Wren Dando
Wren Dando was a major political figure in the early 27th century. She was the fifteenth President of the Republic.
Early Life
Wren Sativa Dando was born in 2570 near Sandoval Falls on New Corinth to a middle class family. She was a curious child with a "kind soul" and was often seen nursing injured animals or helping her friends with their problems.
Wren was an excellent student at high school, scoring very high scores in literature, religious studies and social studies. She was involved in the high-school Valtinist program and regularly attended services at her local commune.
Wren was always interested in religion and converted to Valtinism when she was thirteen years old.
Wren met Alexander Corrigan whilst she was in the priesthood and the two were married in a Valtinist ceremony. They have an adopted daughter, Thela (B 2600).
College and the Priesthood
She attended William Kay College, where she graduated with a mixed syllabus which contains modules of social studies, philosophy, history, religious studies and other 'liberal art's classes. She was considered by all of her lecturers to be a "brilliant student" and possessed natural charisma and a powerful sense of empathy.
After college, she became a priestess in the Hassirite tradition of the Valtinist faith. She practiced on New Corinth, though she did spend two years at Arcadia City. She was one of the youngest priestess in the faith and seen as a major voice within the faith
Wren was known for her outspoken belief that "Valtinism must be a living faith, that can adapt with the times".
She gave a powerful sermon centered around "there are no stone tablets in our faith". She said that all teachings in Valtinism are subject to study, debate and change.
During her time in the priesthood she joined the Hassirite Faction and often quoted speeches from Dr Lidia Hassir.
She became a close friend Kenzie Shaw, one of the young Hassirite leaders who emerged in the early 27th century.. Shaw predicted that "if she hadn't gone into politics, Wren would be sat with me in the SAC."
Politics
She became increasingly involved in politics and formally joined Onyx . She generally was involved in politics on New Corinth and made speeches for the party there, as well as conducting outreach. Wren's politics put her on the left of Onyx, as she rejected the more socially conservative views of some the party's leaders.
She was formally recruited to the Onyx list in 2600 and she was seen as a major prospect, with superb media instincts, natural charisma and striking looks. She was elected to the list, placed #55.
Wren was formally elected in 2600 and, aged just 30 she became a member of the GA.
General Assembly
Wren Dando took her seat in the General Assembly in 2600 and, despite her lack of mainstream political experience, she quickly developed a reputation. She became famous for wearing her priestess robes to sessions of the GA and for her passionate speeches, her calm manner and her status as a key moderate within the Onyx bloc.
She was named to the GA's committee on Ethics & Standards, where she was a fairly quiet member of the committee.
In 2605 she transferred to the GA's committee on Education where she seemed much more comfortable and was often a vocal voice on the need to expand educational support across the Republic.
As 2609 came around, Wren's name began to be mentioned as a possible pick for the Onyx nomination, much to her surprise.
Due to the influence of the Valtinist religion and the Hassirite faction, she was seen as a compelling choice, buoyed by her superb press instincts and good looks.
Rep Dando did not campaign for the nomination but confirmed ahead of the Onyx convention in 2610 that if she was asked to serve, she would do so.
However, Rep Jose Canazarro was nominated and he asked Wren to be his running mate, which she agreed to.
2610 Election
The 2610 Republic Election saw Rep Dando play a key role, supporting her firebrand running mate. From the start, the Canazarro / Dando campaign was seen as the clear front-runner, often appearing to be somewhere between six and ten points clear of the SDP or RCP. The campaign kept a positive tone wherever possible and promoted its message of "positive change" and "fresh new ideas."
Rep Dando performed well in the VP debates, though they did not attract a particularly big audience.
Onyx won both ballots and Wren Dando was elected Vice President of the Republic in 2610.
Vice President
Wren Dando was sworn in as Vice President by Court of Appeals Justice Lucas Moss. She named longtime adviser Sutton Randle as her Chief of Staff.
The Canazarro government inherited a war that was not going well and was forced to spend much of their time dealing with it.
Vice President Dando was never part of President Canazarro's inner circle but she never broke ranks with him and he praised her as a "loyal foot-soldier".
In 2615, she replaced Sutton Randle as her Chief of Staff with Tighlman Crooke, considered one of the brightest minds within the party.
In 2619 Vice President Dando began outreach to party grandees and leaders, attempting to secure the nomination for President going into 2620.
Polling did not look good for Onyx who polled around 3-5% behind the presumptive nominee for the SDP, Senator Keegan James.
At the 2620 Convention, Vice President Dando seemed to have the nomination sewn up and she saw off a challenge from Senator Perseus Inkerman.
She chose Rep Owain Bendis, who was from the more conservative wing of the party to her. It was later confirmed that Senator Yardley Banks of Mars and former Foreign Secretary Sloane Kelligan were her preferred choices but that she had been persuaded that she needed a conservative on the ticket with her.
2620 Election
Vice President Dando began the 2620 campaign with significant work to do. Despite having a very full warchest, the SDP polled at around 3-4% ahead and Heart of Terra was generally tied with Onyx, threatening Onyx's spot in the 2nd ballot.
The merger between Social Democratic Party and Gurava bumped up the SDP lead to 8 or 9%, making them seem all but invulnerable.
As the campaign got underway, Vice President Dando generally concentrated on running a campaign that was positive, based around issues and experience.
Onyx entered into a joint list arrangement with Heart of Terra, despite Vice President Dando's concern about the "extreme nature" of some of HOT's positions.
Vice President Dando won significant praise for her campaigning skill, showing great charisma, grace and natural media instincts. She began to slowly cut the SDP's lead and after the arrest of Baron Gaius Corvo (HOT), Onyx and the SDP seemed certain to make it to the second ballot.
Vice President Dando performed strongly in the presidential debates, emerging as one of the stronger competitors, though some critics did focus on the "lack of substance" in some of her answers.
President Dando unveiled late in the campaign that her most ambitious plan was to create a "Federal healthcare system" which would address the short falls on the poorer worlds of the Republic which did not cater to the full health care needs of the people of the Republic. This idea, seen as very "liberal" took many political pundits by surprise.
As the 1st ballot drew nearer, the SDP and other left leaning party's began to target Onyx for the "changes to voter security laws" and there were suggestions that these would skew the election. Whilst the Vice President attempted to shrug these concerns off publicly, privately she was angry as they would put an asterix next to the 2620 result.
As the 1st ballot came up, Onyx had done remarkably well, cutting the SDP lead down to 1 or 2%. The Dando campaign qualified for the 2nd ballot, in a direct race with Senator Julianna Knotman (SDP).
As the 2nd ballot came up, SDP made a series of negative attacks against the Vice President and her campaign, suggesting that the result was now in question. The Vice President seethed behind the scenes but Onyx refused to go full tilt negative as the campaign came to its conclusion.
On election day, Vice President Dando won a fairly comfortable victory against Senator Julianna Knottman, who then gave a gracious speech, conceding the election.
Citizens of the Republic, friends, siblings.
Today you have shown your faith in me and my party. I am profoundly honoured and humbled by this opportunity and this challenge that you have placed at my feet. I promise you that I shall use every bit of energy, every spark of inspiration and every synapse to ensure that I deliver for you all.
Today is a victory for Onyx but it is also a victory for the entire Republic. We have seen a tough election, contested on divergent ideas as different as the people of Republic. Many of you will end this day with disappointment, as your preferred candidate did not win. This is part of the price we pay for our democratic system.
To those of you who did not vote for me, let me say that I intend to be a President for you as well. I have no wish to be an ideologue, I want to unite people, heal our Republic and make life better for all people, no matter who they voted for or what was in their hearts.
To our supporters and allies, I thank you to the bottom of my heart and to the brim of my soul. We have worked extremely hard to deliver a fair, robust and effective campaign and we have won the trust of the Republic to govern, we have a significant mandate. We must now attempt to deliver on it.
I have always placed my faith in the will and spirit of the Universe, whose blessed light looks on and guides us all. But I also have faith in democracy and the common decency and strength of heart of the people of the Republic. Our citizens are Terrans and Indirians, Chohan and Jaradino, artificial and biological. We are a scrap book of thoughts and the universe experiences itself through our works.
You have put your trust in me to make my work to guide this great ship of state on for the next ten years. I promise I will not rest until I have made a difference in all of your lives.
May the light of the universe guide you all"
Victory speech for Wren Dando, 2620.
President of the Republic
Vice President Wren Dando was sworn in as President of the Republic on 1st of June 2620 by Associate Justice Alison Hicks. She named her VP's office Chief of staff, Everett Train, as her Chief of Staff in her role as President.
Onyx had a joint list with Heart of Terra and as per agreement, they were offered the role of Secretary of Defence as well as two other "lesser "ministries including the newly created Ministry for Culture.
Everett Train, Shelly Hale and Lewis Fox led the talks as Onyx also brought the RCP into the cabinet, offering them the brief of Secretary of Intelligence.
There were brief talks around bringing the recently formed Imperial Party into the coalition but these were rejected as neither side could find an agreement on what would bind them together.
Senior Staff
- Chief of Staff - Everett Train (ONX)
- Deputy Chief of Staff - Myranda Neuvarth (ONX)
- Senior Counsel - Jaime Gebir (ONX)
- Communications Director - Surimann (ONX)
- Deputy Communications Director - Janice Deveraux (ONX)
- Press Secretary - Rene Yang (ONX)
- National Security Adviser - Admiral Hadley Speck (IND)
- Legal Counsel - Natalie Hako-Sayles (IND)
1st Dando Cabinet
- Vice President - Owain Bendis (ONX)
- Attorney General -Sharpur Visantti (ONX)
- Secretary of Defence - Watson Beals (HOT)
- Foreign Secretary -Camilla Navarro (ONX)
- Treasury Secretary - Hypatia Sondeheim (ONX)
- Interior Secretary - Sloane Kelligan (ONX)
- Intelligence Secretary - Hyle Debicki (RCP)
- Trade & Transport Secretary -Marius Corvo (HOT)
- Education & Skills Secretary - Solomon de Beissis (IND)
- Culture Secretary - Tavon Lockyear (HOT)
Everett Train, as Chief of Staff, also was considered a part of the President's cabinet.
The 1st Dando cabinet proved to be a very effective group, working hard and with no significant leaks.
The New Berlin Crisis
In early 2620 there were protests and strikes on New Berlin regarding doubts around the legality of the election of Governor Madolyn Weston (IND).
The federal government initially had stayed out of it, regarding it as a local matter. However, after major strikes and violence, Attorney General Sharpur Visantti (ONX) was forced to intervene, deploying first a Federal prosecutor and then eventually, appointing Elie Posternn as a special prosecutor.
The New Berlin affair caused deadlock in the General Assembly (see below) and a confrontational atmosphere between the government and the opposition.
Strike Actions and Deadlock
The crisis on New Berlin appeared to sprawl, as KA and then VPP and the SDP joined in calling for action, such as strikes and then later on filibusters against the Onyx budget.
There was an attempt to break the deadlock through a call for a select committee hearing but this was defeated by a vote in the General Assembly.
The Budget Filibuster
The opposition party's, largely led by KA, took the unprecedented step to block the calling of a vote in the General Assembly for the budget with a filibuster.
This process went on for weeks, causing deadlock in the GA and preventing the budget from passing, resulting in a continuing resolution and threatening the entire work of the 2620 government.
In the end, Onyx were forced to take the equally unprecedented step to call for a cloture motion to force a vote through.
Dealing with Corruption
President Dando put a focus on dealing with political and corporate corruption. Attorney General Visantti was instructed to "focus all efforts on cracking down on offenders and ensuring arrests."
Former Intelligence Secretary Derrien Lewis (HOT) was the most high profile casualty, being sentenced to two years for "mishandling documents".
Several other former Canazarro appointees were also convicted, including one DoD analyst who had made millions from insider trading.
Terrorist Attacks
There were several terrorist attacks during the 2620-2625 period, with Burning Path particularly active.
Cydonia Attack
There was a major terrorist attack in Cydonia City against Sarissa Arms HQ, which killed 200 people and left over a thousand wounded.
Martian Marines and police launched a raid which destroyed several Burning Path cells in Olympic City
Gaia
Burning Path launched an attack on the Marine Corps base on Gaia at Fort Nebraska. The attack was driven back by the marines without significant loss.
Nova Terra - Operation Winter Belle
To prevent the ongoing violence on Nova Terra between Burning Path and the Technocratic militia, President Dando agreed to send a marine corps force to Nova Terra as a part of Operation Winter Belle.
Governor Falks (HOT) agreed to the deployment but insisted that any marine actions "not concentrate soley against Burning Path.
The Marines were deployed for three years, suffering ten dead and over one hundred casualties but the operation was considered to be a significant success.
Foreign Policy - Creating A Customs Union
Foreign Secretary Camilla Navarro (ONX) spent much of her time setting up trade deals with the Karkouri Regime, the Rorn Republic and the Mor-Du Republic.
She also began talks to set up a Custom's Union between the Terrans and the other local powers.
Visit to the Tazzyn Empire
President Dando visited the Tazzyn Empire, meeting with the Emperor and his court and "paying homage" to the Emperor.
This move was seen as vital, as it helped to communicate the Terran Republic remains in the Tazzyn orbit
Budget Talks
The 2620-2624 budget was considered by most to be a "fairly liberal" budget, with a reduction in military spending and an increase to social spending.
There was an additional fourteen billion adjusted dollars in borrowing, which was strongly criticized by KA and even by some on the right.
The budget, once it got to a vote after the filibuster, was passed after repeated delays which had a knock on effect to market confidence.
Recession
In early 2024, the Republic's economy began to shrink. The initial fall in value within the NASDEQ was around 1% but the economy did not bounce back, falling more than 5% in value over nine months.
More than one hundred billion adjusted dollars of value was wiped off the value of the NASDEQ and approximately 12-15 million jobs were lost as corporations cut jobs, closed down facilities and small corporations closed for good.
The Republic's economy officially went into recession in April of 2625. Treasury Secretary Hypattia Sondeheim (ONX) resigned from office, claiming responsibility for the failure.
President Dando had attempted to persuade the Treasury Secretary to remain in post but respected her decision.
Mid-Term Reshuffle
In May of 2625, the Dando cabinet began its expected reshuffle.
Senior Staff
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