The Wax Superior Herald

July, Year 4

ELECTION SPECIAL: CAMPAIGN KICKS OFF

Author: Moe Rackswell

Fort Simian by night, July, Year 4.

Four years ago Clare Bevan led the charge for the establishment of Fort Simian as the first city on the shores of Wax Superior and was duly elected as the founding mayor. Her incumbency now faces its first real challenge.

I am standing with mayoral candidate Rick Green at the end of the rail line atop Table Mount overlooking the city as a cool summer breeze notches the temperature down to a comfortable 20^oC. "You feel that, that's a wind of change" says Green as he extends his arms out over the city, as though to embrace it. "For years Clare Bevan and the Red party have abused the trust of the Simianite people, run up debt and deficit, lumbered industry with excessive taxes and failed to provide security for the city. The choice is clear in this election". Green is earnest and serious in his explanation of the state of affairs in Fort Simian, which by some accounts, is in a dire state of stagnation.

We are at an open air conference to decide the fate of the rail line that was constructed in Year 2 but has yet to see a train pass through it. The Blue party, led by Green, are here in force to protest the development of a rail link they see as unnecessary and too costly. They say that the rail link should be either left as is, or demolished altogether, citing a lack of neighbouring communities and little potential tourist interest. The Red party, seizing on rumours of the imminent granting of a city lease title immediately adjacent, and the potential for the development of a tourist department, are pushing for the establishment of a train link in preparation for the future. As usual, the question turns back to the budget, which has been in deficit for two consecutive years.

Budget woes

State of the budget at the start of the election campaign, Year 4.

Economic management has been one of three cornerstone arguments that the Blue party has consistently used to derail confidence in the Red government. High taxes, poor trade management, and government waste have been the catchcry of the Blue party's savage attack on Bevan's governance. High taxes, particularly on the industrial sector, have been suggested as causing an imminent wipeout in freight, leading to unemployment and commercial recession. The sluggish development of the coal sector and reluctance to establish a further major trade presence in the city are cited as fuelling the demise of the industrial sector that the Blue party claims. Crime, mortality and fire damages are cited as examples of government waste that the opposition feels ought to be reined in. "This government is clearly incompetent and poisonous" is the slogan chanted by the opposition leader Rick Green and his shadow treasurer, Mike Baseball.

Local managers say that freight demand is high.

The government claims, however, that the taxation environment is only a temporary fix to intermittently sluggish economic conditions. "It's impossible to look at all elements of the economy in isolation and get an accurate picture of what's happening", says Mayor Bevan. "The coal sector is set to grow in the coming years, delivering the growth needed to offset tax cuts further down the line". The government has constantly pressed the line that the budget deficit is balanced by mining royalties, which are not ordinarily counted as direct government revenue due to their dependence on market conditions. Swings in the royalty intake have seen revenues go as high as $50,000 a month to -$1000. They blame early sluggish growth on the bizarre behaviour of the global market delivery mechanisms.

Vast coal reserves remain to be exploited.

Typically trade depots will send a signal to the global market carriers that they have material to export, after which the market will send trucks to pick up the material in exchange for payment at the market price. During the first year of the coal sector operating in Fort Simian, however, despite full depots, trade trucks would display errant behaviour. Days would pass without a single delivery being made, then 18 trucks a day would appear and then disappear. Revenue uncertainty arose as a result, causing Bevan to increase residential and industrial taxes to minimise the small but growing deficit, until coal exports could be better regulated. The Blue party seized on this state of affairs immediately, viciously attacking the government over perceived economic ineptitude and recklessness.

As Bevan brought the situation under control early in Year 3, regulating trade contracts and coal flows, the opposition focused it's attack on the specific government budget deficit as a function of taxation and service provision. "In reality, net revenues tripled, and the GDP actually increase five fold" says treasurer Mike Bowandarrow, adding that "the Blue party try to present the budget and economy as the same thing, but they are not", noticing that, despite increased taxes, commerce and industry had been booming in the previous year. "We've been seeing consistent growth, practically zero unemployment and satisfied freight and retail consumers on the whole. It's a smokescreen to focus on attack on a government deficit, especially when the treasury is growing!".

The government has planned to address the perceived problems with trade and taxation by commissioning two additional coal mines to subsidise tax cuts to 9% for R and I, and 8% for C. The opposition has said that it plans to develop a trade headquarters in the city, expand coal mining operations, build a port and open up the remaining coastal property for the development of the rich oil reserves contained underneath. The opposition has not provided an estimate of the cost or time to completion of the project, and the government argues that it would pollute the beach head and stymie further commercial and residential investment.

One of a vast set of oil deposits located under the bay area of Fort Simian.

Site of the oil deposit, looking back at the cityscape.

The opposition is also claiming that high mortality rates, poor fire response and "crime so bad that it's a state of emergency" are evidence of a government that is incapable of managing basic services. The government is claiming a small victory with a reduction in crime to only three a day from six in the previous year, claiming that increased funding post-election will see it drop to historical low levels of zero crimes per day. With two deaths a month, one building burnt down per month, and approximately 80% of school age children enrolled at the local school, the government is looking decidedly vulnerable. Treasurer Bowandarrow has promised to provide extra funding for a new police station and health clinic, in addition to an extra fire garage. The shadow utilities minister, Aaron Pyne ("Smelly Foot Aaron") rebuffed the election promise, stating "how can these clowns be trusted with public safety and services after this debacle. They have managed to get it wrong on all counts, and now they want to drive us further into deficit to make matters worse.". SFA added that "this is the worst government in the history of Fort Simian".

The battle for the hearts and minds of Simianites

Despite policy setbacks, Mayor Bevan still enjoys high approval ratings.

The Red party has been beset by the opposition siege, seeing their preference among voters dropping to 48% in the year leading up to the election. However, although the mayor's personal approval rating has slipped four points to 88%, especially amongst commercial and high wealth residential voters, her position remains overwhelmingly positive. In contrast, Rick Green's personal approval rating has barely scratched 0.1%, a problem acknowledged by all but his party. "We are a team", says SFA, "and the public knows that when they vote for us, they get us as a united team, not a personality without a party". Still, political analysts see the unpopularity of the Blue party leader as problematic, giving the Mayor room to manoeuvre in the coming week. Jerome Lightfoot, local analyst, claims that "either the Blue party or their leader need a lobotomy, because there is nothing professional about calling the elected Mayor of our town a $%&^!. These are not the qualities people want to see in their Mayor".

Press coverage of the election will continue in the coming week.