Fellow Athenians. I welcome you all to assembly today, I see that the gods have granted you favor by being present at assembly today. For what could be more important than helping to shape our great state. I come here today not to divide Athens, but to protect it and do what is best for our fair city. With that in mind I ask you to consider what brought about the horrors in our past, horrors which we have just now started to recover from. It was the leadership of our city that brought about it's downfall. I am sure you will agree with me when I say that not just anyone is fit or capable of leading Athens. Leadership of a city is not something to be taken lightly, it requires a strong person who is committed to doing what is best for the city, even if that something is not good for them, or is unpopular. It takes a certain kind of person to be able to withstand that kind of pressure, and come through to the other side of it still standing by all of the decisions that they have made. One who is going to lead our city should have been well educated and show intellectual merit, they should also be committed to doing what is best for the city, even if it means sacrificing their own life.

Do not think, fellow citizens that I am saying that there are only a few citizens, or one person that should rule our city forever. I too remember the hard times that we all suffered through, and are still recovering from. While one needs to have merit to lead our great city they should not have all of the power that they want. I feel that our current system of selecting those positions for a short while by lot is successful in ensuring that no one party or person gains too much power. I feel that if we simply limited the pool of names in the drawing to those that had merit then we would be able to run our city more effectively. After all does a simple shoemaker understand all of the proceedings and policies that are required to govern our state. While they are extremely successful at making shoes they would not necessarily be as successful in a position of leadership in our assembly. This is not to say that all shoemakers would be ineffective leaders, simply that not all people are suited to leading the assembly.

We have tried many different ways of selecting leaders in the past. They have not succeed. Instead of simply selecting leaders by random lot, I think that our leaders should be chosen based on their merit. For would you not chose the best builder for the construction of your home, or the best warrior to lead your troops and defend your home. Why would you not chose the best leaders to shape the great city that you call home? I therefore propose that we limit who is able to receive a position of leadership to those that have merit.

Proposal

1. Create a leadership Lottery

   1. positions of leadership include: president of assembly, heralds, archons

   2. comprised of men, in assembly, who have shown leadership skills and merit a position of leadership

   3. No limit on number of men included

   4. If elected person serves for life

      1. Man will be expelled if found guilty of ANY crime against the state.

2. Immediate Inclusion

   1. to be performed immediately after proposal passes

   2. Submit name and reason for inclusion in 50 words or less

   3. President will read names and reasons

   4. Decided by majority vote

3. Nomination for inclusion in Lottery

   1. to be used to include others in lottery after the initial inclusion

   2. Anyone in the assembly can nominate

   3. nominator gives reasons for inclusion

   4. Decided by majority vote

4. Distribution of Positions

   1. positions will be chosen by lot, as before

   2. lot will be conducted from only those in the Leadership Lottery