Voting for the second Council of Planetary Management has begun, and in front of you is one of the most important decisions you’ll make this year in this game. The seven people you chose will represent you, and everyone else in the community, in front of CCP. While they do not control CCP, they have a strong degree of influence. Their feedback will carry additional weight, and the manner in which they communicate with the community will be important.
Last year, I endorsed a ballot of seven candidates. The four of those candidates did win, and compromised of a large part of CPM1. I chose myself, Cross Atu, Pokey Dravon, The Black Jackal, Zatara Rought, Aeon Amadi, and Iron Wolf Saber. Second only to the group of people who voted solely for Judge Rhadamanthus, my ballot was the most common way to vote in the election. Kevall Longstride and SirManBoy made excellent additions to my choices for CPM1, and I felt in retrospect, that Aeon Amadi was not as good a choice as I had originally placed him.
Today I’d like to present to you my nominations for CPM2, with the strongest recommendation that you take these candidates under consideration. If you feel so inclined to, feel free to reorder based on your priorities, but I must remind you, you can list your top seven choices, and should list them in the order you most want to see them elected. The Single-Transferrable Vote (STV) system works best when you prioritize the candidates you feel more deserving. Do not make the mistake of assuming a certain candidate is sure to win, and place them lower on your own list. Nor should you vote for less than seven candidates, as a shorter ballot does not help your first choice any more than otherwise.
I’ve based my choices on a lot of factors, including what I know of each candidate personally, their public record and reputation, and what I know of working within CPM1 and what CPM2 will likely face as well. The CPM needs people from every spectrum of the game, it needs both those who will be diplomatic, and those who will apply due pressure where needed. CPM2 needs both the experience of incumbents and the fresh eyes of new blood.
Without any further ado, my choices:
Pokey Dravon – Pokey was the candidate last year who I felt ended up in a rough spot because of sharing a lot of ballots with Cross. He’s insightful, he can be both diplomatic and assertive, and his work in the Feedback area of the forums cannot be ignored. I can’t think of a better person to join the CPM this year. He has provided, undeterred, an enormous level of feedback and constructive criticism over the years, and has the exact sort of outlook the CPM needs to work effectively with CCP.
Cross Atu – I feel Cross was our MVP of CPM1. A player favorite for his frequency and quality of communication, he was also one of the most effective communicators with CCP and other CPM. I personally went to Cross for advice many times throughout the term when I felt my own efforts weren’t well-received. He’s an absolutely must-have council member, who brings with him the combined experience of our council. I feel incumbent experience is crucial to allowing the council to keep moving forward rather than losing ground during a transition. Please make sure Cross Atu has a high standing on your ballot this year.
Darth Carbonite – Darth is one of the quieter candidates to make my list. He hasn’t as much public attention because he is not a huge participant on the forums. However, that is primarily because he is always in-game. Darth was actually an incredibly loyal member of my alliance, Top Men, for a long time. Darth is a natural leader with a true love of the game. He calls himself a dropship pilot, but you’ll find he is absolutely deadly with any weapon. (However, you’ll find the Darth’s GIO-66 Scrambler Rifle a particular favorite of his.) I believe he is an excellent communicator with a strong bead on the pulse of the game, and I absolutely had to recommend him highly.
Breakin Stuff – Breakin isn’t always as diplomatic as many of the other candidates on my list. We’ve gotten into it a few times on Skype, but his work analyzing balance issues in the game is nearly unmatched. I think Breakin has a huge amount to offer the CPM. He is also a Goon, which means the game will continue to be ruled by our benevolent overlords for another year. Goons have secretly run DUST 514 since it’s inception, and been on every CPM since.
Kevall Longstride – Kevall has been one of CPM1’s most powerful assets in dealing with CCP. While I feel Kevall can be a bit of a fanboy at times, he has been a great member of our team, and I absolutely expect CPM2 to need him as badly as we did. Kevall has a great rapport with people at CCP, including both Hilmar and CCP Rouge. When the rest of us had a hard time getting the response we needed from CCP, Kevall was able to get that response. I feel he made everyone on the CPM1 more effective and able to do their jobs thanks to his impossible to ignore presence and his drive to get the information we needed.
Zaria Min Deir – Zaria brings with her a wealth of knowledge on the highest levels of gameplay, having been involved in Planetary Conquest from the very earliest days of Uprising. It is key to have this perspective when considering changes to the game, as the small hardcore community is often just as valuable as the larger populace of casual players. She has a keen eye on balance issues and game design, and has been a great contributor on the Biomassed podcast especially as well.
Ripley Riley – What most comes out about Ripley, I feel, is that he has a great love for our community. He sometimes makes awful forum threads and can lightly tinfoil at times, but he’s got a great head on his shoulders, he’s very reasonable, and I feel he will do a great job interacting with the community regularly, and applying pressure to CCP where it counts. He can be a little bit of a troll, but sometimes, that’s exactly what you need. I feel Ripley would be a welcome addition to CPM2, and round out this group nicely.
