From Ancient Ways

Revision as of 20:47, 23 February 2007

Rogatio Marii de Miscellaneous Brain-fluff

Intro

(by that Severus chap...have we recruited him yet??)

Ok, here is some proposed language for your rogatio. Overall, here is what I did. I took your brainstorm and put it to the side. Then I sat down and tried to noodle through all of the high and medium priority tasks and goals of the Society (at least in this noob’s view!) in a broad description and listed them out independent of position. They numbered about 23 or so. Then, using the functions and institutions of the res publica as a guide, I divvied the tasks up where they fit within the framework or the governance of the res publica and according to the positions and functions you laid out. I then made sure all of the sections were uniform in format and context.

Before you read the details on the form and function of the Senate, to include where presiding magistrates fit in…here is a little primer behind my rationale. Ok, Senate…Initially 5 members elected by the Comitia from proven worthy members of the Society. Later, additional seats are added from the pool of successful ex-Consuls as vacancies occur and as deemed worthy by the Censor(s). Ultimate number of Senators to max at 10 assuming the Society grows accordingly with the ability to expand further if necessary. You are a member of the Senate as you long as you want to be and prove you are worthy. Currently presiding Consuls serve ex officio in the Senate, with all the rights and privileges of appointed Senators, only as long as they serve as Consul, then they relinquish their seat, unless they are already a Senator. When vacancies occur Censors appoint new Senators from qualified ex-Consuls who are willing. Result: A small experienced advisory body with the exception of the current Consul is separate from the current body of Magistrates. Yes, you may have current Senators who are ex-Consuls run for election again, but I think this would be minimal. If viewed as a serious problem of only the same few people constantly serving, term limits could be imposed (there are very few limits proposed below). I know you are fond of the idea of current Magistrates not in the Senate, but I think you need this bridge in order [to] highlight the relationship between the different institutions in the Society.

Anyway, review, peruse, hack it up…consider it your clay to mold as you see fit. I hold no severe sentimental attachment to this, but I do think it is a good plan that even works within our current regulae. Enough of my yacking…on with the language:

I. Magistrates

A. Consul

1. There shall be one (1) Consul. No more than one (1) additional Consul position may be added in the future if deemed required and approved by the Comitia Generalia. (Obviously if an additional Consul is added later we will have to deal with issues of presiding, intercession, etc. Same goes for other magistrates if their numbers increase.)

2. Consuls shall be elected by the Comitia Generalia.

3. Consuls will serve a one-year term.

4. Consuls may not serve consecutive terms but there is no restriction on the number of terms a Consul may serve. (I think there needs to be some separation for the sake of diversity but I did not want to be over-limiting)

5. Candidates for election to the position of Consul must demonstrate a consistent record of significant contribution to the Society in one or more of the following forms:

a. Active participation in the message boards or colleges of the Societas.

b. Submission of an article or essay.

c. Representation of the Society at public events.

(You’re going to see the above repeated for every magistrate and even Senators. Notice I haven’t defined what a significant contribution is…that should be the Censor’s and the Comitia’s job…I’ve just given some suggested means of weighing it.)

6. Candidates must register with the Censor and be deemed qualified in order be eligible for election.

7. The Consul shall have the following duties and responsibilities:

a. Serve as the official representative in all external affairs of the Society.

b. Sit ex officio in the Senate only for the duration of the Consul’s term of office if not already a duly-appointed member of the Senate.

c. Convene and preside over meetings of the Senate. In the absence of the Consul, the Princeps Senatus shall fulfill this duty.

d. Convene and preside over meetings of the Comitia. This is a shared responsibility with the Tribune. (Both can convene and preside…but what they do inside differs – basically, Consul does elections, Tribune does rules and regs. Checks and balances!)

e. Preside over elections in the Comitia.

f. Execute all policies and decisions made by the Senate and Comitia.

g. Make rulings on disputes of any form among and between members and magistrates of the Society. (This is really a Praetor duty but if and when we ever have Praetors I think this should fall to the Consul [and did historically].)

h. Issue edicts as appropriate and not in contradiction of existing rules required to fulfill assigned duties and responsibilities.

i. Appoint non-magisterial scribes to aid in carrying out assigned duties and responsibilities.

B. Censor

1. There shall be one (1) Censor. No more than one (1) additional Censor position may be added in the future if deemed required and approved by the Comitia Generalia.

2. Censors shall be elected by the Comitia Generalia.

3. Censors will serve a two year term. (All others are one year, I think Censors [ought] to be in office longer to better judge trends and the like.)

4. Censors may not serve consecutive terms but there is no restriction on the number of terms a Censor may serve.

5. Candidates for election to the position of Censor must be members of the Senate and demonstrate a record of consistent significant contribution to the Society in one or more of the following forms: (I feel pretty strongly that if the Censors are going to determine who can enter the Senate, then they need to be members themselves.)

a. Active participation in the message boards or Colleges of the Society.

b. Submission of an article or essay.

c. Representation of the Society at public events.

6. Candidates must register with the currently presiding Censor and be deemed qualified in order be eligible for election.

7. The Censor shall have the following duties and responsibilities:

a. Conduct the annual Census and maintain the list of members accordingly.

b. Process application requests to join the Society and decide upon them accordingly.

c. Maintain the list of Magistrates and Senators accordingly.

d. Manage all accounts payable and receivable of the Society. (I know we do not have dues, but we do have to pay server fees right? The censor will ensure these incurred costs get paid as the Society determines [just like how the ancient Censors let contracts for major public works!])

e. Issue edicts as appropriate and not in contradiction of existing rules required to fulfill assigned duties and responsibilities.

f. Appoint non-magisterial scribes to aid in carrying out assigned duties and responsibilities.

C. Aedile (Aedilis)

1. There shall be one (1) Aedile. Additional Aedile positions may be added in the future if deemed required and approved by the Comitia Generalia.

2. Aediles shall be elected by the Comitia Generalia.

3. Aediles will serve a one year term.

4. There is no restriction on the frequency or number of terms an Aedile may serve.

5. Candidates for election to the position of Aedile must demonstrate some knowledge regarding the administration and maintenance of Web sites, message boards, and other computer-related skills as well as a record of consistent significant contribution to the Society in one or more of the following forms:

a. Active participation in the message boards or colleges of the Society.

b. Submission of an article or essay.

c. Representation of the Society at public events.

6. Candidates must register with the Censor and be deemed qualified in order be eligible for election.

7. The Aedile shall have the following duties and responsibilities:

a. Administer and maintain the Web site of the society.

b. Administer and maintain the message boards of the society.

c. Issue edicts as appropriate and not in contradiction of existing rules required to fulfill assigned duties and responsibilities.

d. Appoint non-magisterial scribes to aid in carrying out assigned duties and responsibilities.

(Future duties [and Aediles] to include public events like games, festivals, living history events could be added in future if appropriate. These Aediles would not deal with the web site, etc. methinks)

D. Tribune

1. There shall be one (1) Tribune. Additional Tribune positions may be added in the future if deemed required and approved by the Comitia Generalia.

2. Tribunes shall be elected by the Comitia Generalia.

3. Tribunes will serve a one year term.

4. Tribunes may not serve consecutive terms but there is no restriction on the number of terms a Tribune may serve.

5. Candidates for election to the position of Tribune must demonstrate a record of consistent significant contribution to the Society in one or more of the following forms:

a. Active participation in the message boards or colleges of the Society.

b. Submission of an article or essay.

c. Representation of the Society at public events.

6. Candidates must register with the Censor and be deemed qualified in order be eligible for election.

7. The Tribune shall have the following duties and responsibilities:

a. Convene and preside over meetings of the Comitia. This is a shared responsibility with the Consul.

b. Preside over the voting of new rules in the Comitia.

c. Introduce proposals for new rules before the Comitia.

d. Pronounce veto against the actions of all other magistrates.

e. Intervene on behalf of any member in a dispute between that member and another magistrate.

(d. and e. are obviously checks and balances between the Consul and Tribune [with heavier weight on the Tribune but I don’t foresee abuse].)

II. Senate (Senatus)

A. Initial Formation

1. During the initial formation of the Senate five (5) Senators will be elected.

2. The Comitia Generalia will elect candidates for the position of Senator who have demonstrated a record of consistent significant contribution to the Society in one or more of the following forms:

(Personally, I am against electing Senators, but, in order to work within our current regula and since it is only for the initial formation, I think it is ok. I initially wanted the current Curia to appoint the initial bunch, but if one of you wanted to serve as a Senator I didn’t want there to be accusations of impartiality.)

a. Active participation in the message boards or Colleges of the Societas.

b. Submission of an article or essay.

c. Representation of the Society at public events.

3. Applicants must register with the current officers of the Society (the Curia) and be deemed qualified in order to be eligible for election. (Later the Censor will do this, but again I needed this to work within the current Regula.)

4. The applicant elected with the most votes will be appointed Princeps Senatus. (See below for filling future vacancies.)

B. Subsequent Formation

1. After initial formation, the number of Senators will gradually be increased to ten. Additional Senatorial positions may be added in the future if deemed required and approved by the Senate itself.

(Once the initial body is formed, I think the pace of the future expansion should be determined later – if we grow super fast [I hope] and we need to go bigger sooner, so be it.)

2. Senators shall be appointed by the Censors as vacancies occur. Duly-appointed Senators will continue to serve as long as they remain members of the Society and the Censors deem them to remain qualified. When the position of Princeps Senatus is vacant, the Senator who has served longest shall be appointed as such if that Senator is willing, otherwise it will pass to the next senior.

3. Currently-presiding Consuls shall sit ex officio in the Senate for the duration of the Consul’s term of office and relinquish the seat at the end of the term of office if not already or a newly duly-appointed member of the Senate.

4. Applicants for appointment to the position of Senator must have served at least one full term as Consul as well as demonstrated a record of consistent significant contribution to the Society in one or more of the following forms:

(I put this additional qualification in there to ensure we have experienced members with leadership experience. I imagine the Consuls will rely on the Senate a lot for guidance and I want them to know what it feels like to walk in the Consul's shoes.)

a. Active participation in the message boards or colleges of the societas.

b. Submission of an article or essay.

c. Representation of the society at public events.

6. Applicants must register with the Censor and be deemed qualified in order to be eligible for appointment. Current Senators must declare to the Censor their continued desire to remain in the Senate and demonstrate that they remain qualified to do so.

C. Duties and Responsibilities

1. The Senate shall be convened and presided by the Consul, and in the Consul’s absence by the Princeps Senatus.

2. The Senate shall have the following duties and responsibilities:

a. Approve all financial matters of the Societas. (If and where applicable)

b. Assign duties and responsibilities not otherwise assigned to include governing of the Colleges of the Society and appointment of representatives (Legati) to external organizations. (I really think we need structured guidance again in the Colleges. Not the faux structure we had before, but something more…this is a stratagem for another day.)

c. Provide guidance to the Magistrates, Comitia, and the Society as a whole using their deep body of knowledge of the inner and outer workings of the Society based on their perceptions and experiences.

d. Issue decrees of Senatus consultum regarding the administrative, financial, and external affairs of the Society.