[TGLS]

Question 51 [CTY] – Key factions in the Transitional Authority for YOU-Topia
Part 2/3
“City Hall”
The executive apparatus of YOU-Topia is quite simple in theory. The International Commission appoints a special representative, who in turn appoints cabinet members and governs through a career civil service. In practice, the system is a bit more complicated than that. The special representative is almost always appointed with an understanding of who they will appoint to the cabinet. This often creates a mixed executive, where multiple factions have their own guy running certain departments. The Civil Service often has their own agenda, usually to resist the efforts of whatever the appointees attempt. Amongst the key cabinet members:

Maarika Ruan is the current Special Representative. She was the Undersecretary-General of the LFDN and was generally considered a political non-entity before being nominated by the Humanitarian faction. This was partially an act of desperation, as the International Commission had grown increasingly deadlocked, with the Securities blocking nearly all nominees and the Neo-Mutualists blocking the rest. After a relatively uneventful first six years focusing primarily on health care and infrastructure, Ruan took a surprisingly radical shift by financing the purchase of multiple Top-Level Lot Leases (T3Ls), forming a Residents Advisory Board and giving the until then toothless Leaseholder’s Assembly a degree of power by refusing to veto their decisions. There’s an opposition to her on the International Commission now, though they lack the votes to remove her; they’re beginning to consider unconventional methods…

Mirembe Ruskin is the current Commissioner of the Civilian Police. She was Vice-President of Security at the Chemical-United Financial Group before being nominated by the Securities Faction. She is considered a reliable supporter of the corporate power structure and treats policing like an extended counterinsurgency. This has exacerbated C-Po’s problems with investigation, follow-up, and even maintaining trust with the community it polices. In wealthier regions, she has allowed C-Po to use a softer touch, but even there they are more concerned about the swiftness of justice than getting it right. Heavier weapons and armor have become more standard issue, and C-Po has developed a reputation of being a much safer job than it used to be.

Ebubekir Ricci is the current Superintending Procurator. He was the Assistant Attorney-General of the Former Democratic Republic Maeotia, an unaligned nation, and is considered a supporter of the ruling Popular Progress Party of Maeotia. He was nominated as a compromise between the Neo-Mutualists (who sought one of their own for a top cabinet post) and the Cykeans (who sought to avoid a mutualist procurate). As Superintending Procurator, Ricci is responsible for prosecution of crimes, and has broad authority for the investigation of crimes as well. Ricci is still in the mindset of a prosecutor at home, uncomfortable with the broad authority to investigate crimes, and (perhaps unintentionally) has been stymieing the investigation of the procurators. He tries to give his subordinates (including the Commercial Investigation and Enforcement Unit) broad autonomy, which has allowed self-serving procurators to ruthlessly pursue wins, while other procurators try to counter C-Po’s “Arrest First” mentality.

Citlali Arendonk is the current Secretary of the Coast Guard. They were Minister of State (Quarantine and Border Security) in the Federal State of Eastern Guipadines and was considered a possible candidate for the premiership before being nominated by the Integral Faction. While others would consider this a set back, Citlali is a true believer and is in fact quite glad to be in a position where they can counter smuggling and the undermining of a fellow Integral state. To this end, they have shifted focus from stopping illegal migration from YOU-Topia and refocused efforts on quashing the smuggling of goods. Among their other measures, Citlali has redirected funding towards submarines (believing that surface traffic is being rerouted below the seas) and pursuing an anti-corruption campaign (deducing that people looking the other way is the main hole in border security). This has made Citlali several enemies, all of whom would be pleased to see them bumped off.

Tegwen Laaksonen is the current Treasurer. She was Senior Vice-President of Finance at the Bresani-Lautia Trading Company before being nominated by the Cykean Faction. She had been trying to advance her political career for some time and made multiple donations to various Cykean groups before her nomination. It’s widely believed that Laaksonen is behind Ruan’s political shift, carefully husbanding the finances to allow for the purchase of a T3L just as Ruan was ready to consider buying one. Laaksonen has tried to focus finances to develop infrastructure and pay for social services over security measures, though this has been difficult.

Isidora Kuroda is the current Permanent Chancellor. She is the only top member of the cabinet who was not removed following the Ursulas Scandal. Her policy is primarily to resist nearly all changes the politically appointed cabinet members try to make, and to advance the interests of the civil service. Kuroda personally has Cykean leanings but tries to keep personal politics out of the important business of running government. Regardless, she is gravely concerned about the decision to enhance the powers of the Leaseholder’s Assembly and the Resident’s Advisory Board, as it may place the civil service at unheard of levels of oversight and interference.