The Final 14

Last year I didn’t feel I was in a position to give any endorsements even though I was arguably in the best position to. Despite having interviewed almost 90% of the candidates, it was more important that the sanctity of the Election Interview project was maintained. This year, I have no such restraints so I am very pleased to present to you the 14 individuals I believe should be on your ballot and the order they should appear there.

• Xander Phoena – I have demonstrated a strong work ethic, a great ability to communicate with the player base and a passionate love of Eve Online. On top of this I constantly and constantly create content for players both in and out of client. I am devoted to this game and I would be a devoted member of CSM9. I hope you consider placing me #1 on your ballot.

• Ali Aras – The CSM8 incumbents all appear on my ballot this year because I think they have had a fantastic year. And for me, Ali was one of the standout members of CSM9, consistently communicating with the player base and putting the hours in needed to be an effective member. Her work on the Minutes was needed and vital. I sincerely hope I am able to work with her on CSM9.

• Mangala Solaris – When I am trying to decide who to add to my slate and what order to put them in, the questions I ask myself are, were they on CSM8, are they are a hard worker, do they care about Eve and do they demonstrate this both in being a CSM member and in the wider context of the game? Mangala Solaris ticks every single box. He has worked incredibly hard this term and continues to support the community at large via RvB, Ganked and his writing here on CZ. 

• Mike Azariah – Mike is one of the nicest guys in Eve. Whenever I have engaged with him over the past year, I’ve enjoyed our conversations, his willingness to listen to all sides then cone to a reasoned conclusion. He is the very definition of ‘good people’ and his angle on Eve – life in high sec – demands representation. After his work on CSM8, he is an easy include on my ballot.

• Mynnna – I wasn’t that impressed when I interviewed Mynnna as part of the Election Interviews last year. Since then, he has proven me completely wrong. The level of knowledge Mynnna brings to the CSM process is astounding. I have disagreed with him on different issues over the past 12 months but his vision and perspective will be vital to the success of CSM9. Don’t leave Mynnna off your ballot because he is a Goon – make sure he is on your ballot because he cares about the success of Eve Online as a game. 

• ProGodLegend – I heard middling reports about PGL in the first few months of CSM8. On speaking to him in the past few months and his comrades, especially Ali Aras, I now know he was a hard worker who brought a unique perspective to the CSM in the past year. His work with Team Five 0 in ship rebalancing was vital and highly regarded by both CSM and CCP. As someone who intrinsically understands PvP and nullsec, he will be sorely needed in the next 12 months I suspect.

• Jayne Fillon – Remember my earlier criteria about someone who is easy to speak with, works well with others, knows the mechanics of Eve and works hard to provide content for the community? Yep, Jayne ticks all those boxes with his work as the head of Bomber’s Bar and Spectre Fleet. His passion for the community shines whenever I talk to him and I know he will work incredibly hard if elected.

• DNSBlack – A lot of you may feel you know DNS from appearances on alliance panels over the past couple of years. Some of you may feel you have a good idea of what he is about as a candidate after his Somer stunt last year. You’d be wrong. DNSBlack is the kind of person who will tackle CCP head-on at every necessary opportunity with the goal of making Eve a better, more fun place. With the access to CCP being a CSM member grants, I know he is the man I want alongside me when to both work with CCP and keep them in check if the need arises.

• Steve Ronuken – There are lots of people such as I who have a great idea of what we want from CREST and what it could do for Eve and third party developers. There aren’t a lot of players who understand the intricacies of that process, the work required to make CREST work and what it can actually achieve. Steve is that man. I spent sometime with him at Fanfest last year and his depth of knowledge on CREST and third party development is astounding. Oh and he has forgotten more about industry than most players will ever know. That he is a Scotsman is purely a side bonus 😉

• Sion Kumitomo – I was aware of Sion before this election campaign in his role as the Chief of Staff of GSF. I was aware of the huge amount of work he puts into running the behemoth that is Goonswarm. You don’t get to that level of the metagame without having a deep knowledge of how Eve works and the problems therein. Sion has proven his knowledge and his ability to communicate it effectively during this election campaign speaking eloquently in interviews and in his candidacy thread. He will bring a much needed perspective and breadth of experience to CSM9.

• Psychotic Monk – Ganking is a part of Eve. It should be supported and represented as a gameplay style. James315 didn’t have the courage of his convictions to see through his candidacy last year. Monk is like J315 without the god delusion and with solid, reasonably goals and ideas. He may not represent me or my play-style but what he does represent is a vital part of the Eve ecosystem and I hope he is elected next month.

• Major JSilva – I had interacted with Silva minimally here and there before he announced his candidacy, mainly on twitter and in the Tweetfleet channel in-game. It turns out that when it comes to 0.0 and the issues currently there with sov, power projection and tidi, we think in very similar ways. In panels and interviews he has shone and I believe with the work needed in 0.0, he will be a vital addition to the process.

• Sugar Kyle – CSM8 did a fantastic job in my opinion but it sorely lacked lowsec representation. I met Sugar at Fanfest last year and was immediately impressed by her quiet confidence and passion about lowsec. Her knowledge of the area is exemplary and her blog shows someone who is willing to share that knowledge as well as engage the community. Sugar brings a much needed voice and clear, focussed mind to CSM9 and I hope I have the opportunity to work with her.

• James Arget – I dithered on putting James on here. Chitsa would have been a lock for my ballot had he been restanding but from what I understand, James did his fair share over the tenure albeit in a quieter manner. Both Ripard and Trebor have endorsed James confirming that he worked hard and represented his constituency with hard work and initiative. 

And that completes my ballot for the 9th Council of Stellar Management. As I have stated elsewhere I urge you all to take the opportunity presented to you to vote in this election to make the Council as strong and as representative as possible. I’ll add here that if you want to see me elected, please consider putting me as #1 on as many of your ballots as possible. If enough people don’t vote me in at #1, I won’t be elected in an STV system, it’s as simple as that. I hope I have done enough in the past year or so to be worthy of your vote and if elected, I can assure you I will continue to work as hard for the community as I always have.

Fly safe,

Xander