.

I would like to extend my well wishes to Senator Clyde, who has done a wonderful job in spite of some personal struggles. I apologize to him if I came off as harsh during the recall petition process. I did not mean to insult him or belittle his struggles. I wish him the best moving forward.

Thank you all, once again.

On another note, here is a sample ballot for the elections this weekend. Feel free to look over it and let me know if you notice any errors!

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[/center][/quote]

[   ] AYE
[   ] NAY


"VOTER INTEGRITY" AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE ONE OF THE NORTHERN CONSTITUTION

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[   ] AYE
[   ] NAY[/quote]

[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

Kingpo's a member of United Alternative.

[Grumpier Than Thou]

Kingpo's a member of United Alternative.

Thank you!

[Blair]

As a long standing citizen of the Northeast, and now the North it's great to see this level of dedication and service to the glorious region. You'll be missed in the North (soon to be named Franklin if my evil machinations work) but you'll be a great Senator in the North.

[Grumpier Than Thou]

As a long standing citizen of the Northeast, and now the North it's great to see this level of dedication and service to the glorious region. You'll be missed in the North (soon to be named Franklin if my evil machinations work) but you'll be a great Senator in the North.

Thank you, Mr. President!

I would like to issue my own name endorsement...I'm standing behind one of my original name proposals that made it into the final 3...Atlantic Union.

[Grumpier Than Thou]

UPDATE 2/14/17

Happy Valentine's Day everyone. I hope you all got to spend time with your loved ones, significant other, or at least enjoyed your day.

Due to an increasing amount of complaints voiced by my Northern constituents, I have opted to include the following language to the upcoming regional name change referendum:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Hopefully this gives the citizens more of a choice in regards to this heated topic. Please feel free to ask questions or make suggestions below.

Thank you all.

[vote for pedro]

Thank you Mr. Speaker.

Speaking only for myself, I can say this common sense proposal addresses my concerns.   I apologize if my write-in campaign caused your office any embarrassment.

Again, Thank you.

Also I would like to offer my endorsement of a politician who listens to concerns of the people. 

I wholeheartedly endorse R2D2 for Northern Senator.  And Atlantic Union as my least un-favorite proposed name change.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

This is exactly why we need R2D2 in the Senate. A typical politician, confronted with criticism from across the aisle, would have plugged his ears, dug in his heels, and refused to budge. That the lt. governor took the time to listen to those on the other side of the debate and modified his policy to better represent all citizens shows real courage and leadership of the highest order. If that's not proper senatorial conduct, I don't know what is.

[Grumpier Than Thou]

Thank you for your kind words, gentlemen. It means a lot

[Poirot]

He has good instinct not to follow the herd.

I'm not sure how I feel about this. I served as Governor and as an Assemblyman for the former Northeast Region, and was confused about the name and land changes that were made during my hiatus from public service, so I'm not sure how I feel about yet another name change.

Sadly he was convinced.

[Grumpier Than Thou]

He has good instinct not to follow the herd.

I'm not sure how I feel about this. I served as Governor and as an Assemblyman for the former Northeast Region, and was confused about the name and land changes that were made during my hiatus from public service, so I'm not sure how I feel about yet another name change.

Sadly he was convinced.

I was convinced by my colleagues, who made good points, along with the fact that there weren't any voices of dissent at that stage in the process.

[Grumpier Than Thou]

UPDATE 2/17/17:

Good morning/afternoon/evening everyone! Today until Sunday (February 19th) our regional elections, as well as Federal Elections, will be held. Please remember to vote!

If my word means anything to you, I encourage you to vote for the following people for the following offices:

For Governor, please vote for my good friend Mike Wells, he's done a terrific job as Governor and I have full faith that he will continue to do wonderful things here in the Northern Region.

For Assembly, please vote for DrewMike87, Lok1999, and CXSmith. Please also consider Wolverine22 and Spark498.

For our regional name change, I urge citizens to vote their conscience on this referendum, but I encourage you to vote Yes to change the region's name, and to preference Atlantic Union first.

For our Constitutional Amendments, I encourage you to vote Aye on both.

In the Federal Elections, please vote for NeverAgain and Southern Gothic for President. Please also consider giving Maxwell and smilo your second preference.

For House of Representatives, I encourage you to vote straight Labor but please also consider giving outgoing President North Carolina Yankee a preference.

Thank you all for your time! Happy voting!