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Ever since City Hall announced way back when that there was gonna be a Senate
Race, people starting wondering what the senator would actually be able to do.
How much power would one Whyville citizen be given?
Well, I was fortunate enough to be elected and I got to witness (and be a part
of!) the beginnings of what the Whyville Senator can do. A lot of people have
asked me what I did during my term as Senator, and I came to realize that it
wasn't really that clear. Since I am a firm believer that knowledge is power, I
decided it was important to let all of you know what I managed to do as
Senator, in the hopes that you all see how far a Senator's power extends.
Being the first Senator had its ups and downs. I was kind of like City Hall's
guinea pig. From what she's said, citizens weren't the only people who weren't
exactly sure of everything a Senator could do!
When I started, I didn't know a Senator's term was going to be six months, for
example. That was the kind of thing I helped decide: Was six months a good
period of time to accomplish things?
I basically had two main duties as Senator, although they're probably not as
great as you would think. For a little more than six months I was literally
buried alive in Why-mail. Whyville citizens are not only curious, but they also
know what they want and what they don't like. There were several times that I
had more than 1,000 letters in my inbox, each one telling me something
important. It was a little overwhelming!
Some of these letters had questions which I tried my best to answer. Others were
people looking for friends and I was happy to meet some truly amazing and
genuinely nice people. And yet others were people telling me what need to be
improved in Whyville or giving me their suggestions. I admit, even though I
tried my best, I was unable to answer every single one, because there were just
so many!
My other duty was to keep in touch with City Hall and help her out, which
included a number of things. I would write to her to let her know the "word on
the street", per se. I passed along thoughts I'd received from citizens about
things that could be updated as well as my own ideas, including a couple from my
platform.
I was also responsible for getting together with City Hall in a Senate Meeting,
which I was able to do twice during my term. Citizens who attended the meeting
should be able to tell you that we covered a variety of issues that affected
Whyville and its citizens. If you look through the Times archives, you should be
able to find the meeting minutes from these two rendezvous.
I typed up clam shower hints for City Hall near the beginning of my term, and
although they never happened, I still hope that someday Whyville will experience
another weekend of clam showers!
I also canvassed for information on Confederate flags and encouraged City Hall
to have a city-wide vote to find out if the flags should be accepted at Akbar's.
Also, as a Times Writer and avid reader of the Whyville Times I thought (and
still think!) that it's important for Whyville's citizens to read our town's
weekly publication, so with the help and suggestions from Whyville citizens I
helped start out the weekly Whyville crossword puzzle.
And finally, I asked City Hall to do a little something for Club Why members,
since they've paid a lot to join but are often forgotten. Therefore, the monthly
City Worker meet-up at Club Why began.
I hope I have enlightened you a little and you understand, even if indirectly,
what a Senator can do. If you are planning to run for Senator, then I suggest
you give it a shot, since campaigning is half the fun! And if you do win, as I
am sure OrEoBaBy and Sonner will tell you, you'll be glad you ran because you'll
be making a difference in Whyville!
Giggler01
Never expected you.
Editor's Note: Thanks again for your excellent service as
Whyville's first Senator, Giggler01! City Hall says you really helped the
workers figure out a lot of good guidelines that will help future Senators!!
I got this idea before getting your article, and after reading it I think
it's even more nifty -- would Whyvillians like to see a monthly report/article
in the Whyville Times, written by one of their three Senators? Each
Senator could write something about what they've accomplished, what they're
working on, or just simply write an editorial about what they think the ordinary
citizen can do to improve Whyville.
How does that sound, folks? And what do the current Senators think of it?
I haven't talked with City Hall about this, mind you....
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