EXPOSÉ: The Nightwatch (ft. Ezra)

[Liander]

Founded in 2003, the Nightwatch is one of the oldest organizations that still remains active in the city of Ravenblack. Established as a police force for a now defunct court system, the original goal of the organization was to protect the innocent bystanders of war and enforce laws agreed upon by the clans at the time. In 2008 their mission statement changed, and they began referring to themselves as the “guardians” of the city. Historically, they have provided a number of services, including the transit guards who will provide coin or easy robs for those stranded at the subway system, the upkeep of the Graveyard, powering assistance to fledglings, and more. The Nightwatch has expressed over the years a desire to offer themselves as mediators, their halls acting as neutral ground, and wish only to serve the public.

smitsmit, fourth commander of the Nightwatch, stepped down two years ago, leaving Solanea as acting Commander. Since his retirement, the Nightwatch has been more of a well intentioned idea rather than an actual organization. Their halls dusty with disuse, many wondered if the name would fade to obscurity, remembered only by students of our city’s history. This year, Aida and smitsmit - both longstanding members of the Nightwatch - began to revitalize the name, swearing to honor its legacy and forge a bold, new path going forward. Months ago, one of our reporters interviewed Aida (then St. John), though was asked to withhold publication until such a time as they had sorted their internal affairs and were ready to announce themselves to the public.

As Acting Commander, Solanea had all the authority of the Commander, but her position had not been confirmed by the governing body of the Nightwatch. On March 10, 2018, an election was called by Aida, acting Captain (aka 2iC), to officially name the new Commander. Those allowed to vote in this election were members of the Civilian Legislative Authority.

The Civilian Legislative Authority (CLA) is the governing body of the Nightwatch, formed by the Ambassadors, who are designated representatives from various groups, and the Senators, who can be any citizen who wishes to have a say in the matter, regardless of lineage or clan. The Commander is the leading official of the actual Nightwatch, with their Captains serving as second-in-command of sorts and assisting however they can.

Chancellors are historically the head of the CLA, retaining the power to veto any new CLA candidates, moderate CLA discussions, and a special power to ‘make a bench warrant if emergency attacking (by the Nightwatch) is required.’ When asked who the current Chancellors were, Aida provided the following statement:

There isn't just one. We had three. Currently, none are active.

The election was held to determine who the new Commander would be, with only two options: Aida or Solanea. Of those eligible to influence the outcome, only twelve individuals turned up to vote. While representatives of the Nightwatch themselves declined to provide us with the list of Ambassadors and Senators eligible to vote, let alone a list of who voted for whom, we do know that a tie occurred. Six votes were cast for each candidate, and the election has been rife with controversy from the word go.

It should be noted that a full roster of CLA members is not publicly available, save for two applications visible in their headquarters from Phoenixxe and twistedsister, dated 2014 and 2017, respectively. The known roster of the CLA at the time of the election was as follows:

• Acer - Ambassador for Kygnosti
  Ada - Ambassador for Clan Gero Claw
  Damson - Senator
  Driretlanish - Ambassador for Ailios
  Kaleb - Ambassador for Halls of Astarte
  KIIA - Ambassador for D’dary
  Laurentius - Ambassador for der Toten
  Liski - Ambassador for Ferrymen
  nitenurse - Ambassador for Republic of Ravenblack
  smitsmit - Senator
  ThiaRaven - Senator
  twistedsister - Ambassador for Clan Capadocious
  Vamp_Melissa - Ambassador for Halls of Astarte

Thirteen names and twelve votes. But things are hardly ever that simple. A number of issues arose during the voting period, ones which the Nightwatch seems hesitant to discuss. Attempts to contact representatives, including Aida and Solanea, were met with refusals to comment at the time of publishing. We were able to speak with smitsmit, former Commander of the Nightwatch and a current Senator for the CLA, who provided what clarification he could.

The first, and most pressing issue, was brought about by Driretlanish, the Ailios Ambassador.

Re: Commander Proposal
Post by Driretlanish on Sat Mar 17 2018, 15:33

I just realized that my ballot was misread. My apologies, but my vote was intended for Aida.

The vote began on March 10 at 20:05, with a notification that it would close seven days later. While Driretlanish attempted to rectify this erroneous vote on the final day of voting, the CLA ruled that his vote would be counted as cast, regardless of intention. When questioned, smitsmit had the following to say:

Since in the human world, once a ballot is placed in the box, right or wrong, that cannot be undone. That ambassador was informed that their vote could unfortunately not be changed, and would hold as it was cast.

The second issue came about after voting closed, whereby the vote of Acer Kygnosti was discarded. Integrity of the election was of paramount importance to the Nightwatch, and thus Acer’s vote (cast in Aida’s favor) was excluded from the final tally. Why? With Acer being Aida’s former sire, his arrival at their headquarters after the vote was called was deemed suspect. Claims of campaigning for Aida quickly followed, calling into question the integrity of the votes in her favor. Despite these claims, Kaleb, one of two ambassadors to the Halls of Astarte (not including Solanea herself) was found publicly campaigning on March 11, 2018 in Soledad’s Cavern of Shadows for Nightwatch affiliates to vote for his sire, Solanea. Curiously, her votes were not called into question. Behind closed doors, the members of the CLA that cast their ballots decided which votes were valid and which were not, leaving anyone watching from the public view lost as to how the final decision was made.

Those issues, however, are the tip of the iceberg. The CLA is meant to hold representatives from all corners of the city, and yet the Nightwatch’s acting Commander and representatives alike have failed to reach out to new and forming groups over the past two years. Many of those groups would have been happy to provide ambassadors had they been requested. Groups such as Caedis, Cartigan, de Boullion, de Draak, din Kolesi, House of Silence, Raskoph, Sonvar, Sykonra, and The Void, just to name a few, have not been asked to provide ambassadors at all, while others were asked years ago and never again (such as St. John and Agrippa). Ab Antiquo also offered to provide Inu Ailios as an ambassador months ago when talks of reformation began, but were not privy to the election happening until after the fact. On the eve of the selection of a new Commander whose purpose it is to serve the city, one would think the voice of the city - and all its respective corners - should be represented.

We spoke to virgo, Arbiter of the Ferrymen, Kains Son, leader of the Void, Xedanis, owner of KRKN and patriarch of the Sykonra lineage, and Michiru, matriarch of Mandruleanu; all echoed their lack of awareness of the election. Some others, including Josephine of the Cartigan lineage and Vex, the patriarch of de Draak, were aware of the impending election, but had not been asked to send an ambassador to weigh in on the proceedings.

The Nightwatch has failed to reach out to the public it claims to serve. Some groups within the city were hand-delivered invitations to join the CLA, but it seems as if the Nightwatch’s policy for the vast majority is hands-off, uncaring if their organization is stumbled onto or not. To become a member of the CLA, either Ambassador or Senator, one merely needs to send in an application to their headquarters, but with a dwindling presence in the city (not to mention a recent change in the physical location of their headquarters, which was not at all publicized), how can established or new groups be expected to have their voice heard? For an entity which claims their main purpose is city cohesiveness, protection, and justice, the lack of transparency and scores of red tape is daunting.

For an organization such as the Nightwatch to be effective, transparency is key. Clear and open communication about guidelines, elections, expectations and services is the only way for the Nightwatch to properly uphold its own values. Without this, the shambles left resemble too closely the familiar human government agencies that talk about public service, but end up bogged down by their own red tape, inefficacy, and closed-door political lobbying.

Many questions remain that thus far leadership of the Nightwatch have refused to answer. When interviewed, smitsmit seemed to realize that there were missteps during this election, stating that this “was definitely a vote that we have learned from.” But for an organization that has been a staple of Ravenblack for the last 15 years, is that still a valid excuse? Rules made during or after the fact were used as leverage in the decision, all of which happened away from the public eye.

At which point was it determined that once the election began, no new CLA members were allowed to be inducted? For an organization that claims public service, why is campaigning frowned upon at all? If campaigning is disallowed and Aida is guilty of it, why was Kaleb given a free pass? Why were some groups hand-delivered invitations to join the CLA, whereas most have been outright ignored? Why was the debate about the validity of votes not publicly held, or at least visible to the public? Why does Solanea’s clan, the Halls of Astarte, receive what is essentially two Ambassadors? Though the Nightwatch claims to have made CLA members aware of the election, why were some registered members not informed, and why was this election not publicly known? Why is a vote from a Senator - someone representing their own interests - afforded the same weight as an Ambassador representing a whole group?

At the end of the day, the convoluted election of this small group has left us with more questions than answers. We hope that with reorganization and transparency, the Nightwatch and CLA will learn from these missteps so that they can better serve the public, as their charter intended.

[Alex Ayres]

For an entity which claims their main purpose is city cohesiveness, protection, and justice, the lack of transparency and scores of red tape is daunting.

For an organization such as the Nightwatch to be effective, transparency is key. Clear and open communication about guidelines, elections, expectations and services is the only way for the Nightwatch to properly uphold its own values. Without this, the shambles left resemble too closely the familiar human government agencies that talk about public service, but end up bogged down by their own red tape, inefficacy, and closed-door political lobbying.

This was an interesting read, but doesn't it belong in the editorials section of the paper? If you're offering your opinion on the situation, it's no longer "news and reports", wouldn't you say? It's more of an op-ed.


Anyway, enjoyed reading this piece.

Just curious about a few things:

-what's your source for who's allowed to vote and what the CLA is and what the definitions for those titles are? Is it just Aida or is there a website?

-If members of the Nightswatch didnt talk to you about all the issues in voting, how did you know there were issues at all?

-if the list is not publicly available, how did you come up with your list of members?

-do you have proof of Kaleb's public campaigning for those of us that missed it? A quote from someone who saw him campaigning? A confession of campaigning?

-what is the problem with campaigning? Isn't that normal for an election? Smitsmit states (paraphrasing) in the human world once a ballot is cast it cannot be rescinded...in the human world they also campaign for who they want to get elected.



After reading this a few more times, it kind of seems like you're just trying to say Sol is a bad acting commander...as if maybe you're trying to spin the situation in Aida's favor...

Can't imagine why you'd do such a thing, though.

[smitsmit]

Good read, thank you.

Some small points. Alexa - senator and third commander of the NW was absent from your list. Also, to the best of my knowledge, multiple attempts were made to contact Inu (and others) on various mediums.

As for the other issues, yes. For both the NW and CLA, there is still much work to be done going forward from here. Making new contacts in the city, defining better rules for what deems someone eligible for the CLA, gaining new ambassadors from new lineages and groups, and removing older inactive contacts are just a few of these things. For the CLA, we will continue to work with the NightWatch and look into these issues so that things run smoother in the future. While all attempts were made to handle this with a diplomatic approach and respect for both parties, It was definitely a learning experience, and will likely affect policy decisions for future votes.

[Xedanis]

I can't speak t' factual accuracy or whatnot beyond my own little slice 'f it: Sykonra, KRKN and Port Luna Live have not been approached by the Nights' Watch thus far. Whether that will change or not is a shrug.

Lovely read Liander mate. It's nice to read somethin' that's not just an endless back and forth of bickerin'. Fantastic work.

[Michiru]

Good read, thank you.

Some small points. Alexa - senator and third commander of the NW was absent from your list. Also, to the best of my knowledge, multiple attempts were made to contact Inu (and others) on various mediums.

As for the other issues, yes. For both the NW and CLA, there is still much work to be done going forward from here. Making new contacts in the city, defining better rules for what deems someone eligible for the CLA, gaining new ambassadors from new lineages and groups, and removing older inactive contacts are just a few of these things. For the CLA, we will continue to work with the NightWatch and look into these issues so that things run smoother in the future. While all attempts were made to handle this with a diplomatic approach and respect for both parties, It was definitely a learning experience, and will likely affect policy decisions for future votes.

I shall start with the additional information that Aida had reached out to me with a word that she felt I would be a good addition to the Ambassadors. At the time of this involvement, I had not accepted placement there but was also not informed of such significant need. More so, that it would just be “nice”.

It is my hope moving forward and with a push to have additional ambassadors who represent the current state of the City; that perhaps the NightWatch will entertain an additional vote, or do over if you will. I cannot speak for Validity of the claims in this expose’, but as you are not contesting them outright it does lead one to believe that many if not most are true. It sounds as though additional Ambassadors are needed in order to give a more accurate view of the City as it stands currently. That city is the one that should have votes cast for a new commander. Right now it appears there is a formally established commander, that based on this article, has done little to nothing up to this current moment. Rather: I cannot say something has been done because myself and apparently others haven’t seen it.

On one hand this Previously acting but now formally new commander may be doing a lot. Though we aren’t seeing it and things that The NightWatch have had in place before aren’t in place now.
Or.
They aren’t doing anything and haven’t done anything up to this point. Which is what this piece seems to push.

Regardless of which one it is: Should the City continue to uphold a commander that has failed in either category when the intended purpose of the Organization is to have a neutral open floor where ambassadors from the city themselves reign? Where they are, for lack of a better term, “summoned” for the cause.

Or are we to assume that the NightWatch has truly become inrelevant and in which case all of this in its entirety was simply there for lack of anything more substantial to write about?

Beats me.

I say send a summons to the families and clans of today informing them of the required Ambassador. From there sit down and establish what the NightWatch will be moving forward or continue to be and place the appropriate person at its head with a new vote based on current events and current families/clans. At least then you don’t have anyone writing articles flaming your backside because you didn’t cross your t’s and dot your i’s.

Just my two cents.

[Jaqueline]

While representatives of the Nightwatch themselves declined to provide us with the list of Ambassadors and Senators eligible to vote, let alone a list of who voted for whom, we do know that a tie occurred.

Personally, I see no reason for the lack of transparency, even if limited. For example, there could be a list available to the public, listing which factions are represented in the The Civilian Legislative Authority. On a side note, for this article a similar limited list might have sufficed.

Should there be a list of who voted for whom? No. Of course the result should be published, who won and by what margin. How many votes were cast, how many votes could have been cast. But I personally stand by the voter’s right to a secret ballot. In the end, the Ambassadors answer to the faction they represent.

Let me take a moment to add, that I do raise my proverbial hat to the reporters for a well written piece and admire their drive to present details. But I do hope that had they acquired – or should they obtain - a list of who voted for whom, they would respect the secret ballot. Anyone is free to ask whom someone voted for. Publishing it without their consent… We might as well kiss goodbye to any rights of privacy.

The first, and most pressing issue, was brought about by Driretlanish, the Ailios Ambassador.

Perhaps there should have been a disclaimer, warning that the ballot could only be given once and not changed. This would have cautioned people to be very careful and thorough.

The second issue came about after voting closed, whereby the vote of Acer Kygnosti was discarded.

Campaigning... That’s politics. I see nothing wrong with people trying to raise awareness of candidates and their good qualities. Someone campaigning for another, is someone prepared to vouch for them. Should there be slander or attempts to discredit another candidate – now that we could see as a form of sabotage.

While not mention in the exposé - Among the voters listed, another vote was not counted, as it was cast too late. When voting closes, it closes.

But we could argue that the one week voting period was very limited. God might have created the world in seven days (according to the Bible), but in our little city we need more time to make big decisions. While many Ambassadors may be entrusted to make decisions independently, there may be times when they’d seek out the opinion of the faction they represent. In some cases, the leader/patriarch/matriarch, sometimes the faction would like to get the majority’s opinion among their own ranks. Even before the voting opened, time should have been allowed beforehand. People are unlikely to vote for someone they do not know on a personal level. Time permitting, some might have sat the candidates down, questioned and assessed them.

Those issues, however, are the tip of the iceberg. The CLA is meant to hold representatives from all corners of the city, and yet the Nightwatch’s acting Commander and representatives alike have failed to reach out to new and forming groups over the past two years. --- On the eve of the selection of a new Commander whose purpose it is to serve the city, one would think the voice of the city - and all its respective corners - should be represented.

der Toten were approached and invited to join, dare I say a handful of months ago. While not exactly new to the city, one can debate when it was that the community recognized us as a faction in our own right. Never the less, this is sadly not the first time we see factions being overlooked. Some blame miscommunication, some letters lost in the postal system. Unanswered calls. Invitations sent by fax is the only excuse that can be called out as a lie – no one uses fax machines anymore.

Should there have been a round of inquiries for more factions to name an Ambassador? Yes. Things change in a year, and may we hope that the renewed Nightwatch makes a point of sending out invites on a yearly basis. And there’s always the option of posting on every possible public media and watering hole an advertisement. Ambassador chairs waiting for someone to take a seat, or something like that, with details whom to contact with questions or faction leaders to name the chosen representative. Few people visit the Nightwatch HQ, let’s be honest. I’ll admit to this. Some thought it was inactive up until now.

Make no mistake, this should have been done and done thoroughly before any major election. Here and now, I strongly suggest that a new election be held, once these issues/oversights – choose a descriptor that fits best - have been corrected.

Many questions remain that thus far leadership of the Nightwatch have refused to answer.

I do not think anyone can say that the election and any outcome of it had firm foundations. Perhaps the leadership feel a small tremor in their very bones. If there was a single leader who felt confident enough to speak up and speak for the Nightwatch as a whole, they might have. Sometimes is it better to not comment and stand united, than end up speaking three to four different things, giving the image of division. Maybe even creating more division. For the Nightwatch to evolve and rise up from this stumble, it needs to do so as a team effort.

Why does Solanea’s clan, the Halls of Astarte, receive what is essentially two Ambassadors? --- Why is a vote from a Senator - someone representing their own interests - afforded the same weight as an Ambassador representing a whole group?

I can understand that if an Ambassador was unable to fulfill their duties, another named by the faction they represent could take their place. A stand in. For no other reason do I see why any faction would hold two seats. But if it comes to voting, then every faction should only have one vote to cast.

Should a Senator’s vote weight as much as an Ambassadors? No. An Ambassador is one person – as stated above, perhaps entitled by the faction to make independent decisions – but still they represent a group that can be anywhere from three to several dozens. Some might say it rude to cut a Senator’s vote into half of one. In that case, make an Ambassador’s vote worth 2-3 points and a Senator’s 1 point.

Can a Senator be someone part of a faction? Preferably not, because the line can be mighty thin between personal interests and those of their family/lineage/clan. But as the Nightwatch consists of people from all walks of life and even members in factions, whatever their allegiances outside of the Nightwatch should not be held against them, or have anything to do with what factions form the CLA.

We thank these men and women for their service, and hope they together only continue improving on the Nightwatch as a whole.

[Louvain]

They don't tax me, so what business do I have pontificating on how they run things?

[Alex Ayres]

Personally, I see no reason for the lack of transparency, even if limited. For example, there could be a list available to the public, listing which factions are represented in the The Civilian Legislative Authority. On a side note, for this article a similar limited list might have sufficed.

Should there be a list of who voted for whom? No. Of course the result should be published, who won and by what margin. How many votes were cast, how many votes could have been cast. But I personally stand by the voter’s right to a secret ballot. In the end, the Ambassadors answer to the faction they represent.

First of all, I loved reading this! It was a really thought-provoking post, and I just have some thoughts on what you said, if you'll indulge me. If not, great, at the very least I wanted to let you know this was a great read. =)

On the topic above, it seems to me that your thoughts contradict. You say there's no reason for a lack of transparency, but then say there shouldn't be a list of who voted for whom.

I agree with you on the front that there is no reason for a lack of transparency, especially when you consider the mission goal of the Nightswatch, but I don't when you say that the list shouldn't be public, especially in the case of Ambassadors.

In an ideal world, Ambassadors, who as stated in your post and Liander's piece, would vote 100% of the time in the interest of the faction that they are representing, and we wouldn't have to worry about what their vote is, because the faction in question would have zero doubts in how their ambassador is voting.

Unfortunately, we don't live in an ideal world. Just like how in the democratic republic of the United States of America, the Senators and Representatives votes are made public, I think it's imperative that the votes are made public, so that Ambassadors can be held responsible for which way they are voting. I'm sure that, in general, the things that are being voted on are not of high importance to the factions, but I still believe that Ambassadors should be held accountable for their votes, and to be sure that their votes accurately portray the ideals and wishes of those they are representing.

If this was a matter of private citizens each making an individual vote for something, I would agree that a secret ballot is the way to go, but since this is a matter of one voting for money, I think that the votes should be made public.

But we could argue that the one week voting period was very limited. God might have created the world in seven days (according to the Bible), but in our little city we need more time to make big decisions. While many Ambassadors may be entrusted to make decisions independently, there may be times when they’d seek out the opinion of the faction they represent. In some cases, the leader/patriarch/matriarch, sometimes the faction would like to get the majority’s opinion among their own ranks. Even before the voting opened, time should have been allowed beforehand. People are unlikely to vote for someone they do not know on a personal level. Time permitting, some might have sat the candidates down, questioned and assessed them.

Again, I evoke the voting practices of the United States of America (and many other countries around the globe), and the voting period is around 12 hours. While I think that more than one week of deliberation is important, it seems to be more appropriate to have a shorter voting window. Part of the issues mentioned in the piece (votes being rescinded, votes being cast too late, votes being discounted) can probably be mitigated if the voting window would actually be shorter.

Do you really think that the voting window should be open for longer, or just given more time for deliberation?

Should a Senator’s vote weight as much as an Ambassadors? No. An Ambassador is one person – as stated above, perhaps entitled by the faction to make independent decisions – but still they represent a group that can be anywhere from three to several dozens. Some might say it rude to cut a Senator’s vote into half of one. In that case, make an Ambassador’s vote worth 2-3 points and a Senator’s 1 point.

Can a Senator be someone part of a faction? Preferably not, because the line can be mighty thin between personal interests and those of their family/lineage/clan. But as the Nightwatch consists of people from all walks of life and even members in factions, whatever their allegiances outside of the Nightwatch should not be held against them, or have anything to do with what factions form the CLA.

This whole idea of a CLA and a Chancellor of the CLA needs to be completely revamped, in my opinion.

Assuming the information provided by Liander/Ezra is correct, having a Chancellor of the CLA who retains "the power to veto any new CLA candidates, moderate CLA discussions, and a special power to ‘make a bench warrant if emergency attacking (by the Nightwatch) is required.’[Who are you quoting here?]" seems against the idea of having Senators, who is "any citizen who wishes to have a say in the matter, regardless of lineage or clan."


So if a Chancellor isn't particularly fond of a citizen who doesn't have a faction who wants to have a say in matters, that citizen may be vetoed "just because"?

I do agree that "Senators" should be "factionless" members of our community, as "factioned " members of our community already have representatives in an Ambassador.

I also believe that the name "Senator" should change, as Senators are members of a senate, which would be a completely separate body from Ambassadors, and would hold a different function in the governing body, by definition, if I'm not mistaken, but that's neither here nor there.



Anyway, as I stated, thank you for the read! It was thought provoking!

[Gypsy]

Great article Liander. Night Watch has had issue for years and they aren't going to be fixed over night. Hopefully they will pull it together and move forward with something that will add to our community.

[Reyna]

They don't tax me, so what business do I have pontificating on how they run things?