Polaris City Council

The Polaris City Council is a the governing body of Polaris City, New Westshield. The council comprises of fifty-nine elected councillors, selected from fifty-nine single member constituencies through a single transferable vote.

The Polaris City Council is led by Mayor Olivia Barrett Price, who assumed office in 2011.

City Commission (1882-1913)
Prior to 1913, the entirety of Polaris was governed by the Polaris City Commission, which was created 1882 by the original founder of the city itself. The commission comprised of 10 elected members, who shared equal power. Every 4 years, the commission elects a Mayor, who possesses power above that of the others. The city commission was headquartered at the Connery Square Hall, built in 1879, and stood at 402 ft.

The Commission would rule from the founding of the city to the Khanzenian occupations. It was wrought with corruption, scandals, and fraud. The citizenry (about three thousand in the 1880s and about fifteen thousand by Khanzem) wanted change.

Naughtzee Polaris (1913-1942)

 * See also: Kingfish1928

When Khanzem toppled the High Penguin Confederacy in 1913, Polaris was immediately targeted by Whoot for domination. It was not because the city was large or notable, but rather, because it was in such a magnificently strategic place for war.

The Khanzem Reich blasted through Polaris in 1915. The city did not put up a fight, simply because they did not care. After the surrendered, Whoot looked for a loyal Naugtzee to lead the new "Penguins' Realm of the Polar Islands", a puppet state dominated entirely by Khanzem.

Kingfish was a rapid consolidator of power, and, as was Whoot's beliefs, assumed complete and absolute authority over the city. The Khanzem Reich...

Liberal Revolution (1942-1944)
Up until 1942, Polaris was a very conservative city, which led to city-wide bans on Cream Soda. In 1945, the so-called Liberal Revolution took place. The government of Polaris, ruled by Kingfish was heavily criticized by many aristocrats, businessmen, and many other Polarians. Following a law which put all private possessions and properties within the city under government hands. Many property owners were angered over this, and formed the Polarian Democratic Party, which exists today. About 70% of Polaris' population took to the streets at the Kingfish Complex, demanding change in the government. Riot police were brought in to assist the government, but were no use. When the conservative government workers and Kingfish fled the city via air, the Kingfish Complex was stormed, and a new, liberal government installed.

This then prompted a municipal election, in which the first Democratic Party members were elected. At that time, the city's governance system remained the same, though old officials were forced out. By 1951, Polaris went from Antarctica's second most Conservative city, to its most Liberal one. The mayor imposed very liberal policies on his citizens as well.

Reform of Polarian Government (1945-2011)
Beginning in 1944, the Polaris City Council was divided into two houses--the Municipal Assembly and Executive Board. The purpose of these boards was initially to ensure that the perspectives of experts and stakeholders could be thoroughly consulted. The Municipal Assembly was initially the only elected branch, with fourteen single-member constituencies. Until 1966, the Executive Board was selected through an independent panel, appointing university professors, public servants and business leaders to the Board. Intervention from the Water Kingdom government rescinded the independent panel, and put in place elections.

The reform of Polarian municipal government led to the emergence of municipal political parties such as the Democratic Party and Polar Alliance. As the influence of the Democratic Party grew, having consistently won majorities in the Municipal Assembly and the mayoral races, the centre-right Polar Alliance began to dwindle in support, eventually folding in 1977.

By 1981, the municipal government began to face allegations of overstepping their municipal responsibilities with the enactment of the first Polaris Health Act, which provided universal health care to all Polarian citizens. The Water Kingdom government threatened to revoke the authority of the council until the act is repealed. However, intervention from a court curtailed the Royal government's efforts to stop the city of Polaris from implement the Polaris Health Act. This perceived overreach further manifested in the proposed construction of a tunnel road beneath the Hutt River, which also saw the municipal government being taken to court by the Eastshield state government in 2003.

Polarian Independence and Municipal Reforms (2011)
The Council stood in stalwart support of the creation of a Polarian state, as affirmed by at least eighteen resolutions that were passed in support of an independent Polaris. Several councillors played instrumental roles in negotiations with the South Pole Council of the Polaris SAD Amendment. With sucessful negotiations, and an outpour of public support for an independent Polaris, the incoming Polarian federal government prepared to address the flight of Councillors and Executive Board members to the newly-formed federal and state governments.

The Jackson Point Plan, as it is colloquially referred to as a result of many of the provisions of the plan being hammered out in an obscure hotel in Jackson Point, Polaris City, outlined the creation of statewide Departments of Municipal Affairs, which governed relationships and transfer payments between the provincial and municipal levels with government. The Jackson Point Plan also included provisions that severely limited the powers of cities, which also included a reduction in the size of the Polaris City Council and municipal government.

The Jackson Point Plan would eventually culminate in the elimination of bicameralism, partisanship, and the introduction of new ward boundaries for the Polaris City Council, among other changes.

Council
The Council is the sole governing body of the City of Polaris, following the implementation of the consolidation measures of the Jackson Point Plan by the New Westshield state government in 2012. The Council is comprised of 59 members, elected from 59 wards. The Mayor and Deputy Mayor both sit as members of Council. The Speaker of the Council is elected by councillors at the beginning of each term. The current Speaker is Derek C. Meade.

Meetings and hearings for Council are held at least three times per day.The first session lasts from 9:30 to 11:30 AM, the second is from 2:30 to 3:30 PM. The third, lasts from 4:30 to 6:00 PM. During each session, debates take place, and bills are introduced and voted on. Meetings and hearings are broadcasted on P-GOV, a city-owned joint-venture government channel, that televises all the debates of the MA. The Assembly also has a reputation for having at least 95% of the Representatives at each of the sessions. Representatives have set vacation dates, which are December 15th to January 7th, March 12th to March 18th, June 29 to July 15th and finally, September 1st to September 7th each year.

Committees
The Council has a number of committees that seek to address pressing issues facing the city and its residents. Each committee is comprised of nine members, with a chair and ranking member. Committees within Council include:


 * Education
 * Health & Sanitation
 * Government Services, Labour & Procurement
 * Tourism & Business
 * Budget & Internal Appropriations
 * Parks & Environment
 * Urban Planning
 * Transportation and Infrastructure
 * Utilities'
 * Community Development & Poverty Alleviation

Comparison to Mattress Village
The city government of Mattress Village is the Mattress Village Board of Censors.

Polaris and the MVBC are usually used as polarized examples of city governments: total opposites. Political science teachers use the so-called "Unopolarist system" to explain the diversity of municipal governance.


 * Polaris prefers proportional representation- one member per so many citizens and districts divided equally -and the MVBC is districted by land. Due to this, Polaris seats are competitive, while Mattress seats haven't changed since 1951, and the Unoians draw their districts to force that.
 * Polarian politicians believe that proportional representation allows for competive democracy and prevents the existance of "safe seats". Every Polarian councilman worries for their job and performs better. It also allows for every last vote to count, encouraing involvement and activism.
 * Unoians counter that drawing rigid districts to favor incumbents is the right of the government, and that the people can take iniative and vote if they want. It isn't the government's place to encourage voter turnout.


 * Polaris councilmen have short term limits, while Unoian term limits are eighty five years, effectively being for life.
 * The Unoians argue that the councilmen dont need to be ousted unless the people want it. Polarians believe that strict term limits ensure a fresh cycle of ideas and keeps the city alive. They criticize Mattress Village's government because it never changes unless someone dies.
 * Unoians recoil by saying that it enables them to rule without having to campaign and buttkiss lobbyists to get re-elected, and it costs less. The Polarians counter that it makes Unonian politics undemocratic.


 * Polaris permits deficit spending- the government can spend more than it takes in -while the Unoian rulers must not incur debt, ever.
 * This has rendered Mattress Village's government penniless and weak. They can't spend a dime over their taxation. This means that if they can't afford it, they can't do it. Some things, like police, need to be run into the red. Mattress Village has to hire vigilantes and use deputization to enforce their laws. Mattress Village has a smuggling problem: without a proffesional police force, villains have little trouble sneaking past the volunteers and vigilantes. Sure, most of them get caught, eventually, but the damage has already been sold.
 * Polaris has lower crime and, obviously, has a full police force intact. However, they have a huge government debt that they can't pay back. The lonely conservative keeps telling them that if they don't balance their budget, they could fail to pay their dues.
 * Mattress Village's current city budget is 500,000 pebbles, and it can never go over.


 * Mattress Village's city council is executive AND legislative. They make and enforce their laws. Only the judiciary is independent, but their judge is practically in their pocket because he is Unoian himself. The Mayor is a ceremonial position that can't do anything except cast a tiebreaking vote. He isn't even an executive. The real power is in the MVBC. They maintain an antiquated form of government called the city commission system. This means that voters elect legislators that are as equal joint/co-mayors, and they all wield the power. There is no leader.
 * Polaris maintains a heavy seperation of powers. Their Mayor is a seperate entity: he is a strong officer with real political power. Their executive branch and their legislative branch are very defined, and neither can do each other's job.
 * It is interesting to note that Mattress Village's system was used in Polaris for decades, until corruption forced a change.


 * Polaris' penal codes are almost the same as the rest of the state and nation. There are few special city laws or ordinances, allowing the city police to assist the rest of the police in stopping crime. It keeps crime low.
 * Mattress Village, meanwhile, has whole books and even entire schools of thought dedicated explicitly to their way of governing. Mattress Village has hundreds of city ordinances, statutes, laws, and rules that are enforced only by the city. No other government has these laws. Coupled with their lack of funds for a police force, most of these laws are enforced only because the population is homogenous. If Mattress Village was diverse, the city would be pretty much ungoverned!
 * Most famously, anything that isn't milk, tea, coffee, or water is banned in the city limits. Again, their balanced budget outlaws deficit spending on real police, so smuggling is stopped only by Mattress Village's deputized Cream Soda Destruction League (CSDL) and the volunteers that enforce everything else.
 * Interestingly, Polaris had a less strict version of this prohibtion until 1952.


 * In tune with their lack of police, Mattress Village's government makes constant use of Posse comitatus. This means that certain citizens are authorized by the MVBC to act as police in times of need. The Cream Soda Destruction League (CSDL) is a legalized vigilante alliance that enforces the city's prohibition by explosives. They were actually created as part of the city government.
 * Nothing of this sort exists in Polaris.


 * The MVBC is also unique in that its purpose isn't to govern, it's to censor, hence the name. The Mattress Village Board of Censors was originally chartered to enforce morality, and nothing else, fifty years before Club Penguin did the same. However, it was quickly realized that the MVBC had to be a legislature. The charter was amendeded only five months after it was written to allow this. The CSDL was created to complement this new role.


 * The Mattress Village Board of Censors is a unicameral body. This means there is one house in the legislature.
 * Polaris' City Council is bicameral, with two houses.


 * In Mattress Village, censors are forbidden to take, join, or form political parties, nor are parties allowed to influence elections. They are grouped and defined by their platform.
 * Polarian council penguins are allowed to align and participate in all aspects of partisanship. This actually makes them unique for a change, because most city governments, Mattress Village included, ban partisanship.


 * Including the Mayor and TurtleShroom, there are forty three Censors. This does not count the memebers of the Cream Soda Destruction League.
 * There are fifty nine Council penguins in the lower chamber of the Polaris City Council. This does not factor in the Executive Board or the bicameral system.


 * Mattress Village makes extensive use of referenda. Lacking any mayor or executive body except itself, all laws passed by the council are voted upon by the citizenry. This actually prevents most laws from passing, because the citizenry are about as stubborn as the Board. Since the Board rarely passes anything new, and since the citizenry would vote against it, Mattress Village law hasn't actually been edited extensively since 1980.
 * Polaris' lawmaking is far more concentrated. Unlike Mattres Village, laws are passed in the seats of power on the people. Referenda are used every now and then, but most laws are just made and sent into foce.
 * This is one of the few times that Mattress Village is more democratic than Polaris.


 * Mattress Village has not edited its city charter or governing structure since five months after it was created (in 1951).
 * Polaris ahs edited itself many times, most recently in the early 1990s.