Nettlebrook's government and founding families

Hello readers,

I'm back at my keyboard. I hit the road for a few days to evade what Carmen rather accurately refers to as "government snoops." I fear Mayor Hale or others in the local government have indeed caught on to my presence, so keeping my head down and out of sight is of utmost importance.

That said, I just can't keep silent. I feel a responsibility to get this information out into the world, before I'm possibly censored for good. I'll hide for as long as I have to, but once I put all the pieces of this sordid puzzle together, I will take legal action.

Until then, I'll try and keep you all in the loop. This post may not be as exciting as my last ones, but it is just as important. In order to understand what is going on in Nettlebrook right now, you must have a grasp of the many elements at play. Today I'm going to talk about the structure of Nettlebrook's government and its players--including the ones who may or may not have threatened my life and drove me out of town all those years ago.



Nettlebrook's government, plainly put, is an oligarchy. The Mayor and his council are not elected. Only the wealthiest men in town are viable for positions of power, and, as I described in a previous post, those positions of power tend to stay in the family, or are shared by two or more families. The Mayor's council consists of a few of these wealthy men, though all of the wealthy men can exhibit influence on the town, be it through the government or by financial means. Today, the Mayor's council is made up of 5 men (formerly 6, while Peter Chamberlain was alive): Mayor Dick Hale, Police Chief Carney Hawthorne, Pastor Herb Worthington, Finance Director Archibald Harris, and Bogwick Headmaster Alexander Wick. The extent of the power these men weild is unknown, which is more than worrisome. It is also important to note that according to the Nettlebrook history I have managed to dig up in my time as a reporter, the Hales, Hawthornes, Wicks, as well as the Stones and Graves are named as founders of the town. In order to corroborate this and get more solid historical information, we'll need access to the town's archive.

Speaking of the Stones, who have historically owned Nettlebrook Library along with the Harrises. Dewey Stone is the current head librarian. Why is the library important? I suspect that old editions of The Babbling Brook (including ones with my articles in them) are archived there, since they are not kept at the printing press. That is why I've charged Carmen to work there, in order to see if this true. And if it is true, to find a way in.

Another important figure to keep in mind is Funeral Director (and Coroner) Cecil Graves. In the past, he was not forthcoming with some pertinent information and I have reason to believe his reports are not always accurate. More on that another time.

I hope this clears things up for you all.

Stay safe out there.
H