Election MMDCCLXIV (Nova Roma)/Gaius Tullius Valerianus Germanicus

C. Tullius Valerianus S.P.D.

I am in agreement with my fellow candidate Caesar that Nova Roma is at a critical juncture, and that we are in need of many reforms of our laws. The balancing of our Nova Roman Republic with Nova Roma Inc. will be crucial for the survival of NR.

Likewise, we *must* have control over our own website and server. Many citizens, including my wife Gaia Valeria Pulchre and the newly-elected tribune Volusus, have shown how we may do so efficiently and cost-effectively, but we need to actually do it, as soon as possible.

I support the creation of an "economy of activity" in Nova Roma, in which one's actual contributions and activities allow progress within NR - simply being here isn't enough. Again, Caesar has outlined some ways this might be done in his "Nova Roma Reborn" document, and I think I can make some contributions to his ideas.

I would like to see more and more support for local activity in NR. I have seen how the level of activity of a governor within a province can dramatically effect the level of activity in the province. I have also seen that NR can be at its best when we are meeting in real life, not just online. Face-to-face meetings need encouragement, and I would like to see the creation of more "bottom-up" culture in NR rather than "top-down." By this I mean that innovation at the local level, preferably face-to-face offline, needs to have more recognition for its role in creating local Nova Roman cultures that are part of our republic as a whole, rather than emphasizing the centralized culture of the Main List. Nova Roma should be the creation-in-progress of Romans meeting together in local communities, not just handed down from on high by the consuls.

I would like to see a real re-evaluation of the role of the concept of "mos maiorum" in NR, and the role of the censors in defining what it is and how it shapes NR.

Finally, I am an Augur and I want to make certain that the gods are properly consulted throughout any potential reform processes. To the extent that it lies within a consul's competence, as consul I would want to encourage the sacred colleges to be more active in Nova Roma, and see the cultus deorum properly respected (but not, I must add, used as a tool for political gain or a weapon, as we saw in the time of Piscinus).

These are a few of my thoughts on the future of Nova Roma - I believe these are ideas that the majority of citizens will support and want to see examined in the coming year.