MBC News One-On-One Interview Series
The MBC News One-On-One Interview Series was a series of interviews ran by Secunda Broadcasting System (known at the time as MBC). This series was run in accordance with the United Cities election in October 2017. Host BuildPilot posted interviews with candidates running in the election daily. Transcripts were posted here, and were available for use as long as they are credited to MBC News. Candidates were offered an interview and it was up to them to decline or accept. All interview transcripts are owned by MBC News and are edited for clarity.
PtldKnight - Candidate for Secretary of State - One-On-One - 9/26/17
BuildPilot: Start by giving us some background on your campaign and your plans for the UC.
PtldKnight: Well, I joined the United Cities on Opening Day which was November 30th, 2016. I was the 5th city to join. Originally on that day when jph was assigning roles to people and taking requests for other roles, I tried to recieve General Assembly Chair, but I was too late. I continued to be active in the United Cities under the Establishment Party and then the Centralist Party with a brief stint as an independent over this summer. I tried to win Secretary of State in the April 2017 election but lost in a landslide to mineman. Over the summer while I was away at my camp, I realized how the way I acted to other members on the MRT with an attitude of conflict was the reason I was landslidden over in the April Election. I realized this as I was in the top cabin and so many little kids looked up to me, and I realized that I need to be a person that people can look up to or at least respect. I feel that on the MRT we all need to respect each other. One example of this is during June, when a certain member tried to force the Roads Committee to divert an A-Road to his town. As a member of the roads committee during this delicate situation, I tried to voice my opinion of displeasure over how the certain player was trying to strongarm the committee to build a road for him by diverting our current road to his town (Of Note this is all available in Discord Logs for the public to view). After that incident and over the summer I feel that as Secretary of State I need to help make a UC where we all can be welcome. Being Secretary of State involves defusing conflicts something which I can do. The UC during this time of turmoil about our future needs a Secretary of State who can stop conflicts that could get us a bad rep that would hurt new or old members joining. I believe that I am the person who would sit this quite well. [Ready for Next Question]
BuildPilot: Some members have claimed that you are running for whatever position would most likely get you officer, just so you can be an officer. How would you answer those members?
PtldKnight: I will acknowledge that I have done some campaign shuffling over the past days but honestly I was throwing my hat into the ring in General. Over the past few days I haven't really known what I want to apply myself for in the UC. If it be AJ or SoS. To those people I say, "While it is clear that I have moved what I want to run for in the United Cities, I feel that its more important what thing that your running for should suit you best and hey, once you see all the campaigns you should know who you want to vote for. You shouldn't base your vote of something that happened on the second day after registration opened. You should look at the character of the person not at a small event. I hope the person you will chose is me." [Ready for next question]
BuildPilot: In the other Officer races, who would you endorse?
PtldKnight: Honestly for the President Race I feel that jphgolf4321 as he founded the United Cities can take an active stance as President and lead us back into the right direction as a group. For the Vice-Presidential Race I feel that hvt2011 should be able to continue his abbreviated term that he served back in June-July. I feel like he was doing good things then and he should have the chance to continue them. For the Attorney General race I am currently undecided and I will make my decision once candidates lock as I am dead split between Cy and mineman. For the Chief Justice race I feel that KittyCat11231 has done a good job as Attorney General during his 2 terms and during his term as an Associate Justice as with his experience in the League of Cities. I feel that Kitty would do good upholding the law. [Next Question]
BuildPilot: You have talked about your plans for the UC, how would you execute them?
PtldKnight: I feel that as I currently keep close watch of the United Cites discord server I can help defuse conflicts on there. I also am proposing a confidential optional hotline to report conflicts that would need my assistance. This would be set up as a google form. I feel that quick and smart defusing of conflicts is the way to go by not taking a side and hearing both sides as a good SoS should do. [Next Question]
BuildPilot: During the arguments regarding whether voting was biased based on whoever proposed the resolution, specifically Resolution 126 proposed by Kastle and Resolution 39 proposed by VernCow, what stance did you take and does it differ from your stance now? If so, please elaborate.
PtldKnight: I feel that yes bias is a thing in the United Cities and its a thing that we need to work on. Please note that I was away during resolution 126 so I am looking at it as an outsider. Resolution 126 serves the same point as resolution 39 which is to create regional offices. I feel that because Kastle was the president at the time he with his title helped gain him more support then Vern's idea. I feel that people think that officers are always right Just as we almost always Confirm Associate Justice nominations, its just given fact. I feel that if we stop and think about what we are voting on a little more bias will become less of a problem. [Next please]
BuildPilot: What is your take on inactivity in the UC, and how do you believe you can address that issue?
PtldKnight: Well, inactivity is a given thing on the MRT people come and people go. I feel that as an officer you need to take an active stance in the UC. Including as Secretary of State where your need isn't used as often. You need to go the extra mile out of your job description to help make the UC a better place all the time. I feel that if we introduce new programs that can involve all members such as maybe a new design contest or an MRT history committee, we can help address this issue. We need to make the UC seem fun again, not just a place to only play politics [Next}
BuildPilot: Regarding how much is accomplished within the UC, how do you think you could get more done? Both regarding administrative work within the UC, and in-game work such as actual projects.
PtldKnight: Well on the administrative side and the player side of the UC I feel that we could all try to promote it a little more to new members, make it something they could get excited for. I feel that again a few more projects could be worked on because all we have now are transportation base projects and while I do firmly believe in its final stages the P&R committee was a failure due to it becoming so bureaucratic that it couldn't get any work done, I feel that an history committee and maybe a few projects pertaining to the wiki would be good for the UC to accomplish more work. [Next]
BuildPilot: What is your opinion on "draining the swamp," or allowing different members to have leadership positions within the UC?
PtldKnight: I feel that we need to do some draining of the swamp. I feel a good starting point is trying to get yourself assigned to a committee and taking an active stance in it. A good example is ryanfriel, he has gone in a few months from joining the UC to being an active Associate Justice, but I do think now we need some Veteran UC Leaders to take the reins for a little bit. So my advice to new members, take an active stand, request camel to be assigned to a committee, or think of your own and propose it. The sky is the limit people and we can do what ever because, hey, it's just a game. [Next]
BuildPilot: What would your guiding principles be if elected? What would influence your decisions the most?
PtldKnight: If elected my guiding principle would be to think about the other guy, who would the other guy feel in your shoes, to look at all sides of an issue. I feel that as an officer I must make informed decisions as people look up to me. I am a Boy Scout and as an Officer I feel like I need to follow the Scout Motto. [Next]
BuildPilot: What message do you have for your opponents AyyLion and Aliksong?
PtldKnight: I feel like we all need to have a civilized campaign. I feel that all 3 of us need to show up for debates and for Aliksong I feel like he need to take an more active approach within the UC if he wins reelection. [Next]
BuildPIlot: What message do you have for the voters?
PtldKnight: I feel like my voters should take a deep look at this years field, vote with your gut, be informed, read the MRT News whoever it comes from if its credible, listen to the debates, and vote for the person who you think is the most qualified for the job. In this case I petition you to consider me for that spot. [Next]
BuildPilot: Do you have any concerns or anything else you wish to state before we head off for the night?
PtldKnight: I do not. Thank you for your time.
BuildPilot: Thank You. PtldKnight, candidate for Secretary of State of the United Cities. That's all for tonight.
jphgolf4321 - Candidate for President - One-On-One - 9/27/17
BuildPilot: Start by giving us some background on your campaign and your plans for the UC.
jphgolf4321: My campaign’s origins come from the state of the UC at the moment. Between the Court fiasco and the most recent GSM the UC was absolutely stagnant. Though leadership claims the General Assembly is responsible for this I feel like the officers should’ve done more to encourage people to take an active role in the organization. I did more a few weeks ago with my “hey does anyone have a project idea” to prod people than the officers have this term. Because of that inaction I’ve decided to throw my hat back into the ring to see if the people will give me the chance to right the ship of my brainchild. I would hate to see the UC die and I know a lot of other people would, too. My plan for the UC isn’t really to radically change any part of the constitution but rather to keep the projects coming so stagnation and complacency don’t set in and destroy what we all have worked so hard to create. [NEXT]
BuildPilot: Why should voters pick you over the other candidates?
jphgolf4321: People should pick me instead of the other candidates because of my experience in leading the UC previously. My leadership was crucial in getting the UC off to the explosive start it had and several crucial pieces of legislation were put in place during my term as President. While I appreciate people running on a “bold new look” campaign I simply do not think that the UC needs that sort of President right now. Right now we need someone with a steady hand who knows what they’re doing at the helm of this organization and I believe I am that someone. [Next]
BuildPilot: You have talked about keeping the flow of projects going and preventing stagnation in the UC, how do you plan to execute those plans?
jphgolf4321: My plan would be to keep a close eye on all our committees and keeping myself as up-to-date as I can with their plans. Having only two committees at the moment and being a sitting member of both of them will be helpful in this endeavor, but I'm hoping to create a few more in office. I'd like to see a Contracting Committee created to help members get some extra manpower on some random large projects like theaters, stadiums, or parks. I'd also like to consider creating an Air Travel Committee to help people design, construct, and fill their airports. I obviously don't have any real details on these things nailed down yet, but I hope to see at least one of those two committees created in my term. [Next]
BuildPilot: Gives us an in-depth look at how you think the UC became so stagnant and inactive.
jphgolf4321: I mean no disrespect toward him in saying this, but I feel like President camelfantasy has been less than energetic in his role as president. The only really notable things to happen during his term have been the AlikSong court case and the ensuing stagnation. Granted, the case might have drained some energy from the organization due to its length and all the other drama that went on during that time, but I feel like camel could have done more to keep people engaged than he did. The fact that as of now he has not declared his candidacy for a second term leads me to believe he might have grown tired of the presidency in the span of his term. In any case, I feel like I can boil down the cause of the stagnation to some combination of the leadership of camelfantasy and the AlikSong case.(edited) [NEXT]
BuildPilot: You have been known to criticize President camelfantasy. What other reasons besides his activity have caused you to do so?
jphgolf4321: To be honest that's the only real criticism I have. I have a ton of respect for him and the things he's built on the server. If it hadn't been for the League of Cities I might not have ever thought of creating the United Cities. I wanted to build this organization in a style similar to that of the League of Cities and based around the lessons the League of Cities taught us, and I was excited to see what he could do with another chance to lead such an organization when he first took office. [Next]
BuildPilot: In the other Officer races, who would you endorse and why?
jphgolf4321: As it stands now I endorse hvt2011 for Vice President, AyyLion for Secretary of State, mineman for Attorney General, and KittyCat11231 for Chief Justice. hvt I endorse because I like what he's done with the Transit Committee since he took over. AyyLion I endorse because he's easy to talk to and would be good in the Secretary of State role as a result. mineman I endorse because he's done a fine job as Vice President and I have no reason to believe he wouldn't do an equally fine job taking over for Kitty as Attorney General. I endorse Kitty because he created both the Law Department and the Court system and is the natural choice to lead the Court. [Next]
BuildPilot: What is your message for your opponents?
jphgolf4321: I have a ton of respect for both of my opponents. I think they're both trustworthy and dependable people as well. I think this will be a good race, and I hope that whoever is truly the best of us wins. [Next]
BuildPilot: What is your message to the voters?
jphgolf4321: All I really have to say is thank you for making this organization as great as it is. If it wasn't for you the United Cities would be nothing, and I'm eternally grateful for all you've done to make it better over the months it's been around. I hope I've earned both your votes and another chance to lead this organization.
BuildPilot: Last thing: Do you have any comments or concerns to state before we head off for the night?
jphgolf4321: Remember kids, stay in school and don't do drugs.
BuildPilot: That is all for tonight folks. jphgolf4321, candidate for President everybody. Thank you, and good night.
AyyLion - Candidate for Secretary of State - One-On-One - 9/28/17
BuildPilot: Start off by giving us some background on your campaign and your plans for the UC.
AyyLion: My campaign is all about restoring to the UC a level of activity and progress it once had. I launched it after seeing the exits of some UC members, which has been concerning to me, as I know the UC has the potential to do a lot of good that is being wasted as we fail to meet members' needs, causing them to leave. I plan to lead the UC in a positive direction: working directly with officers and members to complete research and use the findings to advise the President in creating a better UC that serves its members well. I also am available to arbitrate situations; we've seen some increasingly hostile arguments lately and I believe that making the UC a place of more respect will also do good in keeping up our reputation for good during this period of reform. (Next)
BuildPilot: What is your take on the events taking place right now, involving the sitting president, over whether the UC is a lost cause?
AyyLion: While I believe that this term has seen a downward trend in the good the UC has done overall, I definitely believe the UC has potential still, or else I would leave and not run. I'd like to show the potential by using it to start more committees, and make a connection with members of the UC to let them know their voices are heard. Specific to the situation, while I believe both President Camelfantasy and Member CaptainChimpy were in the wrong, I appreciate their dignity in handling it thus far, and I plan to support seeing the President through his term. (Next)
BuildPilot: What decisions would you make so that the UC could head into a more positive direction?
AyyLion: Personally, I'd like to start research through anonymous polling on how we could make the UC better for its members, which will give us information directly from the source of some members that potentially wouldn't share their opinions otherwise. After this initial polling, I will hopefully have enough data to advise the President and carry out my duties as an officer; however, I would support the creation of a Research & Development committee at that time to continue the work, whether I am a part of it or not. I also would like to see an increase of committees in general, with the next President keeping close watch over them to ensure their productivity and that they don't meet the fate of PnR. Some committees I'd support the creation of are a committee of the creation of personalized historical sites, as we've seen suggested by several members and candidates, as well as a committee on community outreach to make ourselves and our services known to members who have not joined yet. (Next)
BuildPilot: What is your opinion on what caused the PnR committee to go the way it did?
AyyLion: I believe the Parks committee bit off more than it could chew; all the organization in the committee had potential but in the end it slowed them down. I believe that members of committees should maybe try to organize the work between members, similarly to Parks, but allow room for flexibility unlike the concrete roles PnR had. (Next)
BuildPilot: What is your take on the current state of the UC?
AyyLion:I believe that currently, as I've stated before, the UC seems to be in a bit of a lull in progress, although some recent actions show promise in getting the UC back on track, particularly the jump start of roads and transit projects. I believe it's important we maintain projects almost all the time, and encourage members to ask for help in times with little to do, so we aren't sitting around and doing nothing then suddenly undertaking many projects at once. (Next)
BuildPilot: How would you use the role of Secretary of State, which has been called useless, to promote your agenda?
AyyLion: I believe that no officers should be waiting around for something to do. The Secretary of State has been traditionally a small role, or "useless" as you say; completing work to better the organization is thus easier as other officers have more role-specific tasks to complete. I also believe in perhaps a slight expansion of the Department of State; we should not have useless officer positions, and a potential remedy could be having the Secretary of State continue to collect Research and Development information, and expanding the State Department from "non-law problem solvers" to "betterment of the lives of members in the UC". Of course, I wouldn't advocate for this right away, as there is immediate work to be done, and promoting more roles for the SoS isn't as important right now as getting the UC back on track. (Next)
BuildPilot: During the arguments regarding whether voting was biased based on whoever proposed the resolution, specifically Resolution 126 proposed by Kastle and Resolution 39 proposed by VernCow, what stance did you take and does it differ from your stance now? If so, please elaborate.
AyyLion: Personally, I do not think voting was overall that biased; at the end of the day, both failed, and I think that indicates that members want committees with a use and not committees that seem useless, which in my opinion, a regional HQ committee is. Kastle's proposed committee did cover more, which could explain how it got closer to being passed. However, if players are involved in a situation similar to this, or even this situation themselves, I would encourage them to contact the Department of State and potentially Department of Law to investigate if they feel the need, depending on what evidence there is and how closely it ties in with law/opinion. (Next)
BuildPilot: Who would you endorse in the the other Officer races and why?
AyyLion: I am not going to make any official endorsements until registration closes, as we saw today a candidate who expressed intent to drop out of the race. However, if the election were to happen today, I would endorse jphgolf4321 (for being the obvious choice in getting the UC back on track), mineman (I believe that he will be an apt Attorney General based on what I have seen), and KittyCat11231 (the only, and also very natural, candidate for the office of Chief Justice). Unfortunately, I have seen very little from any of the Vice Presidential candidates, and I would encourage them to make their ideas known. (Next)
BuildPilot: What message do you have for your opponents?
AyyLion: I don't know if AlikSong plans to change anything from his last term, but I would strongly encourage him to, as it is apparent that we need officers to lead the change into a better UC. Ptld seems to be very enthusiastic about campaigning for the role, but I would like to see specific promises from him, as thus far I am only confident he supports the potential historical committee and an anonymous link to the State Department. (Next)
BuildPilot: What message do you have for the voters?
AyyLion: I hope they vote based on purely informed decisions; while I believe I am the best candidate for the role of Secretary of State, I encourage them to research Ptld and AlikSong as well, as there are positive elements found in all three of the campaigns. (Next)
BuildPilot: Do you have any last comments or statements to make before we head off?
AyyLion: I look forward to participating in a live debate with my competitors to give voters a live comparison of our ideas. Last election's presidential debate even, from MRT News Channel, was fairly poorly attended; I hope that members come out to these events this election.
BuildPilot: Thank you for your time this afternoon. AyyLion, candidate for Secretary of State, everyone. That's all for now. Stay tuned!
AyyLion: Thank you!
KittyCat11231 - Candidate for Chief Justice - One-On-One - 9/29/17
BuildPilot: Start off by giving us some background on your campaign and your plans for the UC.
KittyCat11231: Well I am running for Chief Justice, which is different from many of the other officer positions people are running for in the UC. Rather than being a role involving the leadership and policy of the organization as a whole, the job of the Chief Justice is to enforce the laws we have set up and provide a place for questions regarding these laws to be resolved. For this reason, a qualified Chief Justice should be someone who is experienced in law and capable of upholding the duties of the position as a Justice of the Court. I believe that I am the most qualified candidate to lead the Court, given my prior experience and legal background in the United Cities. I created the resolution which founded the United Cities Court and wrote the resolutions governing many of its procedures, so I am informed regarding the procedures of the Court and how the Court should be properly administered. In fact, I have advised prior Chief Justices on these procedures when actual cases came up. I have also served as both an Associate Justice and as the Attorney General, each for two terms, and have experience arguing cases before the United Cities Court as Attorney General, and I also presided over a case brought before the Court during my term as Associate Justice. I also believe it is the responsibility of the Chief Justice to nominate Associate Justices who are well qualified, and a mistake past Chief Justices have made after being elected is not properly screening their Associate Justice nominees. As Chief Justice, I intend to use a civil service examination to screen potential nominees for the Associate Justice position, and only nominate those who I deem to have met the bar of qualification with regards to proficiency in the law. I have already developed an examination which I have administered to potential employees of the Department of Law as Attorney General, and I have used the results of the exam to advise past Chief Justices regarding Associate Justice nominees. By doing this in my own term as Chief Justice, I intend to have a Court of qualified Justices which will certify public confidence in the legal system that our United Cities is founded upon.
BuildPilot: You are obviously quite experienced with the UC, what is your opinion on the current state of the organization?
KittyCat11231: It's gone somewhat stagnant lately. Mainly because people just aren't motivated enough to want to take part. I think this can in part be solved by a new President who can try to rally UC members behind new programs or activities, but those things aren't relevant to the position I'm running for.
BuildPilot: You believe a new President could help rally the UC, do you have faith in the current administration?
KittyCat11231: I have faith in the current administration's ability to carry out until the election. I personally wouldn't vote to re-elect the current President but that's just my political decision. I am running for Chief Justice, which is a much different thing than running for the Presidency, so I don't think my opinions on the President are relevant to my candidacy for Chief Justice.
BuildPilot: What are your thoughts on running unopposed?
KittyCat11231: I ran unopposed last time I ran for Attorney General. It's pretty much just a result of more people wanting to run for positions like President which are considered to be at a higher profile. But the point of the election is for voters to choose the best candidate who wants to be elected and registers as a candidate. If no other person registers to run for Chief Justice by the deadline, then that shows me that I am the only one willing to take the job and take it seriously, and if someone else registers to run against me, I welcome the competition. Whatever happens, so be it.
BuildPilot: In the other Officer races, who would you endorse and why?
KittyCat11231: Currently I endorse jphgolf4321 for President. He is an experienced candidate who knows how to run the position he is running for. As the founder of the UC, he was our first President, and built the entire system we operate on today. Seshpenguin has no experience in any officer position, and not much experience in the UC in general in committees or whatnot. He sorta just came out of nowhere, and I would want a higher standard for someone I am going to vote for to be President for three months. Jian_Zen has experience in the United Cities, but I believe jph outqualifies him in most regards. For Vice President I endorse hvt2011, because he is, in my view, the better candidate of the others he is running against. Hvt is a mature, well mannered individual, knowing him personally, and I believe he is a good enough candidate to serve as Vice President. MIKE24DUDE has little experience in the United Cities, and his maturity level is definitely lower than hvt's. dragonbloon419 is probably a peg above MIKE24DUDE, but I would still choose hvt over him. For Secretary of State I am not making an endorsement at this time. It is my view that Secretary of State is a rather inconsequential position, as other than the generic powers received by all officers by virtue of their status, the Secretary of State has little tangible powers. They are the official conflict arbiter of the United Cities, a position that is so rarely needed it is virtually obsolete. That being said, I would at least like to vote for some standard, and for that reason I will definitely not be voting for PtldKnight. Ptld does not meet any of the standards we should expect in an official conflict arbiter. He has a short attention span, is easily angered, and prematurely jumps to conclusions, which are qualities that should absolutely disqualify any person from serving as Secretary of State. Also, his advertisements are completely irrelevant to the position he is running for, including one about him bragging about his unrelated accomplishments on the Roads Committee. And in personal conversation, when I confronted him over this, he justified his campaign by pointing at the fact that AlikSong had been a worse Secretary of State than he would be, which makes me question how seriously he is taking the position he is running for. For these reasons, my first and second choice votes, assuming the current candidate list stands, will be AyyLion and AlikSong in some order. And for Attorney General, I currently endorse mineman, because mineman is someone who I trust and who has been active in the United Cities for quite some time. Regardless, I hope that more candidates decide to run for Attorney General, because I think the candidates could be better. Attorney General is a unique position requiring unique qualifications that, in my opinion, only a certain number of people meet. If _Kastle or Skelezomperman were to run for Attorney General, I would switch my endorsement to them, because I know they have significant knowledge of United Cities law and procedures necessary to hold the position.
BuildPilot: What message do you have for the voters?
KittyCat11231: Well as I've said, Chief Justice is a position which requires someone who is experienced enough in the law to preside over the Court and provide clear and correct judgements in legal cases. I would argue it is one of the most important races in any election. Without a qualified Chief Justice, the law cannot be effectively upheld. As a candidate with a long record of experience in United Cities law, I believe I am the most qualified person to lead the United Cities Court, and voters who want to uphold the value of our Court and our institutions should pick the most qualified person to be Chief Justice.
BuildPilot: Do you have any last comments or statements you would like to make before we head off for the night?
KittyCat11231: Remember to vote. Your voice counts in every election. By not voting, you are wasting your potential to help shape the future of the United Cities. There is no reason for any member of the United Cities not to vote.
BuildPilot: That's all we have time for tonight. Thank you KittyCat11231, candidate for Chief Justice.
KittyCat11231: Thank you.
BuildPilot: Thats all for tonight folks. Stay tuned tomorrow for more One-On-One interviews.