The Vintet and The Council of Alderman
The Vintet, or the 21st member of the Council of Alderman in Ahyani. (S)He is enumerated as the last since he is the one that votes and speaks last in all proceedings. However, (s)he sits at the head of the table and is the presiding member so he could also be considered the first. This is the only position that isn't filled by an election of the general population. Instead, when the Council meets for their first time, usually when the ice begins to break up in the harbor, they discuss a citizen to take the role. Usually someone of great importance in the community, someone that has been shown to make good decisions and is even handed.
On occasion someone inept has been appointed by corrupt councils, only to be removed by the monarchy after a public outcry. So the king or queen has final say in extreme circumstances as does the population. But only when there is obvious corruption involved. This has happened a total of three times in the history of the Council so it is very, very rare.
The Vintet is responsible for communicating with the monarch and is expected to dine at the castle at least once a month. In the past the Vintet position has been filled by both men and women with men being Vintet slightly over two thirds of the time.
The current Vintet is female, Asi Rhaiku. She has been Vintet a total of eight times in the last 15 years. The Vintet must not profit from their time in the position and is expected to contribute substantially to charitable houses, be it a portion of the family catch or time.
While the Council of Alderman is not a paid position it is not unheard of for members of the community to rally and make sure that their businesses do not falter during their time serving. This is especially true of the Vintet, whose position is revered by the people. Other fishermen have been known to help bring in the catch and even donate a portion of their catch if it is a particularly busy year for the Council.
The Council is responsibly for :
Establishing policies and programs for the effective delivery of services
Approving the annual financial plan and budget using the monies decreed by the monarch as being available for community projects
Providing all ordinances, rules, and regulations for the welfare of the people
They need to keep the monarch updated on these at all times as the monarch is needed to sign off on all aspects. Depending on the monarch, this could be a long process or a simple one depending on how involved the monarch is. For example King Srevres wanted almost nothing to do with the day to day running of the government, so intent was he on his horse breeding program and hunting in the mountains. It was not unheard of for the Vintet to dine alone at the monthly castle dinner during that period.
Type
Geopolitical, City council
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