Chancellor selection (what happens next)

[Jamie Palisades]

I'd like to welcome Arria Perrault as CSDF's candidate announced yesterday opposing me (announced 27 December), for appointment as CDS Chancellor. Arria is a person with many strong opinions about CDS ... as am I. This should be fun, and a good opportunity to discuss some of the differences between the beliefs, styles and clans than have animated the long-time leaders of CSDF, and my group, and CDS itself, for a long time.

There is no campaign for this job, because it is appointed by the elected RA. Often in a bunch of back-room horse trading. I will discuss my views about this and other matters in other postings: this is a great opportunity to chat about CDS works, and doesn't. (Also see Sonja's two threads.) Please note, Symo Kurka as incoming LRA will need to set a deadline for candidates, and the LRA will select at its first meeting on or after 1 February ... so if anyone else wants to run, talk to Symo soon!

Arria and I may both have some things to say as "candidates" connected with our campaigns. Maybe not, since only seven people have any choice, and the factions can change them at any time ... but if we do want to talk to citizens anyway, as I do, then this forum (General discussion) and the faction forums are the right place for that. Anything I have to say in my official work as incumbent chancellor, for the last few weeks of my term, will be posted to the other official spaces as usual.

Regards Jamie

[Arria Perreault]

I'd like to welcome Arria Perrault as CSDF's candidate announced yesterday opposing me

I don't see this candidacy as an opposition to yours. The faction has considered that elections with several candidates are the sign of a healthy democracy. For this reason, I will also welcome other candidates.
I don't run for myself, but in order to bring CSDF ideas in the executive branch of the CDS. In the last terms, Chancellors came from other factions than CSDF. We have presented us during the last campaign as the faction of the creativity. We are in favour of a better involvement of citizen in the life and the development of the community, a larger participation of citizen in politic life and a long tail economy. We wish also to develop cultural and educational activities. We wish also a qualitative expansion of the CDS.

[Jamie Palisades]

There's no reason to carry over the worst traditions of RL politics into SL. I see virtuality as an evolution ... so let's evolve, not replicate the most moronic of real world practices ... even if a few "virtual politicos" want us to be World Of Warcraft with politics.

With that in mind, before we get into a discussion of disagreements, let me say some good things about the person who is running against me in the upcoming chancellor appointment. Hmm, maybe I should post this in Sonja's "things I like" thread.

Arria Perrault is a creative, giving and reliable member of our community who genuinely cares and makes significant sacrifices for CDS.
* She was a key proponent and mover for getting our long needed new CDS web portal started, when many others in positions of responsibility had let our web presence languish.
* Her Monastery is a cool, fun build and art resource. The exhibits, which she has curated herself, are interesting, feature local talent, and tend to be unique in SL.
* She also stands out admirably from her faction, which often gets bogged down in CDS political game playing. Arria bravely stood up to them, when CSDF and ThePrincess led the charge to fire Alexicon as chancellor. She did even better than I did, in getting us to reconsider and reinstate him ... undoing the damage ... by going to her own faction and insisting on it. She was much more effective, standing up to the CSDF bosses, than earlier party members who got attacked for not obeying.
* And best of all! She SHOWS UP! She is part of our new wave of citizens, who care about and attend CDS events! What a great contrast to the old absent power elite, interested in collecting offices and controlling everything, but barely in coming to meetings or events that they do not themselves run.
* Arria puts most of her creative SL effort into CDS! Not sims all over SL, but our own neighborhood. Of course people all are entitled to pursue their own projects .. but if we had five more active creatives like her, with that kind of dedication to CDS, we would have spectacular results. At one time, we did. We will again soon, I think.

We're lucky to have Arria, and I have been and always will be delighted to have her as a neighbor.

Regards Jamie