UPDATE: February 29, 12:39 AM – The legislature has voted nay 3-2 on Andino for Secretary of State. Speaker Joanna Poole and Lucas Evans voted aye, while Artemis Blackthorne, Lilith Fox, and Emilie Paxton voted nay. We’ve reached out to Mr. Andino, Speaker Poole, and Governor Key, and will update should we receive a response.
Our original article, posted on Feb. 26, can be read below:
Governor Damien Key has nominated a candidate for Secretary of State. This candidate is Michael Andino, who runs production studio STARGAZE. The nomination has already drawn critique from the public, and has yet to be voted on by the Ninth Congress. If the legislature confirms Andino’s nomination, and there is no federal veto, he will become the new Secretary of State after the resignation of Link Jordins.
“[The nomination] has been in discussion for a while, and I know Damien — he likes to have a lot of options on the table, so he can make the best decision,” says Andino in conversation with Shout News.
“When it comes to the Executive Branch, I know Damien has been trying his heart out on it,” says Andino. “Sometimes people gotta leave, they gotta go, that’s the cycle of things. My goal is to go in there and help Damien carry out his vision for the government, and modernize the systems that need to be brought up to date.” Andino specifically cites electioneering, the party listings, and public education as his top priorities for the office.
Members of the public took to Y, the social media network formerly known as Twitter, to voice their displeasure of Andino’s nomination. “Probably one of the worst nominations to go with,” wrote one citizen. “Can’t believe your room temp IQ ass got into the government,” posted another.
“I don’t want to disparage criticisms, because I think it’s important to be critical of your government,” Andino says. “Some of the criticisms I’ve seen very inconsistent. There’s a lot of ties, a lot of baggage there I’m not going to go into.” Andino stressed he is eager to discuss concerns with any citizens, whether that be through a private medium or a public event, and encouraged people to reach out. “I’m only a call away.”
Andino spoke about how the Secretary of State is often an administrative role, combined with the idea of a press secretary. Andino states his history in communications and entertainment make him a natural fit for the press secretary side of the role. “In terms of the more traditional duties of the Secretary of State, I will admit I’ve never been a clerk before, but I’m confident in my ability to step into the role. I’ve always been involved in the political process, I even had my own political party when I ran for governor for the first time, so I’m willing to take on the role, and anything I can’t do I’m willing to educate myself on.”
He adds, “I want to give some accountability and transparency to the people — giving them an avenue where they can address their government directly.”
UPDATE March 2nd – We have received comments from involved parties on this piece, which can be found listed below.
“I want to thank Damien, Joanna, and Lucas for lending me their support and confidence, and those many out there that have sent their love and compassion. You know who you are. I’m not going to dwell too much on this. We gave it our shot, but it wasn’t to be. So now, we do the only thing we can do, and we pick ourselves up and we move on to the next thing.”
Michael Andino
In response to his unsuccessful appointment to Secretary of State, Speaker Joanna Poole of the Legislative also stated the following:
“Mr. Andino wrote us a letter and I had asked him what goals he had as Secretary of State. I thought they were pretty sound, but I was personally was the only one to reply to his email. After the vote was concluded, I noticed a lot of negative commentary surrounding Mr. Andino’s nomination on Y and I assumed other Representatives were spoken to where I had not, which is fine. We have a democratic process and it worked the way it was supposed to, and I am glad that Representatives voted in what they believed was in the best interests of the citizens of the State.”
Joanna Poole
Governor Damien Key released an official statement on the nomination on March 2nd, 2024.
Leave a Reply