The Official PEP Newsletter
Meet Kalistan's Minister of Environmental Affairs: Wendell Archibald-Richardson
Richardson speaking at a fundraiser for environmental awareness in Kalistan.
Just a few years ago with the election of President Foster, the PEP's candidate for Environmental Affairs, Wendell Archibald-Richardson, once again took his place at the helm of environmental protection in Kalistan. Richardson had served for nearly a decade, from 4121-4130, before he was ousted after the One Kalistan Party, formerly known as the Neoconservatives, shocked the nation by winning the Presidency and implementing their own agenda into the National Cabinet. Richardson has since worked tirelessly to re-implement the successes that he had championed in Kalistan's Environmental Department since the One Kalistan Party undid the majority of his work.
Richardson's family has long been entangled in the web of politics. Richardson's political name, Archibald, is an heirloom of the family. The first Archibalds lived in Rutania, serving in numerous councils and local governmental positions. However, after centuries of service in Rutania, they decided to move to the Kalistani province of Ananto as they saw a unique opportunity to help make this newly-emerging nation prosper. Many Archibalds served in the National Assembly as part of the now-disbanded SOPK. Around the time of its collapse, Richardson was serving as a lower-level SOPK official in Ananto. As the party began its decline, many disillusioned members left the party and with the cooperation of many other individuals, formed what we know today as the Populist Environmental Party. Richardson was one of the chief members in the founding of the party and has been a major part of it ever since. However, he had served in politics for quite some time and wasn't prepared to take on a leadership position. Thus, the role of Party Chairman went to another founding father; Jacob Knapp, who still leads the party today. Currently, Richardson's wife of forty years, Lisa Archibald-Patterson, heads the PEP's Science Department and his son, Blake-Archibald Richardson, is the party's Secretary and was a competitor in the PEP's Presidential Primary.
Since his re-implementation as Kalistan's Environmental Minister in 4132, Richardson has championed major reform. In March of 4133, he sponsored a bill, the Environmental Protection Act of 4133, which passed the Assembly with 427 votes. The bill, which contained five articles, was one of the biggest pushes for environmental reform in Kalistan's history. In 4134, Richardson took a co-leadership position in Jacob Knapp's "Voters Against Big Oil" organization. Richardson helped one member of the organization, the Parti Progressiste Socialiste de Kanjor, champion a bill which implemented the largest amount of environmental reform in Kanjor's history. Since then, Richardson has helped to grow a government-sponsored solar company, Sunpower Co., into one of the largest alternative energy providers in Kalistan. During the rest of his tenure, Richardson has promised to protect and implement new environmental reform to provide a "brighter, cleaner future for Kalitan." However, Richardson has hinted at potential retirement plans and might be planning to appoint his son, Blake Archibald-Richardson, as the candidate for his currently held ministry.