1815
Head of Council: James Hemming
Population: 13,918
The Desten Council, the governing body of Sophara and Desten, passes a law to have the Head of Council elections every five years, starting 1815. The two main candidates were both from Desten’s oldest and richest families – Rosemond Brickson and James Hemming. It was the latter that would end up winning the election, which was open to all citizens of Desten, with the promise that he would subsidize farmland and grant loans to all potential farmers to grow crops and commodities, as well as ranchers. The land granted was to the north, alongside the Mulmont River, and approval was given to begin roadworks to give road access to all the new farms and ranches.
Hemming made good on his promise after being elected, granting the land and giving the road access. He also continued the expansion of Melborne Avenue, extending it all the way west to the Mulmont River, while focusing the development of the town to the area set aside by the previous administration to the northeast of the town. He also continued funding the Sophara Docks, as trade between the Old and New Worlds had increased exponentially and given Desten’s location between the two, it was bound to benefit from ships both coming and going.
Hemming also emphasized the importance of the security of the town, and doubled its Police Department members as well as increased its budget, putting in place a plan to import more weaponry and ammunition in the coming five years than what the Council had spent on them the past twenty years. Hemming had the right idea – as the town eclipsed 13,000 residents, it was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain control over the entire vicinity of Sophara all at once. The bigger reason for increasing the Police Department’s budger, however, was not the one told to the public – corruption had begun to show its ugly face in Sophara, and Hemming saw it as scourge that was hurting the Council and its income. He wanted to battle corruption, whether it was through Council members or through wealthy families or merchants, with powerful force in order to set an example.
There was no doubting that James Hemming was not much of diplomatic implementation, and rather preferred to rule with command and an iron fist. While he did live up to his promise of subsidizing a number of farms along the river, many in the wealthy elite of Sophara figured it was just a way for Hemming to win mass support in order to achieve what he was after all along – wealth and power. Hemming already belong to the wealthiest family in Desten, and there were fears that he was merely working in order to strengthen the Hemming hold on the young nation. The Sophara Docks and the Sophara PD were Hemming’s priority because and expanded port meant larger quantities of export for the Hemming family, while a stronger PD – loyal to Hemming – meant a much stronger presence for the family. That was the fear of the other wealthy families, especially the Bricksons.
Nonetheless, the politics of Sophara and Desten did not stop the town from growing to over 13,000 people by 1815, big enough to make it the United States’ 8th largest city if it was part of the country. Opportunities in the farming and trade sectors made Sophara an intriguing prospect for immigrants from the Old World looking to make a better life for themselves, much in the same way the United States promised them a better life. Unlike the United States, however, there was no war in Desten – while the US was involved in the War of 1812 with its former colonial master England, the Desten Council had shored up its defensive by strengthening the Sophara Police and making sure the town, and country, were capably defended.
The Sophara Docks.
The northeastern part of Sophara.
Desten Boulevard.
Desten Boulevard from further away.
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