Running for CSM as an independent, out-spoken candidate is not easy. The odds are stacked against me. We all know that every year 6-7 (or more!) slots end up in the hands of Null Block supported candidates. And while my endorsements and my support keep growing every single day, the odds of me getting major Null Block support are practically zero. Which is fine with me, I'm not even trying to accomplish that. If it happens great. But I don't enjoy banging my head against a brick wall.
That leaves very few slots for other candidates and this year, there are a total of 47 candidates running for those 10 slots. Many of whom are incumbents. With a head of steam. And there are a lot of solid candidate choices this year, no denying that. So why spend your valuable votes on a vote for Rixx Javix?
First and foremost Low Sec needs a seat at the table. I say this every year in these pages and I've supported Low Sec candidates primarily over the past eleven years. My success rate is pretty solid. But this year I believe it is critical to have the right person at that table. We are on the precipice of major changes to Factional Warfare and Low Sec balances that will impact the game for years and years to come. And while my fellow candidates are all solid choices, and many of them will be appearing on my recommended ballot when I release it, I strongly feel that I am the best candidate. Or else I wouldn't be bothering to run.
I believe I'm the best choice because I get shit done. And I've never even been on the CSM before. The recent WCS changes? That is exactly what I talked about with CCP Masterplan a few years ago. CCP is moving towards a more active sandbox, with choices that allow for greater control and changes to be made at an accelerated rate across the board. This is the future of Eve. Systems that simply exist are going to be changed into systems that allow numbers to change. Quickly. I think you are going to want someone there who can help manage, mitigate, and understand the impact those changes are going to have on your playstyle. And I strongly believe that person is me.
We can argue, discuss, and debate specific game changes all day. And no one loves to do just that, more than I do. It's fun. And while I will be advocating for things the player base brings to the table, primarily the CSM is there to watch dog CCP. To hear things, to see things, and to understand them quickly before they become a potential problem. Important stuff.
Back in the day I called the CSM little more than a Student Council. I meant it back then. But over the last decade things started changing and these days the CSM has found its niche inside the mechanism of CCP. That's good. We can work with that. I can work within that. How do I know? Because that is exactly what I've been doing all along. And not just in Eve, but out here in the real world as well.
I once served on a Board of Directors that got a Botanic Garden built and another one that helped raise over $4 million dollars for Muscular Dystrophy research here in Pittsburgh. I could go on. So yes, I do know how to work with groups, often with varying opinions, and bring them together to achieve outstanding results. That is my own personal experience. Just a small taste of it. But something I believe I can bring to the table as your CSM representative.
And that is why I'm asking for your support and your first place ballot vote come June 8-15th. Because it's important. And even if you don't believe that, just know that I do. I believe it.
I'll have my own endorsements up here in these pages early next week. So keep an eye out for those.
Onward & Upward.