Dawn: Oh, well much like our neighbors in North Mammalia and their presidential office, Zootopia's Mayor and Assistant Mayor hold a four-year term minimum, at which point they can run for re-election provided it's not the end of their second term. This should tell you that the maximum term limit for both offices is eight years or two terms total. At the end of their term limit, generally, a Mayor goes on to endorse an up and coming candidate, which more often than not is their own Assistant Mayor although not always. It's also worth noting that the law for Mayoral term limits has a bit of a loophole in that it states an elected Mayor and Assistant Mayor can serve for 'no more than two consecutive terms', meaning that theoretically a candidate could run again and win provided there was at least a one term gap between his or hers previous time in office. Granted since the term limits were enacted in 1945, no one has ever tried to pull that maneuver... Probably more so due to the fact that even the most beloved politicians reputation would be quickly soured should they try it.
Vernon: I mean, most folks have a healthy distrust o' politicians to begin with. But one that's willin' to publicly exploit a loophole...well it wouldn't exactly build any confidence in me that such a fella was right fer that kinda job.
Dawn: And many of Zootopia's population share that sentiment. Had I not worked in the political field myself, I'd find myself wondering why that loophole has never been removed. But during my time as Assistant Mayor it...it was such a small thing, and I was far too focused on other pressing matters that I never got to addressing it myself. *Shakes head* And I imagine it's been the same for my predecessors.
Vernon: Well, I imagine even iffin' ya drafted somethin' about it, Lionheart probably wouldn't o' cared to read it.
Dawn: *Shrugs* More than likely. If it was a trifle to me compared to my workload, it would have been insignificant compared to his *Ahem* important business and networking appointments.
Vernon: I think that fella picked the wrong field considerin' the ego. Maybe actin' woulda been better fer him.
Dawn: As for the District Representatives, they also have a term limit, but it is double the length of the Mayor and Assistant Mayor position. While the election cycle is the same, with a new election being held every four years, you can hold a maximum of four terms, or sixteen years as a Representative or Assistant Representative.
Vernon: Well that explains why my Pa's friend Ruddy has held the position fer what's felt like ferever...though I imagine he's gotta be nearin' the tail end of his term limit by now.
Dawn: Well if he is, I think he's got a good replacement in Loupon, especially seeing how much he's grown since the...er...fair fiasco.
Vernon: I dunno, I'd say he's got a bit of an uphill battle bein' one of the first open crosser candidates runnin' fer the position. But who knows...?
Dawn: As for past Mayors and Assistant Mayors well...that's quite a long list to delve into for something like this. But I can give a general...um...idea of things. I've been out of the game for a while now, and my knowledge of every Mayor who has ever served is...less stellar than it used to be. I can tell you that five Bellwethers, myself included, have held political office. Archibald and Fergus Bellwether both held positions as District Representatives of the Meadowlands. Then there was Garret and my Grandfather Ash Bellwether, who both went from district reps, to Assistant mayors, and finally Mayor's themselves. I of course cut the line by going straight to an Assistant Mayoral Candidate. As for the Lionheart family, there were seven Lionheart's that held office, including Leodore. One of the most notable was Theodore Lionheart, who was Zootopia's Mayor for three consecutive terms, running from 1932 to 1944. He was so beloved he probably could have ran for a fourth and swept the competition easily, but instead, he proposed and pushed for the term limits law that would be passed a year after he voluntarily stepped out of the running.
Vernon: I remember readin' about that fella in school cause the quote about the term limit law stuck with me. He was like " I hold the deepest love fer my home city, and I know that its citizens hold great adoration fer me. Because of that, there's a part of me that would love nuthin' more that to continue to hold the office of Mayor fer as long as Zootopia would have me." Uh...*Vernon scratches his head* Oh, right..." But any mammal can become a dictator given enough time, even in the best o' circumstances. And so I propose these limits not just fer myself, but for the possible future despots in hiding that may take advantage of the cities goodwill to fulfill their own ends." *Clears throat* I ain't sure if that was the whole quote but...
Dawn: No, that was pretty close to spot on. He was afraid of a charming candidate with dark intentions taking advantage of the cities 'good will'. Zootopia was a democratic republic for a reason, and his...rather unique situation of being repeatedly elected made him fear for the cities future should something not be done to prevent that sort of thing from growing out of hoof again. It was a good call too, because his younger brother who would run four years after he left the office would prove to be the deceptive charmer he warned us about. Johnathan Lionheart was actually responsible for the terrible state of the mental care asylums that my grandfather Ash would eventually get caught in a scandal over. The mental health system still hasn't recovered from it.
Vernon: Iffin' yer wonderin' if any Düclaw Hunter descendants ever held an office in Zootopia, that'd be a no. Granted some wolves have held the position of Alpine Glade Representative but...I don't think a single wolf has ever been Mayor of the city. Don't think we got that same sorta...prestige that draws folks to follow under lions.
Dawn: Sadly this is true. In fact, the position of mayor in Zootopia, not counting the lineage of Lionhearts, has been largely populated by prey. Usually mammals with that same look of...prestige to them that Lionhearts exude...so cervids, bovines, equines, etc. Prey mammals that had a sort of...majestic quality to them. It made them easy to rally around. Of course, there were a few tigers and bears that would hold office, and the predator skew started to grow significantly within the last century. It's actually a lot more common to see predator and prey teams now than it was back then, sort of in the same way that preygressives and preditionalists run together, in the last twenty or so years almost ever Mayor and Assistant Mayor canidate was a pred and prey team. So...y'know. Lamb-steps.
No comments:
Post a Comment