Almone Will Not Seek Second Term As Chair of Governors' Board

POG gov. says she wants to spend more time in her home state

LANSDALE, Province of Grassadellia--Regardless of which party wins a majority of governorships after the December 4 elections, there will be a new Chair of the Governors' Board.

Current chair, Gov. Donna Almone (C-POG), announced Tuesday she will not seek a second term as chair if the Conservative Party maintains its majority of governorships.

Almone said she will be stepping down regardless of the outcome of the elections because she wants to spend more time in her state.

"It has been an honor to serve as chair, but it's a huge responsibility and a huge time commitment," Almone said at a press conference at the capitol. "[Over] the last two years, I have spent a great deal of time outside of POG tending to national matters in my capacity as chair, and I feel that, for my second term, if I am re-elected [as governor of POG], I would like to spend more time here in POG."

Almone added that the recent loss of her husband of 31 years, Bill, played a part in her decision.

"I've been through a lot in my professional life and in my personal life lately, and I think it would be best for me to re-focus my attention solely to the state of POG," she said. "I want to stay here where I'm surrounded by friends and family as opposed to a busy traveling schedule."

Almone's announcement set off a buzz Tuesday, as political analysts speculated about possible successors. The most-mentioned names on the Conservative side are Damoign Gov. Sid Hoffa and Armana Gov. Dale Fulbright.

Several names have been thrown out for the NAT, including current chair of the Nationalist Governors' Association (NATGA) Gov. Lynn DeMont (E. Deschire), as well as Ceona Gov. Christine Gabler, Trinton Gov. Mark De Auonne and Veroche Gov. Linda Van Auhn.

The Chair of the Governors' Board, often simply called the "Governor General," is chosen based on which party holds a majority of the nation's 19 governorships. Then, the governors of the majority party elect their leader.

If both parties evenly split the number of governorships, the majority is given to the party which holds the majority in the Federal Senate.

Currently, there are nine Nationalist and nine Conservative governors. Because the Conservative Party holds a one-seat majority in the Senate, a CNS governor was chosen to serve as Governor General.

There are only 18 governorships in the current session because the newly-created state of Ansleigha is not factored in. In the 2010 session, Ansleigha's addition will mean a 19-member governors' board, making an outright tie between the parties impossible, unless a third party candidate wins, in which case the balance of power would once again fall to which party has the majority in the Senate.

Donna Almone has served as Governor General since January 2008. She is the first female Governor General in Grassadellian history.