The Independence Islands Advisory Council is the primary legislative and consultative body for the Independence Islands Territory, and has been since it’s first session began in 2047.
The Advisory Council has little official power, legally only existing to advise the Governor, although in practice the Governor will often rubber stamp resolutions made by the Advisory Council on things of which the Governor has little interest or experience, which will then be carried out by the various organs of the territorial government.
Given the size of the territory, the Advisory Council is a part time position, meeting for a week every month, and most of it’s members have traditionally been residents who have other, often offbeat, careers, as is exemplified by surfboard maker “Sleepy” Skagul, the current Council Chair Jenny Geddes Orlop, who is a sailmaker and swimsuit maker, and Matt Gaetz, a Veterinarian.
Districts have for the most part gone unchanged for almost sixty years following the creation of Iktat’s 3rd and 3th Districts, and the 2nd Outlying District, as the population has been mostly stable, although it is assumed that redistricting authority falls to the Governor, and is subject to the whims thereof, although no governor has used this power except when requested by the Advisory Council.
Given that the majority of Non-Kanaga residents of the islands are members of the Coast Guard or their dependents, most are disqualified from public office, resulting in a plurality of the Advisory Council’s members being Kanaga, with the sole exception being Matt Gaetz.
The Casual Putsch was a political crisis brought about by Acting Governor Captain John Jackson’s controversial decision to ban the practice of casual fridays for Civil Servants and Civilian Contractors in the territory, as well as instituting a dresscode for the Advisory Council when Governor and Rear Admiral Noreen Sanders went on leave to attend a family reunion in Delray Beach, Boca Raton.
Upon discovery on their arrival for that they now had to wear formal dress including long pants during council sessions, multiple Councilmembers were heard muttering angrily, and decided Acting Governor Jackson had become a tyrant who needed to be stopped.
To that end, the angry Councilmembers, led by “Sleepy” Skagul and discovered that Jackson had been foolishly using the one restroom in the Council House that locked from the outside, proceeded to lock him in said bathroom, and barricaded the doors to the Council House while they attempted to reach Admiral Sanders, leaving Jackson in the room for four agonizing hours.
Finally, having reached the Admiral, she was found to agree with the Council’s complaint that Jackson had overstepped his bounds, and agreed to rescind Jackson’s appointment, and to hand temporary authority over to Council Chair Jenny Geddes Orlop, until Admiral Sanders returned from vacation that friday. After this, Captain Jackson was released from his temporary imprisonment, the remainder of the Council session went on as usual, sans dresscode, and casual fridays were reinstated.