Welcome guests, citizens and friends. Let me extend my appreciation to the Guild and especially Rose Springvale for organizing the event.
It has been a great joy to watch this little experiment of ours grow and evolve from a single sim, to an oddly named confederation, to something that actually looks a bit like the name.
Today we celebrate our past and look toward our future, one filled with promise and opportunity.
As we change , we face new challenges which require new solutions. We have progressed from the halting steps, and sometimes missteps, of institution building, to a calmer time of `keeping the trains running` .
These new challenges require new ideas and new leadership. Accordingly, I will not stand as a candidate in the upcoming election. It has been an honor serving the CDS ,but other duties call. Thank you for your support over the last three terms.
