Mick Preston is an amazing man, and has been a great Secretary of State. I am proud to call him an exemplary statesperson, a fine Talossan, and my good friend.
Being Secretary of State is one of the most demanding jobs in our great nation. Rather than the periodic bursts of activity that so frequently flash in Talossa, burning fiercely before guttering out like a snuffed star, the job of Secretary of State requires continuous diligence and long devotion. While each house of the Ziu has its own ceremonial leader, it is the Secretary of State in many cases who runs both chambers, working to make the efforts of our legislators into a workable reality. He is given discretion to decide what is unworkable and inorganic, and carries through the voting on each bill, each month. He sorts through confusing or confused votes. And our national elections are one of the biggest burdens a statesperson can shoulder.
On behalf of a grateful nation, I would like to thank Mick Preston for his years of service to the crown and his country. S:reu Preston has been scrupulously just and cautious in fulfilling his duty. Always careful to examine a piece of legislation, ferreting out those items that he could not accept or that came to him unready to be considered, he nonetheless stinted no bill in his treatment, regardless of his personal opinion. And in collecting votes and tabulating them, he was swift and capable. S:reu Preston says truly that he has stood on the shoulders of giants, but I think it is no exaggeration to say that future Secretary of States will sigh to themselves and say, "That Preston leaves some big shoes to fill."
Alexander Davis
Seneschal del Regipäts Talossan
