Greetings! I am Verdant Haven – candidate for the position of Forest Keeper. While the terms in office in our region are short, at 6 months each, I believe that is more than enough time for lasting positive changes to be put in to play, and for all of us to move forward together with the wonderful region that is Forest. My platform is straightforward, and can be summarized as follows: Open, Efficient, and Community-Driven.
1) First and foremost, I believe we should not only maintain, but expand our environmental action program. Forest is a region dedicated to principals of environmentalism and awareness. I propose the creation of a regional officer, The Conscience of Forest, who will be dedicated to maintaining and promoting this program, not just within forest, but with our embassy allies.
2) During my service with the foreign ministry, I observed that the process for handling embassies and ambassadors was not as effective as it could be, and we have multiple embassies where our ambassadors are more active than the native population. The recent amendment to Article 6 was a step in the right direction, but I will work with the Foreign Minister and other officers to further streamline the embassy and ambassador process, take actions for the benefit of Forest, and if necessary introduce further amendment for public vote, should it be necessary.
3) I believe that contests and activities, such as the photo contest, and “Post an account from your region,” are beneficial for group cohesiveness and regional identity. I would seek to encourage and initiate community activities during my tenure in office, to strengthen our communal bonds, provide outlet for creative energies, and encourage inter-regional participation.
4) In keeping with §2.3 of the Constitution, requiring the Forest Keeper to act in an open manner, I will provide a monthly summary of government activities in Forest, and open a “questions and comments” discussion for citizens to ask about anything going on, or sound off about thoughts and ideas for the region.
5) I strongly endorse the position of Forest as a neutral party in inter-regional politics, neither identifying as a raider or defender. I would stand ready to step in as a mediator and negotiator should an allied region face hostile action, seeking to return all regions to their rightful native control.
Those are my positions, but what about me?
I have been involved in NationStates for more than a decade on and off, getting my start in the “UN” days prior to 2008. Having played half a dozen nations seriously, Verdant Haven was initially created in early 2013 and played experimentally for a time, before I revived it last year as my new “main.”
I have extensive experience in facilitating the operation of internet and game-based communities, with this year being the 20th anniversary of my first online gaming leadership position. That experience has included running guilds in online games and serving as an officer in others, being a server owner and operator for multiple games in a long-standing gaming community with which I have been involved for more than a decade, and even working as an in-game event organizer and runner on behalf of a company for a major MMO.
Away from the computer, I am a civil servant, with nearing a dozen years of work for the US federal government under my belt, running operations, managing records, supervising staff, and successfully navigating the bureaucracy that is inherent to any government, real or fictional. In my present work, I serve in an agency where we make it a point to scientifically address environmental issues and present them to the public.
I believe these experiences, and this platform, make me a strong candidate for Forest Keeper, and I humbly request the honor of your consideration when it comes time to vote. My telegram box is always open – please feel free to reach out with any thoughts or questions you may have. I will also check up on this thread regularly, and will be happy to answer questions here, as well as on the RMB.
