Delegate/Senate questions 9/21

[Valentian Elysium]

Greetings everyone and welcome to this election's questions for candidates! This election will also feature an election for the position of Delegacy for XKI, alongside senatorship for New Republica South and Blue Canaria North.
Now, without further ado, the questions!

Questions for all candidates:

How active are you on NationStates, and other associated sites (forum, discord, RMB, etc.)?

Have you ever held government positions in the past, in XKI or elsewhere?

Do you plan on having a deputy while in office, and if so, how will you select who to choose?

Why would you like to run for your selected office?

Will your votes in the council of 9 be influenced by your political party?

Will you be able to vote on every council of 9 legislation?


Questions for World Assembly Delegate candidates:

How will you determine which proposals in the General Assembly (GA) and Security Council (SC) to approve?

Do you intend on keeping the "delegate's prerogative" option on the forum WA votes?

Will you seek out regions to have embassies with?

How will you decide who to send as emissary/ambassador to allied regions?

Currently there are eight (8) regions in the Partnership for Sovereignty bloc. Would you like to see more regions join, or are the 8 regions enough?

Should XKI sign more treaties and alliances with other regions, or is the status quo adequate?

How do you plan on making more XKI residents join the WA?

What would you like to improve from the previous delegate's first term?


Questions for New Republica South candidates:

Do you intend on expanding the debate section to other areas of XKI? Notably the RMB and discord?

How do you plan on running the Grand Debate Hall?


Questions for Blue Canaria North candidates:

Do you have skills in writing in NSCodes, the formatting of NS dispatches?

How will you make sure you will complete the emissary report on time?

Do you have any ideas to add into the emissary report?


Thank you for taking time to answer the questions candidates! Until next we meet,
-Valentian

Tagging current candidates: Wischland , Valentian Elysium

[Valentian Elysium]

How active are you on NationStates, and other associated sites (forum, discord, RMB, etc.)?
I am quite active on NS, logging in every day to see the latest news in XKI, and to see what the RMB is up to. I am active on the forums, most notably in Grand Debate Hall, where I post a new debate every week , and also in Taco Island, where I mess around in threads like "random" or "count to 10K before the Hindu New Year."

Have you ever held government positions in the past, in XKI or elsewhere?
I am the Senator for New Republica South since my election in May of this year, but otherwise I have not held a government position in XKI or elsewhere.

Do you plan on having a deputy while in office, and if so, how will you select who to choose?
I have hired a deputy just last month, Liberdon, and she is already doing a good job. We hope to do some exciting things in the Grand Debate Hall.

Why would you like to run for your selected office?
I enjoy debating and discussing with people, especially when they have their own views on issues. It's very nice to hear their opinions, and as such I really enjoy my job as Senator.

Will your votes in the council of 9 be influenced by your political party?
I am in a political party, TIP, but my vote will not be greatly influenced by it.

Will you be able to vote on every council of 9 legislation?
Yes. I have done so ever since my election.

Do you intend on expanding the debate section to other areas of XKI? Notably the RMB and discord?
Last election I said I was planning to extend debating to discord, but upon further evaluation I have decided not to. Firstly because the debates are on the forum, and so communication is easier on one platform than on two. Secondly, I (or my deputy) announce the debates in #general, and the people who respond on the discord use that channel to 

How do you plan on running the Grand Debate Hall?
Like I have since my election. I plan on continuing posting a debate for every week, and also organising another XKI debate, so it should be pretty exciting

good questions, I wonder who wrote them...

[Jabberwocky]

Frank Zappa hated to be interviewed. I once read an article in which he interviewed himself.
More to the point, what will candidates do to improve surfers' rights? Long an overlooked segment of society, it's time for Surfers to Unite and come to the forefront!

[Wischland]

How active are you on NationStates, and other associated sites (forum, discord, RMB, etc.)?

Too active...
Generally I'm actively working about 2 hours a day on NS, though the exact amount fluctuates depending on whether I'm organizing events or dealing with a FA blowup. However, I do try to make myself available (online or able to respond within 5-10 minutes) for at least 12 hours every day.

Have you ever held government positions in the past, in XKI or elsewhere?

I've served as Deputy Senator for BCN, Senator for BCN, and now as Delegate. I have not made my home anywhere besides XKI!

Do you plan on having a deputy while in office, and if so, how will you select who to choose?

Although this may change should I become unexpectedly busy in RL, I don't see myself hiring a deputy. I have been able to handle the full extent of my duties by myself this past term, and believe I will be able to do so. Although I believe a deputy position is a great chance to teach others about what I do as delegate, I don't think it's the only way. The emissary program and PfS delegation provide plenty of opportunities to work with and teach others in the region.

Why would you like to run for your selected office?

I love my job! Taking care of the region, in big ways and small, is incredibly fun and provides me with a real sense of accomplishment. Given the heavy workload of the delegacy, it certainly isn't an easy job and requires a great deal of time, effort, and know-how. As of now, I believe I am one of very few people in possession of the necessary understanding of XKI's complex FA policy, and the only one to have the time and energy to run it. My past term has allowed me to form the personal and regional connections necessary to achieve these goals, and I believe that I am best suited to guide XKI in a second term. I want to help XKI continue to grow and influence NS towards defenderdom and respect for regional communities. 

Will your votes in the council of 9 be influenced by your political party?

No. I vote for the best interests of XKI as a whole.

Will you be able to vote on every council of 9 legislation?

Yes. I've been on the Co9 for about a year now and have yet to miss a vote.

How will you determine which proposals in the General Assembly (GA) and Security Council (SC) to approve?

The same way I have determined which proposals to approve this past term. I will approve any GA proposal I believe to be well-written and worthy of coming to a vote or that I have been requested to approve by an Islander, regardless of my own personal political feelings on it. I will approve any SC proposal that is well-written and aligns with XKI's FA interests and values.

Do you intend on keeping the "delegate's prerogative" option on the forum WA votes?

Yes, for the SC. Since SC votes sometimes rely upon XKI's FA interests, I want to leave the option there for those who don't feel comfortable or well-versed enough in those interests to vote. Although it is no way mandatory, I believe it is an important option for Islanders who feel unsure about the implications of a proposal.

Will you seek out regions to have embassies with?

"Seek out" is perhaps a touch to active of a verb for me. XKI already has a long list of embassies and friends, and doesn't need to make more to prove legitimacy or gain influence. I intend to keep an eye out for regions whose friendship would benefit us and whose values align with ours, and will look into establishing embassies with them. I also hope to make better use of our existing embassies by hosting events with them and encouraging greater social exchange. I focused heavily on behind-the-scenes connections, WA campaigns, and FA statements this past term, especially in conjunction with the PfS. I hope to continue to do so, while also organizing a few more events to bring us closer socially.

How will you decide who to send as emissary/ambassador to allied regions?

This depends heavily on the allied region the emissary is being sent to. I see emissary positions as a good way to introduce folks to FA, and try not to limit the positions too much. Smaller, sleepier regions are great starting points for newer Islanders, with large, FA-critical regions serving as a challenge for XKI veterans. We have a wonderful diversity of friends and embassies, and I like our emissary program to reflect that.

Currently there are eight (8) regions in the Partnership for Sovereignty bloc. Would you like to see more regions join, or are the 8 regions enough?

I would love to see more regions join the PfS, assuming they meet the bloc's qualifications and align with its values. The PfS is fantastic for coordinating votes and campaigns, and serves as an excellent show of defender strength. The past few months, I, along with other delegation members, have been working to make the PfS accessible and useful to many more regions by opening the discord, establishing a mailing list, and creating a mentor program, among other things. We have many more projects in the works to continue the PfS's growth, and I'm excited to keep making progress along those lines.

Should XKI sign more treaties and alliances with other regions, or is the status quo adequate?

XKI has many embassies and friends across NS. What XKI does not have many of however, is treaties and alliances. I believe this is crucial to preserving the value of these treaties. Our alliances are indicative of a long history of friendship, mutual interests, and cultural connection, which is why they are reserved for a small selections of regions. I'm proud to have negotiated the Taco-Tater Treaty with Spiritus in my last term, and while I am open to new treaties, they must serve as a signal of an close connection between our regions and desire to codify our mutual interests in a more formal way.

How do you plan on making more XKI residents join the WA?

This is perhaps one of the greatest challenges of being delegate, and will likely become even more important as we see a sudden surge of new nations in our region. I have found the greatest successes in coordinating with TIBOE to promote WA membership and endorsement campaigns. Information is our greatest ally, and I hope to work with TIBOE to promote the importance of joining the WA and endorsing the delegate. I also believe that we can also work to promote the benefits of WA membership for individuals, such as full citizenship, and ways to negate its drawbacks, such as using a puppet to avoid stat changes, to a greater extent. I also hope to make endotarting tools more widely available and continue to promote the minimum endorsement cap, so that existing WA islanders are more easily able to increase their endorsements.

What would you like to improve from the previous delegate's first term?

I'll interpret this question to mean what would I like to improve from my first term. First and foremost, I'd like to look into organizing some more events between XKI and friendly regions. We've obviously seen falling populations these past few months, and I worried about overloading too few people with too few events, but with this new boost in nations, I want to make sure we're making the best of it!


I'm still working on getting my campaign thread set up (this new Drewpocalypse has caused me to put a pin in it while we handle the influx of nations) but hopefully I'll be able to get it posted in a day or two. In the meantime, anyone is welcome to ask me more questions here! Thank you all!

[Wischland]

Sept 8, 2021 20:44:51 GMT -5 Jabberwocky said:

Frank Zappa hated to be interviewed. I once read an article in which he interviewed himself.
More to the point, what will candidates do to improve surfers' rights? Long an overlooked segment of society, it's time for Surfers to Unite and come to the forefront!

This is an excellent question Jabber, and I wholeheartedly support surfers' rights. Surfers are a critical component of XKI's culture and economy, and I intend to show my appreciation by advocating for increased funding for small Surfboard businesses, increasing the number of beaches where surfing is permissible, and most crucially, making Surferspeak an official language of the region.

[Louisistan]

Sept 8, 2021 21:19:40 GMT -5 Wischland said:

I love my job! Taking care of the region, in big ways and small, is incredibly fun and provides me with a real sense of accomplishment. Given the heavy workload of the delegacy, it certainly isn't an easy job and requires a great deal of time, effort, and know-how. As of now, I believe I am one of very few people in possession of the necessary understanding of XKI's complex FA policy, and the only one to have the time and energy to run it. My past term has allowed me to form the personal and regional connections necessary to achieve these goals, and I believe that I am best suited to guide XKI in a second term. I want to help XKI continue to grow and influence NS towards defenderdom and respect for regional communities.

I agree that you have both the know-how and the energy to carry the job. You've had an exemplary first term, as far as I am able to judge that from my comfy armchair.
But if your assesment of the candidate pool is correct and given that a third consecutive term is currently not legally possibe: Will you do something to adress the shortage of possible succesors?

[Valentian Elysium]

Sept 8, 2021 20:44:51 GMT -5 Jabberwocky said:

Frank Zappa hated to be interviewed. I once read an article in which he interviewed himself.
More to the point, what will candidates do to improve surfers' rights? Long an overlooked segment of society, it's time for Surfers to Unite and come to the forefront!

A most excellent question Jabber, thank you
I will make sure there will be sections of beaches that are dedicated to surfers - surfers may go there whenever they like, without having to worry about injuring another person. This is not to say that normal beachgoers won’t have a place to swim on our lovely beaches - they will still have plenty of sand to occupy on the beach for a lovely weekend beachside visit. In addition, more will be done to clean up the rubbish left behind by people on the beaches.

[Wischland]

Sept 10, 2021 3:48:24 GMT -5 Louisistan said:

I agree that you have both the know-how and the energy to carry the job. You've had an exemplary first term, as far as I am able to judge that from my comfy armchair.
But if your assesment of the candidate pool is correct and given that a third consecutive term is currently not legally possibe: Will you do something to adress the shortage of possible succesors?

Thank you, that's high praise and I really appreciate it. And to answer your question, absolutely! I'm already scouting out several potential successors who have expressed an interest in the delegacy and am working to encourage them to take on emissary positions, involve them in current FA events, and educate them on some of the finer details of our relationships with other regions. Furthermore, upon my eventual retirement from the delegacy, I still intend to be an active member of the region and to assist and advice the future delegate should they require it. I unfortunately came into the delegacy with no recent predecessor in the region to help guide me, and I largely had to operate based on what I was taught beforehand and what I learned on my own. I know just how tough and overwhelming of a situation that can be, and want to make sure that doesn't happen to my successor. So you guys aren't gonna get rid of me that easily!

[Haivon]

Sept 8, 2021 13:24:15 GMT -5 Valentian Elysium said:

Questions for all candidates:

How active are you on NationStates, and other associated sites (forum, discord, RMB, etc.)?

Have you ever held government positions in the past, in XKI or elsewhere?

Do you plan on having a deputy while in office, and if so, how will you select who to choose?

Why would you like to run for your selected office?

Will your votes in the council of 9 be influenced by your political party?

Will you be able to vote on every council of 9 legislation?


Questions for Blue Canaria North candidates:

Do you have skills in writing in NSCodes, the formatting of NS dispatches?

How will you make sure you will complete the emissary report on time?

Do you have any ideas to add into the emissary report?


Thank you for taking time to answer the questions candidates! Until next we meet,
-Valentian

- I'm active basically every day, you can find me anywhere in any of those. If I'm not, I will probably tell before, but it won't happen since I've been stuck in home for a while.
- Yes, I've been once Deputy Minister of Immigration and Deputy Himes West
- I do plan on having a Deputy, and it will be choosed accordingly to their activity and knownledge and experience in what they are supposed to work in.
- Due to the ideias I wish to put in place over the Update Reports, in a way to make it more interesting and informative. Also a not-so-much-as-professional reason, some friends told me that I would do a good job as BCN, something which started my interest on the position. :/
- Yes and no. I will vote on them according to my own view of the situation, however, as one of the Founding Members of WIP, it will be basically what the party as a single mind would vote.
- Yes, I will be able to vote on every single them, no exceptions. If I have to leave for a while, as I said before, I will tell before and also probably won't happen.

- Yes, I have a lot of experience in NSCodes and NS Dispatches. I can say that I am not the best one out of there when designing dispatches, but I know very well the codings, and I've used them and well several times, most for personal use.
- I basically have nothing to do in the weekends, so simply take some few hours to place and organize every single news that is gonna be in the Report won't be much of a big deal.
- I don't plan in adding more ideias, the amount of stuff in the Report is already great, but as I've said early, I plan on changing the way it is shown and also add more details to topics, making them more attractive and informative.

Hope that I'm not late. 

[Haivon]

Sept 8, 2021 20:44:51 GMT -5 Jabberwocky said:

Frank Zappa hated to be interviewed. I once read an article in which he interviewed himself.
More to the point, what will candidates do to improve surfers' rights? Long an overlooked segment of society, it's time for Surfers to Unite and come to the forefront!

Surfing, beaches, sea, all of that is by definition part of the culture of 10000 Islands. Surfing should not only be given more rights as great members of our society, but also celebrated! Up with the Surfer's rights, long live surfing!