disfunctional government

[Ranma Tardis]

We need to address the fact that Tor our Chancellor has been absent. The executive branch of the government is not in order.

I hate to suggest it but Tor needs to be removed as soon as possible and the RA appoint a new Chancellor.

Governments in real life do not function by the whim of those in power. This makes the CDS government look like a "hobby" government.

[Sylvia Tamalyn]

I don't believe the RA has the power to just appoint a new Chancellor. If the RA votes to remove a Chancellor, then wouldn't the SC call for a by-election?

[Tanoujin Milestone]

That is correct, Sylvia.

https://cdsdemocracy.org/code-of-laws-2/

CDSL 13-05 Chancellor Election Act

4. In case the Chancellor leaves office or is removed from it mid-term, a special Chancellor by-election will be called for by the Scientific Council which will open new applications on the day notice was given and close applications after a week.

[Han Held]

1) What is the case for removing Tor after only a month?

2) Haven't people been in touch with him?

3) This is a hobby government, at the end of the day. Next time you're bored go figure out the percentage of citizens actually speak up and participate out of the number of citizens total that we have.

4) Our hobby government has actual estate maintenance responsibilities, are those getting done (see question 1)?

[Em Warden]

We have to accept that citizens have a Real Life that sometimes gets in the way of the virtual one... And most of us are here under cover, so chances are we won't know what has happened to someone who suddenly stops going online.

If a citizen has an accident and ends up in hospital, or sinks deeply into a depression, the first priority is not likely to be the virtual community. But our economy demands a functioning government, especially a chancellor, since most of the executive power is in his/her hands.

We cannot continue depending on the online presence of one single person, which has been clearly demonstrated now. We have to share the executive power between at least two people, or we won't survive in the long run.

Yeah, I know. That is the worst problem of all. We have a constant lack of candidates for the Chancellorship. But perhaps if the responsibility is shared...

[Han Held]

I'd like to see that as well, Em. That might bring other problems, of course. But at least the trains would run on time, as it were...

[Ranma Tardis]

1) What is the case for removing Tor after only a month?

2) Haven't people been in touch with him?

3) This is a hobby government, at the end of the day. Next time you're bored go figure out the percentage of citizens actually speak up and participate out of the number of citizens total that we have.

4) Our hobby government has actual estate maintenance responsibilities, are those getting done (see question 1)?

We need a functioning Chancellor! Lots can not be reclained due to a lack of payment. Lots can not be set for sale and more. As for being gone for only a month the Chancellor needs to be on more than once per week. I hated to suggest it because Tor is my friend but government service is about serving the public first! Otherwise, CDS is just a hobby government. We become nothing more than just another dysfunctional Land Barron.

[Han Held]

1) What is the case for removing Tor after only a month?

2) Haven't people been in touch with him?

3) This is a hobby government, at the end of the day. Next time you're bored go figure out the percentage of citizens actually speak up and participate out of the number of citizens total that we have.

4) Our hobby government has actual estate maintenance responsibilities, are those getting done (see question 1)?

We need a functioning Chancellor! Lots can not be reclained due to a lack of payment. Lots can not be set for sale and more. As for being gone for only a month the Chancellor needs to be on more than once per week. I hated to suggest it because Tor is my friend but government service is about serving the public first! Otherwise, CDS is just a hobby government. We become nothing more than just another dysfunctional Land Barron.

I agree with all of your points.

That said, this is a drastic step and we er, I mean y'all need to ensure that

1)This proposal will bring about stability, instead of months or weeks of chaos (by-election, anyone?)
2)There's a solid legal basis
3)That it's the best solution (see point #1)
4)What the exact rational / complaints are

My proposal?
EM revolt.
We, as EM's can see who's deliquent or not -we should start sending out unofficial notices ("hey, you're deliquent over here ...any way we can help?") ...as a rule, for an estate our size, "it is better to ask forgiveness than to ask permission."

As for the rest? We leave the rest for the next election where we (as voters) factor in availability as one of the criteria we use to determine who we vote for.

[Sylvia Tamalyn]

Interesting suggestion, but no. I don't plan to participate in any EM revolts.

The Chancellor is the one with the right under the law to enforce payment of tier. He has the right to delegate, but chose not to give the EMs the authority to send out notices, even when asked to do so (so yes, permission has been sought already). If we want notices sent out, and the only person authorized is not showing up to send them out, then we should consider replacing that person. Tor is my friend as well, and I would vastly prefer that he choose to return to his post, but since he hasn't, then I will support solutions that are found in our laws.

The simplest way to prevent issues would have been for the Chancellor to delegate. Hopefully in the future, that will be a priority. There is no reason to make the job too difficult to perform when others are ready and willing to assist. But right now, we need to deal with things as they presently are.

[Han Held]

Interesting suggestion, but no. I don't plan to participate in any EM revolts.

Oh well, can't say I didn't try.

My solution is more practical, but whatever. Hopefully we don't (needlessly) lose too many citizens or too much revenue while we wait for the law to catch up to the reality.

[Tanoujin Milestone]

My worst case scenario is: we remove the current Chancellor and do not find another victim being masochistic enough to fill the hot chair we created. That is why I would like to read some candidates’ names first before I join in firing Tor. Besides, it would be nice to have a job description of chancellorship, to lower the threshold for potential newcomers. They should know what exactly we expect from a functioning head of the executive. It might benefit us to figure that out.
Furthermore I am convinced a dysfunctional chancellor will not bring down CDS within a term. We should not lose our humor and patience in this situation. By the way, when did Tor state Estate Managers are not allowed to write tier reminders to citizens in arrears? I was not aware of that fact and would like to see a source.

[Guillaume Mistwalker]

Perhaps one option is to write a law to empower EMs to discharge basic necessary administrative functions in the estate in only the explicit case of the chancellor being absent.

[Sylvia Tamalyn]

Furthermore I am convinced a dysfunctional chancellor will not bring down CDS within a term. We should not lose our humor and patience in this situation. By the way, when did Tor state Estate Managers are not allowed to write tier reminders to citizens in arrears? I was not aware of that fact and would like to see a source.

I think the Constitution and laws (particularly CDSL 21-05) give a pretty good idea of what the job entails. It is indeed a big job, but the Chancellor is, per the Constitution, allowed "(d) to appoint and pay deputies or other staff to hold office in the Office of the Chancellor of CDS to facilitate the discharge of any function of the Office of the Chancellor conferred by this Act or any other Act of the Representative Assembly". In other words, tasks can be delegated, but this is not happening.

We do not have any official written instructions or procedures for EMs. At one time, I asked Tor about it, and he said there wasn't anything, so there is no "source" per se to show you. When Tor asked me to be an EM, he said that the job was to add people to tier boxes, set land for sale if someone leaves, assist with minor terraforming, and police for griefers. He specifically said that he did the "dirty work" of sending notices. On more than one occasion, he said to me in conversation that sending notices was his job. We used to discuss the details of how things worked, because I like to ask questions and know what's what, and which jobs belong to whom. I am not going to copy private conversations here, but I did just check my IM logs and am very confident in what I am relating here. He made it clear to me that sending the notices was a job for him, and only him, to handle.

One of the last times I had a real conversation with him, in June (when he was starting to be MIA), I asked that he delegate some of his responsibilities to others, because he was so busy and there were some of us willing to give him a hand. He agreed and immediately changed the subject.

However, if people are happy having no leader and no way to enforce tier payments, then so be it. I won't send out notices, etc., without specific authorization to do so, but I also won't waste additional time looking for a solution to the situation. The problem will resolve itself (this time) in a few months when elections roll around again.

[Tanoujin Milestone]

Thanks for the info, Sylvia. Of course I do not want to see IM logs which are protected by the LL TOS anyway, your word is surely good enough for me.

[Han Held]

Perhaps one option is to write a law to empower EMs to discharge basic necessary administrative functions in the estate in only the explicit case of the chancellor being absent.

I think that would be a good idea, certainly one that is less dramatic than instituting charges against Tor after his years of service to the CDS (on the RA, as Chancellor and otherwise) but that solves the actual problem.

The only real case you can make for giving Tor the boot is that he's been non-responsive.

Thing is ....Tor has earned a break -anyone who knows him, knows this. Giving him that break also is in the best interests of the CDS as well. Giving him the boot isn't in our interest, not at this point -were we talking a 3 month or more absense I'd argue differently, but we're not.

His silence indicates a snit or it indicates RL dilemmas. We don't know which and in his particular case he's earned the benefit of the doubt.

This isn't the first time we've been down this road; I remember similar frustrations (of being absent) being vented about Coop (whom we didn't overthrow) and when I joined Pat was seen as an "absentee Chancellor" as well...though in both of those cases, balls were had and budgets put forth in an orderly fashion (Coop working with us to sort out his budget). This is the price you pay to have a high-stress volunteer posistion that often conflicts with real life obligations and events.

So, how do we go forward? Either in a dramatic fashion or in a calm, practical manner.

The dramatic route would be to institute legal proceedings and then an election which would take time and cause ill-will.

The sensible, practical and moral route would be to follow the solution proposed by Guillaume and have the RA pass emergency legislation which empowers Estate Managers to ...with the RA's sanction, send out notifications and if necessary evict, reclaim, and set out for sale again parcels wich are behind in rent.

One route is easy and addresses the problem. The other is difficult, time-consuming and only serves to foster ill-will.