TC for Mayor 2018: The Blunder Party

Colonel Thunder

Renowned Blunderer & Dishonorary Czech
Member
Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to formally announce my candidacy for the 2018 Mayoral Election.

Please see my stances on some of our most discussed issues below:

Years later, many of us are reading the Constitution in-depth for the first time. As of now, I see no inherent flaws within the Constitution, and I believe it is the sole honor and duty of the Forum Owner to update the Constitution as they see fit.

That being said, I would encourage the Forum Owner to thoughtfully consider the advice of Forum Officials (such as the Mayor and Court Justice) and other trusted advisers regarding updates.

I believe it is necessary to document the Mayor's official duties, limitation of power, and acceptable code of conduct. This documentation may or may not echo the documentation currently outlined in the Constitution regarding Moderators and their jurisdiction. This documentation should be created in conjunction with public deliberation and an established committee.

Similarly, I believe the position of Court Justice should become an official one. The official duties, limitations of power, and acceptable code of conduct need to be outlined and agreed upon in a process similar to the one mentioned in the above paragraph.

Our Court Justice @Easy has done an incredible job fairly overseeing civil suits for nearly two years now. I recently witnessed him spend an entire Saturday moderating a complicated trial involving four separate parties, a great sacrifice of personal time in the pursuit of justice. He deserves to be recognized for his dedication, and it would be my honor to help officially appoint him as our Justice.

Our financial state of affairs has not traditionally been a point of discussion. However, I believe it is our duty to assist the Forum Owner in funding this community with the level of involvement he approves of. Aside from funding the core functioning of the site itself, we may want to consider what donated funds could be put towards in regards to the betterment of this community.

Secondly, the value of the Like is strong right now - but it could be stronger. The social-economic value of the Like is very subjective. We may want to investigate systems that leverage the Like in ways that benefit our community as a whole.

I don't believe it is within the jurisdiction of this community to decide whether or not traps are gay. If our community must have a ruling on whether or not traps are gay, I believe that how that choice is made is up to the Forum Owner.

Personally, I do not believe that traps are gay. Also, being gay is not gay (with the first use of "gay" meaning homosexual, and the second use of "gay" meaning the more typical internet slang for something that is not desirable).

The core of my platform is the continuous improvement of our community rooted in active engagement and personal ownership. We need a strengthened community, and that starts with becoming a forum that strangers want to come to.

As Mayor, I will work towards improving the quality of this community so that we can better attract and retain new members, while also improving the quality of participation for existing community members. I believe that this can be done by leveraging our already existing resources through community projects possibly including but not limited to:
  • supporting low buy-in, low commitment activities
  • bolstering larger activities such as RPing, Mafia, and game events
  • incentivizing good behavior
  • getting a head start on planning/engaging in the 2018 Forum Awards
  • reaching out to inactive/potential new members in a positive way
  • intentionally including inactive/potential new members to create a welcoming environment
These are lofty goals that will take the coordination of the entire community to accomplish. As Mayor, I hope to appoint Commissioners to oversee some of the projects that arise from these initiatives.

I will continue to update the OP with stances on popular issues that arise. In the meantime, I encourage community members to post their questions below, and I will answer them as soon as sufficient research has been done on the subject matter at hand.

Lastly, I would like to thank @Rondait for covering the events of this election, @Dunsparce for unintentionally starting this election, @coolpool2 for being a cutiepie, and @RECONmaster @Tirin and @Easy for their dedication and service to this community.
 

Colonel Thunder

Renowned Blunderer & Dishonorary Czech
Member
Responses to Candidate Interviews

In tonight's interview, Candidate @Jeroth finally outlined his platform. I am rather disappointed.

Jeroth's "Anti-Bamboozling" platform will have the practical effects of an "Anti-Activity" effort. Jeroth has now openly spoken about his intention to use a stick instead of a carrot in community development. I believe that we should be encouraging forumers to create new content, even if it falls flat due to the time required to maintain it.

Initiatives like punishing lagging creators of CYOAs discourages forumers from starting them in the first place. Recently, resident cu-erm, cool person @coolpool2 expressed interest and hesitancy in starting a campaign. Now imagine there's a cloud over his head saying that if he doesn't meet expectation, he'll be formally punished. Creators like coolpool will be afraid to try new things if such initiatives are enacted.

Additionally, the Forum Court has wisely and justly dealt with past cases of rampant, reckless RP behavior. We need more carrots, not sticks.

I'm glad that Jeroth and I have similar stances on the Constitution, but that seems to be where our similarities end. He has vocalized his agreement with Walrus' agenda that, while well-intentioned, is rooted in outdated forum philosophy. I'm not even going to go into Walrus' secretive work with a known terrorist. Let's just say that Jeroth's camaraderie with Walrus is disconcerting in light of recent events.

I couldn't help but laugh at Jeroth accusing me of using 'TC witchcraft' to interfere with the duel. There is no known instance of my...TC aura...being used to my benefit, or even utilized intentionally, in forum history. I have no control over whether or not Jeroth butchers an event he was given full control of by the Forum Court.

(These are just details, but Jeroth forgets that it was my original suggestion to play Nighogg due to the fun and engagement it would provide for the community. The match will be streamed on Tuesday at 7:30pm pacific time, for those who would like to watch the duel.)

Jeroth's comment that he "doesn't know about the logistics" of setting up a debate makes one thing clear to me. From setting up a trial by combat to putting together community spectacles, Jeroth does not have the experience or expertise to manage this community effectively. Unless there is a conflict of interest due to my candidacy, I will gladly volunteer to assist Reporter @Rondait in the planning, setup, and execution of a debate.

I look forward to hearing interviews from some of the more serious candidates. In the meantime, I hope to see you all at the trial by combat tomorrow!
 

Colonel Thunder

Renowned Blunderer & Dishonorary Czech
Member
FUN-Raiser today!

Later today, I'll be streaming Stardew Valley and taking calls from any voters or fellow candidates on Discord who would like to discuss policy or the election.
 

Tirin

God-Emperor of Tealkind
Moderator
And the truth comes out: this visit wasn't for pleasure, it was for political gain. I bet on at least one cynical mention of supporting our troops so he can try to capture a larger share of the voter base - but I'll beat him to it in his own thread. Support our (read: Mach Entertainment's) mothafuckin' troops!
 

Colonel Thunder

Renowned Blunderer & Dishonorary Czech
Member
I would like to clarify my stance on a recent issue.

I am a pro-pun candidate, and I do not support measures that allow pun control advocates to limit our citizens' freedom.

It is every forumer's right to own and use puns wisely. I often open carry puns as I run my errands, letting other citizens know that I'm ready to use my pun to protect them from threats of boredom.

It is our constitutional right to use puns. Some of my opponents will argue that pun control is necessary, but we all know the truth.

The only thing that stops a bad guy with a pun, is a good guy with a pun.

I am that good guy.

Vote TC 2018
 

Tirin

God-Emperor of Tealkind
Moderator
This is a non-issue that Thunderclaw is "suddenly" bringing up to give himself a measure of credibility, but all it really does it call attention to the incontrovertible fact that he was convicted of reckless punslinging through our Forum Court (in fact, entered a guilty plea) and in the years since has utterly failed to curb his behavior. Our legal system already has entirely fair and just methods for responding to puns used in such a manner: criminal charges.
 

Colonel Thunder

Renowned Blunderer & Dishonorary Czech
Member
Thank you all for your support during the election! I hope that you welcome me in congratulating Mod-Mayor Jeroth on his victory! Though the Blunder Party lost this year, we accomplished some of our major goals!

We increased community activity
We completed the TC villain arc
We beat Tirin in the election, and even met our stretch goal of hitting a tie with Coolpool for 2nd place

Truly this is a season to celebrate. I look forward to partnering with Mod-Mayor Jeroth on a number of community projects!
 
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