Citizens of Port Katherine,
As the board in the Season’s Edge is replete with mention of the coming Election, I felt I should post something indicating that I plan to stand for re-election to the Town Council. As I hope you have some knowledge of who I am from the year I have already spent as a member of that body, I will endeavor to be brief.
My role in the Town Council has been largely internally focused, organizing our discussions and crafting formal language for our proposals. I expect if I am re-elected, I will continue to serve in that function. If you have questions about my ability there, I suggest you speak with the other members of this year’s Council.
As far as the issues at hand:
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I believe I have been the strongest supporter of the militia on the current Council, and expect I will continue to be a strong supporter of it in the future. I regard the single most pressing problem this colony faces to be the inordinate number of inimical forces which assault us on a regular basis, and providing for our defense to be the first responsibility of the Town Council.
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With regards to Public Works, I fear that the Town Council does not at present have the resources to build any public works itself. We have been organizing the maintenance of the existing works, but that has required significant donations above and beyond what the Council’s income can support, both in material and particularly in the generous contribution of time between Festivals. I will point out that the simple act of maintaining the Public Works currently in existence requires approximately half again the resources, and nearly twice the people, that the construction of the Gaol (the next item I would prioritize) will take, and requires that every Season. I do not believe the Town Council should be spending Town resources on building Public Works until it is secure in its ability to maintain the works currently in existence, at least in terms of physical supplies, and preferentially with an ability to pay something to those who spend time caring for them between Festivals.
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Fortunately, the private citizenry of the Town have filled in that void admirably. Of the 9 existing Works, I believe 8 were built by groups of private citizens, whether incorporated, familial, or simply ad hoc. (Some of these groups included members of the Town Council, certainly, but the Council did not have any official role in their construction.) I expect and encourage the continuation of such civic mindedness, and to that end, hope to master the skills of a Surveyor over the course of the next year or so, to provide what assistance I can. As further works are built, of course, I anticipate the Council will take responsibility for their maintenance. My personal preferences for such works, to the extent you find that relevant, are the Gaol, the Generator Mill, and the Guard Towers.
I fear I have already failed to be brief, so I will conclude here. I hope you will grant me the opportunity to continue being of service to the Town in this role.
Frederick, Comptess Northmarch