The following transcript of candidate Simon's speech was released moments after its conclusion and made available via the media and public services such as the Rhydin Public Library. The speech itself was broadcast over several VidNet & AudNet channels for those members of the media and public who could not or did not attend in person.

::Matt Simon approaches and stands behind a podium out in front of the Rhydin Public Library, known to be one of his favorite locations in the city. Smiling, and looking even somewhat eager, he begins to speak::

Good morning, citizens of Rhydin!

Once again, I stand before you as a nominee for the Governor's seat. This year, as in years past, we have quite an array of candidates, some who seem serious about their campaigns and some who do not. I will address my thoughts on those candidates and their campaigns at a later time. For now, I wish to speak with you about my own campaign.

In the last election, some of my opponents, as well as some of you, criticized me for essentially maintaining the status quo. It was said that I had no new ideas, the implication being that the policies and changes I'd put into effect during my two years as Governor were not enough " that more was needed. At the time, I stated that I would not compromise myself or endanger any of you by coming up with something new and different for newness" sake, and I told you that I would not veer from a successful course because my opponents challenged or dared me to do so. I believed then, as I do now, that change for change's sake is not necessarily something beneficial. However, my critics also made a worthwhile point, for it's easy to quickly slip from status-quo into stagnation. I do not believe we were stagnant, but I don't fault my previous opponents from attempting to convince you otherwise.

::Matt pauses, looking over the array of cameras and reporters, before continuing::

In my two years as Governor, I always told you that my door was open; that I welcomed feedback whether it be praise or critique. I told you, and I continue to uphold, that I have not and will not attempt to mislead or deceive you about my plans or my capabilities, nor will I make promises to you of things I knowingly cannot deliver. I continue to pledge the same " I recognize that I am not perfect, I am not all knowing, and I cannot personally solve each and every challenge we, as Rhydin, face. Since the last election ended, I've long thought about what I could have done better, not just in the campaign, but during my period of service to you and to this city. I cannot stand here and tell you that I was perfect and made no mistakes during my time in office " anyone who would claim such of themselves would be dishonest. Anyone who believes that they will make no mistakes if they attain the Governor's office would be deluding themselves as well. I, like you, am not perfect. I will and have made mistakes " that comes with the territory of leadership. Myself, as well as anyone who hold the Governor's mantle, must be humble enough to recognize that, to admit it, and to be forthright with all of you about it. More importantly, I will and I have learned from my errors. I will not and have not repeated them. That too, is a sign of solid and experienced leadership.

I believe that, when I was Governor, we " all of us together " accomplished a great deal and made positive strides as a city. I see nothing but the same if you elect me again. But let's speak in specifics now"what will I do and how do I plan to do it' I have many thoughts and ideas, some of which were laid aside by the current leadership after the last election and some of which I have formulated in the last year. There is not time enough now to share them all, so I will focus upon one.

A Governor must have both short and long-term goals and those goals must be in harmony with one another. As one goal is met, it cannot be simply cast aside and forgotten. Quite the contrary, the goal, once accomplished, must be further nurtured and maintained so that all the effort that went into its accomplishment is not undone.

For example, let us discuss the Watch and city defenses overall. When I first became Governor, the Watch was in disarray. Several giant lapses in security had taken place, perhaps most notably the Marketplace tragedy. One of my major goals during my first term in office was to improve the Watch's effectiveness and capability " this was both a short term goal, as immediate improvement was required, and a long term goal as the effect of those improvements would not instantly permeate throughout the entire Watch. During my time as Governor, I encouraged and oversaw many changes to the Watch, from training to equipment to structure to facilities. At the end of my second term, I unveiled a new type of Watch precinct, one that fostered community, was less intimidating in fa"ade and style than its predecessors and would encourage a better liaison between the Watch members assigned to a neighborhood and those who lived in that neighborhood. The first to open was within Dragon's Gate and since then, several more have opened through the city. I have been pleased, over the last year, to personally witness the positive changes they have brought for both the Watch and the members of the community that they have pledged to serve.

I also created the Rhydin Air and Space Guard, a group which has proven vital in maintaining the security and safety of interstellar trade routes, our local jump-point, and the areas surrounding the city, both land and ocean. I oversaw the formation of Disaster Aid and Recovery Teams, which were instrumental in rescuing and aiding countless citizens in the immediate aftermath of Sanyumato. I believe that each of these measures was successful in bolstering Rhydin's safety and security from both an internal and external viewpoint. Thus, both my short term and long term goals were met, and each of us in this city has been the beneficiary. That being said, I by no means claim that the Watch is perfect and that no further developments are necessary " the incident at the Public Works building several months ago is an indication of the need for constant vigilance and analysis and improvement. However, there's a marked difference between the Watch's capabilities and recovery in that situation compared to the Marketplace several years prior. Therefore, while I will continue to take an active look into further improvements to the Watch and RASG, I do not believe that either, at this point in time, requires primary attention. The Watch has shifted from a mode of necessary change and overhaul to one of maintenance and enhancement.

::moving out from behind the podium, as he nearly always did when speaking, Matt gestured with his arms wide::

We, all of us together, are Rhydin. We are Rhydin! We have much to be proud of and to share with our neighbors. My campaign, and indeed my focus should you elect me to the Governor's office, will be centered upon improvement and growth of this city and of you, its citizens. Further development of our personal and collective capabilities will likely prove easy in some regards and much more difficult in others. Rhydin, as we stand today, is more secure and prosperous than we were when I initially took office three years ago " I do not presume to take all credit for that and I would be wrong to do so. Yes, as Governor, I led and I guided, but what we accomplished, we accomplished together. Now I believe it is time for us to continue down that path. Rhydin has been described as many things " as a hub, a melting-pot, a place where the only expected thing is the unexpected. Thousands of different, beliefs, ideologies, creatures and people gather here to visit, to work, to live. To an extent, this happens in any city but here in Rhydin, it's extraordinary in size and scope. This is nothing new to any of us. But what we have not done in the past, and what I believe we must now do, is truly take advantage of our unique situation. In order for us to take the next step in our collective growth and development, we must look outside our city walls. We must expand our influence in trade and dialect with not only our neighboring municipalities, but with our interstellar neighbors. As with the Watch improvements, this will not happen overnight. I will set both short and long-term goals that will, together, help vault us into the next stages of our evolution and prosperity.

How will we, together, do this" How do I foresee leading us down this path' It would be folly to tell you right now that I have every answer and can foresee every obstacle. But I do have a plan. That plan involves review of every established trade route in and out of Rhydin to see which, if any, should be expanded and which, if any, benefit us no longer. It involves review of each and every trade agreement and partner to see if those partnerships and agreements can and should be improved, reduced, or added to. It involves a dedicated team within the government " and let me be clear, I do not plan to add to the bureaucracy, but to use existing resources, such as what has been established under the Ministry of Trade and Commerce " to investigate and review areas of trade and promotion that we have, until now, previously ignored or cast aside. This team will also review the policies of our neighbors to see if we can or should adopt strategies that have brought them economic and cultural success.

So, why me? What makes Matthew Simon the best choice to lead Rhydin in this direction' Only you can determine for yourselves if I truly am the best candidate for the job. When considering, remember that I've served as Rhydin's Governor before and my learning curve will be much less than a newcomer to the position. True, I will need to thoroughly understand what the current administration has done in the past year, but I am confident that's something I can accomplish quickly given my past experience. Too, I have detailed knowledge and experience with most of our current trade routes and partners, the exceptions being the ones fostered within the past year, but even so, my position within the RASG has allowed me to become familiar, especially where interstellar routes are concerned, with some of those new partners and routes as well. My military career, as well as my previous time as Governor, has allowed me to not only interact with, but develop a good understanding, of many of the races and cultures we deal with. This understanding is vital, for what pleases one culture may prove harshly insulting to another and these differences, sometimes large and sometimes subtle, can take a long time to learn and master. I come with a vast array of knowledge and expertise that will allow me to hit the ground running and begin furthering these relationships immediately.

We are special. We are Rhydin! But we are not arrogant. We have as much to learn as we have to teach. We are uniquely poised as few other cities are and we must take absolute advantage of the knowledge, the people, and the cultures that we interact with each and every day. Our unity as citizens and our collectiveness provides us the opportunity for greatness. We must not squander this opportunity. We must embrace it and nurture it and together, grow from it and with it.

It's my hope that we do this together. I believe that I am the right person to lead us in our next phase of growth and prosperity. I ask for your vote, for your confidence, and for your trust. As always, I thank you for your time and your willingness to listen with an open mind. We are Rhydin!

::at the conclusion of the speech, he returns behind the podium to field questions from the media::

Fiona Helston Al Amat

Fiona Helston Al Amat stakes her claim as a voice of reason and states that the Governorship is not "a vehicle to further the individual agendas of candidates whose primary interests lie in other lands or in acquiring personal gain?. I wholeheartedly agree and I do not believe that any of the current candidates fall into such a category. Ms. Al Amat believes that a Governor needs to aid and guide, not rule and control. While she's right in one sense, that the Governor must aid and guide, she, like Ms. Egorwrath, does not seem to understand that's not always enough. The Governor is a leader, and importantly, a leader elected and chosen by each one of us who participates in the voting. Leadership, sometimes, means asserting yourself and seizing control of a situation that is or would otherwise be out of control. To aid and to guide are of vital importance, I most definitely agree. But to be unwilling or unable to take action beyond aid and guidance can be crippling not only to the city but to each and every one of you. Over the last four years, we have all witnessed first-hand the consequences of non-action and the benefits of assertive leadership, when needed, from the Governor's office. True leadership does not mean, as Ms. Al Amat says, that the Governor holds "a hammer to wield over the citizens of this place", not at all. That style of authority is not true leadership True leadership is about striking a balance between listening and acting, between knowing when to step in and when to not, between making a potentially unpopular decision for the greater good of the city and each one of you and resting on your laurels for the sake of maintaining popularity. That is the type of leadership you should expect and demand from your Governor, the type of leadership I provided in my previous time as Governor, and the type of leadership I will continue should you place me in that office once more.

Cuyler Quinn

Cuyler Quinn, not even sure she'll vote for herself over that, to quote, "hot Drow chick", takes pieces of past gubernatorial campaigns and jumbles them together in a rather confusing way. Openly admitting that she's a criminal (albeit seemingly a reformed one, as she wants to reform others), she promises to be "fair and all that jazz". She wants to champion for the underdog, and the underdogs seem to be, in her mind, the criminal elements in the city. If she wants to root for the underdog, she'd be much better placed in watching the duels in the Arena, Isle, and Outback than in the Governor's seat.

Corlanthis Wystansayr & Dawn Shadowsbane-Karos

As for Corlanthis Wystansayr, I don't have much to say. Mr. Wystansayr, who's in his fourth run for Governor, has dropped out of two prior campaigns. This time, he hasn't yet provided you with reasons why he's running. Perhaps he'll enlighten us in the coming days, or maybe he'll quit again first. Time will tell. Similarly, there's Dawn Shadowsbane-Karos, wife of infamous slaver Anubis Karos, who's on the ballot but has, as yet, given little to no indication of why she's running, at least not on a widespread scale.

Kate

Lastly, we come to Kate who, like some of the other candidates, wishes to help newcomers acclimate to a life in Rhydin but provides no insight on what exactly that means or how she'll go about doing so. Her main focus, though, is economic, at least on the surface. She openly discourages outside influences upon our economy, citing examples of businesses that originate outside of Rhydin closing up and leaving behind unemployed workers. On the surface, the argument may seem valid, but begs further questions. Why did a given business up and leave Rhydin" Did it find better opportunities elsewhere" If so, what, if anything, can we do as a city to address potential shortcomings" Did the business simply fail and close" Was that failure, in whole or part, due to something within our control, be it tariffs or taxes or lack of support' Would that same business have left or failed regardless of who started it, either one of our own citizens or someone who does not make this city their primary residence" Even more importantly, if Kate, as Governor, seeks to limit or eliminate businesses that originate outside of our city walls from opening or continuing to operate, what larger-scale economic affect will that have" I can, given my experiences as Governor, tell you that the consequences would be large and vastly negative for us all. Family owned businesses and corporations that were not originally founded in Rhydin contribute greatly to our economy, as do business that are, as she says, home-grown. We need both types. Outside businesses increase our ability to trade and to produce and to focus on what we excel at producing. They provide numerous jobs that otherwise would not exist, far more than are lost when one closes. Remember too, as we've seen time and again, rarely does an empty shop or warehouse remain empty for long. Rhydin is and almost always has been a welcoming city, welcoming to people and welcoming to businesses, both internal and external. We are not xenophobic and we cannot, both literally and figuratively, afford to be. We need to encourage and support both local and external businesses and entrepreneurs. To limit ourselves to either one or the other is dangerous from an economic standpoint and, in the long-term if not the short, will do far more harm than benefit.

Conclusion

Remember, we are Rhydin! We succeed and we fail together, as one city, one people. Examine each candidate and their words, their plans, their ideals, their actions, with scrutiny, myself included. I firmly believe that when you do so, you will conclude that am the most prepared, the best suited, and the most capable candidate to guide and lead us all over the next year. We have much to accomplish together and our chances of success will be much better with experienced and effective leadership in place. That's what I offer. That's what I promise to provide. Thank you for your time today; I will speak with you again soon.