Posted by Civilian Kenzo B’tren-Hyrushi (Governor) in Interview with a Governor

Posted by Civilian Ana Caputo (Governor’s Chief of Staff) in Interview with a Governor

Posted by Civilian Kenzo B’tren-Hyrushi (Governor) in Interview with a Governor
Posted by… suppressed (5) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Most every day it was on the schedule of the day that Ana see the Governor. Business as usual, another day at the office. Until an enterprising journalist contacted her. He wanted an inroad, some way to speak to the ever elusive Governor. On one morning Ana arrived with a few minutes early. She was allowed in straight away and told Eddie “Wait here.”
“Can do.” The reporter responded.

She went into the office and greeted the Governor as usual. “Good morning Governor. I hope you’re well today.”

-Chief of Staff

Hyrushi looked up and nodded once. “Good morning, Ms. Caputo. I am. I trust you are the same?” he asked sincerely.

“I am indeed.” Though we’ll see how long that lasts

Hyrushi leaned back in his chair and said “So what do we have on the agenda for today? Oh, and I am canceling the meeting with the Corporation Assembly. I have made my stance quite clear: this administration sides with the union. Their demands are reasonable, and there is no legal or economic reason to justify not agreeing to the terms of the proposed contract. And I made it very clear that if they want to push back to the point of a general strike, we will hold the corporations accountable for all losses and delays associated with any government contract; not the workers.”

Hyrushi, Gov.

She jotted down what he said. “In the case of a general strike, we may want to offer an emergency fund from which workers can draw. A little extra support. Beyond that, the Finance Minister is stopping by this afternoon, probably to try to persuade you to take the corporations’ side. You have a public address for this weekend, which given how little your communications staff is doing, I assume you elected to write yourself. There’s a message from the Federation Council, asking you to back down the OED independence rhetoric. And there’s a meeting this morning.” She hesitated. “Gentleman by the name of Eddie Caldwell.”

-Chief of Staff

To his credit, Hyrushi didn’t even flinch. “Agreed. Let’s get the fund set up. Coordinate with Zerbo and tell him before our meeting that will be discussing how to support the workers. And I wrote the rough draft and they put their finishing touches on it. It should be fine. Please respond on my behalf to the Council that I would be happy to… as long as they abide by the terms Oed put before them. And give Mr. Caldwell my sincerest apologies, but I will not be speaking with him. I applaud his tenacity, though. Anything else?”

Hyrushi, Gov.

Ana sighed. She had anticipated some difficulties along this path. “Governor, your policies are broadly popular, your staff is well liked, but you have a problem. You remain a mystery to the people and the press. The more you hide from the press, the more they’re going to think you have something to hide. An hour, for a low-key profile that will put a large group of people off your tail a bit. If you do have something to hide, it’s an easy way to get people to think you don’t and if you don’t then you don’t have anything to lose. His work with Lieutenant Governor Dasca was never anything less than respectful.”

-Chief of Staff

“So my policies are popular, my staff liked, and no one has tried to kill me in well over a year. Compared to my predecessors- and by Oed’s own historical standards- I am likely one of the most well-regarded Governors in the colony’s history.” Hyrushi replied. “And I managed to achieve all of that without giving interviews… especially personality-based ones. I answer the presses questions at every conference and public appearance. I reply to requests for clarification and inquiries about events and proposed Colonial matters in a timely fashion, Ms. Caputo. That is far more than almost any other Governor or administrator in the Federation does. My work can and will speak for itself. If anyone has an issue with how I conduct the colony’s adminiatration… they are welcome to challenge my work. But I will not lower myself to the conducting cult of personality politics. Understood?”

Hyrushi, Governor

“Governor, may I be exceedingly honest with you?” Ana asked, lowering her PaDD and all pretense of being a member of the Governor’s staff. “You’re a pain in the ass. I spend whole days fixing it after you snub a cabinet officer, or have a member of the press ejected from the building. The longer this labor situation goes on the more your policy speaking for you will have me trying to keep the corporations here at all while you’re busy doing the right thing. And you are doing the right thing. But when the dust settles it’d be nice for there to be an economy to return to normal. The mystery to me is how so few people are trying to kill you. There’s bound to be people out there who only know that they’re going on strike and the company they work for is threatening to take their ball and go home. At minimum you’re either ambivalent about the idea of continuing to get elected, or you’re stupid. Define for me the harm in sitting down with a journalist to make clear that you’re trying to govern for the people, that you’re not ambivalent to their concerns, that you’re not a shadowy figure running the colony from atop your tower absent oversight or accountability. Who gets hurt? Unless you. Do. Have. Something. To. Hide.”

-Chief of Staff

Kenzo did something he had never done in front of Caputo…

He laughed.

“Elected? Are you serious? I’m an appointed administrator, I’m not elected. And the post is mine until one of three things happen: the Council removes me for cause. I’m killed. Or I quit or retire. That, Ms. Caputo, is the basis of my role here. Would I prefer a general election? Yes. Yes I would. But that would mean the colony is a self-governing one in the legal sense, not just because we are in a position that we have to be.” He took a deep breath and settled back into his chair, looking at her intently. He could feel the frustration in her, even some resentment for the extra lengths she had to go to behind the scenes to smooth things over. He took another breath and said “The ‘economy’ will be fine if MasCorp leaves. We have dozens more jostling to take their place… and they know that. Oed is in a unique position right now, Ms. Caputo. We have leverage. Power where he had none before. And it is up to us, the administrators and cabinet, to put that power to effective use. And I simply do not care about who or what company or special interest group who feels they are entitled to some of that power. Because, very simply, they are not. ” He paused and leaned forward, placing his hands flat on the desk.

Ana chuckled. “The number of friends you’ve got on the Federation council right now, I forgot that your continued employment wasn’t contingent on their support. Add that to my to do list.”

“I do care, however, if I make your job more difficult than it has to be, Ms. Caputo.” he said with a slight apologetic tone. “So if you can tell me, with full certainty and belief, that doing this interview will help you and the people of the colony… then I will do so.” and he held up a finger, “Under certain conditions. First and foremost, the interview will be recorded, not live. Second. If I say a question is off limits, it is and that question and refusal to answer will be erased from the interview. Third, Before the segement airs, I will see it as it will be aired before it is released. I have final approval. If your reporter agrees and is recorded agreeing to those terms, send them in. Otherwise, let Mr. Zerbo know I will speak to him after you are done. Is that acceptable?”

Hyrushi, Gov.

“Recorded was the plan anyway, that’s no trouble.” Ana literally hand waved the notion away “Governor, getting him to let you not answer any question you’d rather not is not likely to be an issue. Editing that out, may be. Consider that unless you’re certain that both you and Mr Caldwell sit perfectly still, edits may be apparent. It may be wiser to let people hear you say ‘I cannot speak on that matter.’ than to have them suspect you’re suppressing anything you don’t like the look of. For an exclusive with you… I can make final approval happen.”

-Chief of Staff