As you all know I am a newer Member to the Alborian Healer's Guild, and subsequently the The Order of the Earthen Fist. My travels prior to this membership had never brought me to a place quite like Wayside. With that in mind I would like to say a few things. Keep in mind that this is my interpretation of the discussion so far, the conclusions that I may draw from others statements may not be what they had intended.
I feel that Thorpe has a lot of very valuable knowledge in the matter of town organization, due to his extensive travels. However I feel that Lurin has made a very good point, whether he meant to or not, that change needs to come about over time. The election of a local Magistrate would be a major step forward in organization. After this has occurred and the town has settled in with this new position then maybe a council, or some form of governing body could be elected.
This would allow the growth and organization to happen over time and not be such a shock to the residents. As far as the 'unofficial tax' and building of defenses goes, I feel that those would be decisions and ideas that would need to be presented to the Council (or governing body) once it is place.
My reasoning for this is derived from two main thoughts.
The first being that if within one market day Wayside elected a new sheriff and governing body this may be taken as a sign of revolt. Now I am not familiar with the hierarchical structure that Wayside belongs to, but I feel that if I heard a report that a town was building up defenses, collecting taxes, electing officials, and producing more trade goods within a very short time period I would be very, very curious. And wary.
The second being that if a local governing body was established and began taxing, and appointing officials immediately I (as a hypothetical resident in the situation) would be very upset over all the rapid change. What would give this new 'Council' the right to start taxing me as soon as they are able to? I would not want such a council to exist for very long, I may even speculate that there were seeds of corruption.
So in conclusion I feel that change is brewing, and it is needed! It just needs to take place over time so that all the wrinkles can be worked out in each step. Thorpe has a concept of how a strong town can be developed, and Lurin has a perception of the dangers that lie in waiting. As for who to elect and how to determine the minor details within the larger plan, I feel that this needs to be decided in a Town Meeting.
I hope that you all may understand what I have tried to address here. I will most likely see you on the 4th month of this year.
May you find warmth from Winter’s sweet embrace,
Kevar, Member to the Order of the Earthen Fist