MORAINE

[Raysfan16 5]

Kinda opposite to the moon one, maybe this tells you about where the journal is going. That is all I'm gonna tell you.

Welcome back, VashTS240. You'll see roads-a-plenty soon, but probably mostly transit because, after all, Moraine's supposed to be improving, right? Hope your compooper gets better.

Hey, lucky7. Glad to see you stop by. Come back again to see the good part!

Wassup, GreekMan. I hope you see what's going on here too! You'll enjoy it!

Thanks for the comment, Mayorm.

Glad to see you're still stoping by, redrummage. You've been a loyal fan and the payoff is coming soon!

British_Petroleum, if you clean up the oil I might put up a seawall.

Thanks for the advice, Sirron Kcuhc. ALso, you have the coolest username EVER!

Thanks for stopping by again, Benedict.

Quick update. But, very important.

[Raysfan16 5]

Kinda opposite to the moon one, maybe this tells you about where the journal is going. That is all I'm gonna tell you.

Welcome back, VashTS240. You'll see roads-a-plenty soon, but probably mostly transit because, after all, Moraine's supposed to be improving, right? Hope your compooper gets better.

Hey, lucky7. Glad to see you stop by. Come back again to see the good part!

Wassup, GreekMan. I hope you see what's going on here too! You'll enjoy it!

Thanks for the comment, Mayorm.

Glad to see you're still stoping by, redrummage. You've been a loyal fan and the payoff is coming soon!

British_Petroleum, if you clean up the oil I might put up a seawall.

Thanks for the advice, Sirron Kcuhc. ALso, you have the coolest username EVER!

Thanks for stopping by again, Benedict.

Quick update. But, very important.

[Mr. Beer 12]

Hi Raysfan16!

Enjoy your summer! Here is no rush! My CJ is on hold for the moment because I'm between two apartments...

Take care and see you soon!

David

[Mr. Beer 12]

Hi Raysfan16!

Enjoy your summer! Here is no rush! My CJ is on hold for the moment because I'm between two apartments...

Take care and see you soon!

David

[Mr. Beer 12]

Hi Raysfan16!

Enjoy your summer! Here is no rush! My CJ is on hold for the moment because I'm between two apartments...

Take care and see you soon!

David

[Mr. Beer 12]

Hi Raysfan16!

Enjoy your summer! Here is no rush! My CJ is on hold for the moment because I'm between two apartments...

Take care and see you soon!

David

[chrissc94 1]

It seems as though this mayor might start a new gilded age for Moraine, hopefully!

I'm looking forward to new updates soon.

[Benedict 3,119]

I'm looking forward to the big reveal, particularly if it includes lots of transit.

[SounderBruce 173]

Yay! You're back! Love the realistic newspaper...lol at the "Tampa Bay Rays taking over the world" scenario.

[Raysfan16 5]

I kinda miss CJing.

I opened up Moraine today, and didn't do anything because my terrain mod is messed up, everything is such a hassle on this computer of mine. Nothing is seriously wrong, but if you don't have the willpower to do much, nothing much will get done.

Meanwhile, I just wanted to share a few pics of some areas of Moraine that remain unseen.

More development to come hopefully.

[Raysfan16 5]

I kinda miss CJing.

I opened up Moraine today, and didn't do anything because my terrain mod is messed up, everything is such a hassle on this computer of mine. Nothing is seriously wrong, but if you don't have the willpower to do much, nothing much will get done.

Meanwhile, I just wanted to share a few pics of some areas of Moraine that remain unseen.

More development to come hopefully.

[Benedict 3,119]

Great to see you back!

[Benedict 3,119]

Great to see you back!

[kakado_to_save 514]

The last post was great.... but you can see the button in the big pic.

[kakado_to_save 514]

The last post was great.... but you can see the button in the big pic.

[kakado_to_save 514]

The last post was great.... but you can see the button in the big pic.

[redrummage 9]

I hope you run a clean campaign for mayor! Great to see you back and I can't wait to see some improvements.

[Raysfan16 5]

Benedict, thanks for leaving a comment. You won't be disappointed by my return.

Welcome to Moraine, kadado_to_save! Thanks for the kind comment, but I'm not sure what button you're talking about.

I hope I do to, redrummage! Here is some more info on that!

2010 Moraine Mayoral Election

After a relatively quick primary election, the election was limited to two major candidates.

In the red corner....stood Joseph Green.

Joseph Green ran on the Republican ticket. 

His message:

"In a nation which is crumbling due to out-of control spending and reckless tax hikes, I plan to offer refreshing principles for the city. Gone will be the high taxes which attack spending power. Gone will be the radical plans to spend on transit which nobody wants. If people like the suburbs better than the city, let the county governments deal with them. They decide to live away from the city, and we cannot change that. Fiscal conservatism is the way to success, and there will be no shortage of that when I take office."

Green campaigned in the conservative Irish district of Harahan heavily, which was one of his expected strongholds.

He also campaigned in the rich district of Brooks Park, where Republican ideals were supported by businessmen and entrepreneurs.

Though they did not have much of anything to do with Moraine, Green steadfastly asserted his views on certain national issues.

Abortion: "Pro-Life"

Gay Marriage: Against

Health care reform: Against

Economic stimulus: Against

High speed rail earmarks: Against (money better spent on other improvements)

Legalization of marijuana: Against

Cap and trade: Against

He also let voters know his views on Moraine issues.

Port improvements: For

Commuter rail: Against

Light rail: Against

Expansion of bus system: Against

Incentives for urban infill: Against

Education and health expansions: Against

Tax cuts for rich (Bush tax cuts): For

----------------------------------------------------------------------

In the blue corner.....stood newcomer Dion Brock.

Dion Brock ran on the Democratic ticket, though he was slightly moderate.

His message:

"Moraine is crumbling. People can't get from here to there. There is rampant crime all around, and poor public institutions which should be the foundation of success. Instead, the health sytem is in a coma and the educational system hasn't gotten 'gooder' in a matter of decades. This is not meant to scare. I plan to invest in the city. There would not be an urban center if Moraine wasn't here. Moraine is still at the epicenter, even though people don't stop there. Mass transit and reform are my primary objectives. The road will be tough, but with your help I can make Moraine the pride of the country."

Brock's campaign took him to the Old Northwest neighborhood, where many people struggling to get by felt inspired by his message.

He also campaigned in the old municipality of Tufton, which has also been stricken by poor economic conditions despite its place inside Moraine's city limits.

As a response to Green's loud and clear stances, Brock answered the same qustions.

Abortion: "Pro-Choice"

Gay Marriage: For, but should be decided by state governments

Health care reform: For

Economic stimulus: For

High speed rail earmarks: For

Legalization of marijuana: Against

Cap and trade: For

He also let voters know his views on Moraine issues.

Port improvements: For

Commuter rail: For

Light rail: For

Expansion of bus system: For, but not top priority

Incentives for urban infill: For

Education and health expansions: For

Tax cuts for rich (Bush tax cuts): Against (Instead, 1% sales tax hike to pay for infrastructure improvements)

Who will Win?

Green?

OR

Brock?

NOTES: Bonus points to those who can tell me who those two people are in real life.

Also, feel free to discuss your opinions on who you want to win.

EDIT: This post is not designed to favor one political ideology over another. It was more of an attepmt to realistically portray what the two candidates would be like during 2010 in a city like Moraine.

Those who want to cry foul because of a (future) liberal bias, I see where you are coming from, but this journal focuses on realism and I cannot fathom a conservative advocating sweeping reforms or an American political race of any sort NOT featuring a republican vs. a democrat.

Just wanted to make that clear.

[chrissc94 1]

I suppose you want us to favor the Democrat...?

[Raysfan16 5]

Good point. I added a little message at the end of my post after reading that.

[woodb3kmaster 342]

Looks like it was an interesting race, Rays (I say "was" since you referred to the election in the past tense at the beginning of the update, despite the (originally) closing encouragement to discuss who we want to win, as if the election wasn't over). To steer away from politics, I can already tell who won, simply because this is a CJ, and that candidate winning is necessary to advance the CJ's basic function: to show a city. All the same, I'm sure that the new mayor-elect will make Moraine a pleasure to read!

[Benedict 3,119]

Good to see another update of Moraine.

[dfnva 34]

Looks like an interesting race... I'd vote for the Democrat (I usually do haha), but I see points from both sides.

-Dan

[dfnva 34]

Sorry to double post (did the same to packersfan), but I'm curious to see how the Democrat, Brock, wants to improve education and health care. I find interesting that Green, the Republican, is saying 'no' to everything, echoing what Republicans have been doing at the Federal level.

-Dan

[redrummage 9]

Barry Melrose as Joseph Green, and Guy Boucher as Dion Brock. Although I don't agree with all of Dion Brock's views, it appears that moraine would benefit most from more railroads, and less reliance on roads.

P.S. Barry Melrose I knew, I inferred Guy Boucher.  In one of the pictures he is wearing a Lighting pin.

[Raysfan16 5]

chrissc94, I replied up there. Thanks for your comment.

woodb3kmaster, yeah you were right. It's pretty obvious but is still hopefully an interesting race to watch. Thanks for the comment!

Hey, Benedict. Thanks for dropping by again.

Thanks for commenting, Dan (dfnva). Yeah, there's not much Brock can do about that, but it's nice to know he has that as a priority, right? Gld you noticed the 'no' thing. I was going for realism, not a biased message, I promise! .....

Great job, redrummage! You were right! I guess I forgot to photoshop the Bolts pin. Anyways, good job and thanks for commenting.

Moraine remained divided by elections.

There was no majority that was expected to win, and a Gallup poll even predicted a near-tie, with Brock recieving only 350 more votes more than Green.

Geographically, there were major divisions within Moraine. The poorer neighborhoods tended to favor Brock, while the rich and the businessmen favored Green.

Brock and the Democrats had more districts, but Green's conservatice strongholds were denser and had a higher tendency to vote.

Both politicians and their action groups never stopped campaigning.

The local news did a segment on why certain people liked him, and many answers were given.

This resident said,

"I like Brock. He seems like he is going to change the city for the better. I like his personality, a relentless man who will not stop until Moraine is the best it can be. Green seems like more of the same old, same old. I don't want that when my downtown office area is as dangerous as a war zone, y'know what I mean?"

This is what another resident said:

"I love Moraine, and you can tell Green does too. Wouldn't it be a shame if this city, from its pinnacle of 50 years ago, falls into all things but debt? I'd hate that. Green can lead us to where we want, without stupid reforms nobody likes."

Moraine remained deadlocked.

If I don't get back to y'all before Thursday, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

[nathanthemayor 1,261]

Wow!Where did you get the pics of Brook and Green?

[dfnva 34]

I wonder who will win... and if either candidate, with empty promises, will actually do anything useful for the city?

[Raysfan16 5]

nathanthemayor, they are pictures of Barry Melrose and Guy Boucher, one a former and one a current NHL hockey coach of the Tampa Bay lIghtning.

Dan, thanks for the entusiasm and comment, but I can't really make a city journal without Brock winning.

To Make a Long Story Short:

Brock wins.

When asked about the victory and hard-fought election, he said: "Politics is done with. Let's remake a city now."

[dfnva 34]

Well as a progressive, I'll cheer loudly for Brock's win.... I'm eager to see what happens now. Was the previous mayor a republican or democrat? Who controls the city council?

Local politics is very interesting (almost too interesting where I live, esp. as I've gotten more vocal and involved in politics in recent years) and I like how you're going this direction with your CJ.

-Dan