Calvin Elmore

Calvin Elmore
Calvin Elmore, pictured late January 2015
President of the Pavonistadian Provinces
Incumbent
Assumed office February 17, 2019 (2019-02-17)
Vice President	Otakta Sgriki
Preceded by	Matthew Azurite
Governor of North Pavonistade
In office March 16, 2007 (2007-03-16) – July 11, 2018 (2018-07-11)
Personal details
Born	Calvin Maximus Elmore (1957-07-20) July 20, 1957 Paisbury, North Pavonistade
Nationality	Pavonistadian
Political party	Democratic Party
Other political affiliations	PDF
Residence(s)	Presidential Palace (official) Paisbury, North Pavonistade (personal)
Alma mater	University of Vadopol
Occupation	President

Calvin Maximus Elmore (born July 20, 1957) is a Pavonistadian politician currently serving as the President of Pavonistade.

Elmore was born in Paisbury and graduated from the University of Vadopol. His political career began by serving on the municipal council of his hometown. He subsequently served as Mayor of Paisbury from 1997 to 2005, as an affiliate of Pavonistade of Democracy and Freedom (PDF). Following his leadership in Paisbury, Elmore ran in the North Pavonistadian gubernatorial election on behalf of the Democratic Party and was elected Governor of North Pavonistade. In 2018, Elmore was elected President of Pavonistade in an upset.

While Elmore has been described as a Democratic politician and a PDF politician in the past, he has refused to identify strongly with political labels. He asserts a centrist stance, proclaiming himself to be the ally of all Pavonistadians.

Early Life

Calvin Elmore was born on July 20, 1957 in the Paisbury Hospital Center. His parents were Alexander Elmore and Helen Elmore, the former a municipal councillor and the latter a political journalist. Elmore is one of the three children in the family that also includes older brother James (b. December 1, 1955) and younger sister Fiona (b. March 25, 1959).

Elmore attended the Dextor Northwind Primary School. He then enrolled in Caprara Secondary School, where he led a cultural club, participated in the junior and senior basketball teams, and was the valedictorian in his graduating year of 1975. Later, he enrolled in the University of Vadopol, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a minor in English.

Political Career

Paisbury Municipal Council

In 1989, Elmore ran for the Paisbury municipal council. He was elected as one of the fifty municipal councillors, beginning his political career. Throughout his term, he was a member of the Wildrose Party, which was affiliated with the national Pavonistade of Democracy and Freedom. He quickly gained recognition for a "down-to-earth" attitude and helping pass measures which were recognized as effective. A commonly-cited example took place in 1994, when Elmore proposed mandatory and strictly-monitored participation in behavioural intervention programs for minor offenders, as well as ensuring that any behavioural interventions were tailored for unique personal needs. Both measures were later credited by the Paisbury Police Force for curbing petty crimes and recidivism rates among minor offenders.

In 1997, Elmore ran for Mayor of Paisbury on behalf of the Wildrose Party. He picked Marc Desjardins, a municipal councillor and a member of the Forward Paisbury party (affiliated with the Democratic Party), as his running mate. While the choice of Desjardins was considered unusual, Elmore believed that having Desjardins as a running mate can allow cross-party differences and issues to be better resolved. The duo won the municipal election decisively in 1997; Elmore took office on July 20 while Desjardins was inaugurated as Deputy Mayor.

Elmore's leadership in Paisbury had encountered and addressed multiple controversies, such as policing incidents. However, he managed to enact by-laws over which the city's local parties were in impasse; the Paisbury Daily had described him as the first cross-party unifier in the city's history. He won re-election in 2001, but he opted not to seek another term in 2005.

Governor of North Pavonistade

Several weeks after leaving his position as Paisbury mayor, Elmore announced that he had become a member of the Democratic Party. This represented a major shift in his ideologies, since it effectively demonstrated a break in his ties with the Wildrose Party and the PDF Party. Elmore secured the Democratic nomination for the upcoming 2006 gubernatorial election in North Pavonistade. This success was seen as unusual by Democratic and non-Democratic members alike, as Elmore was a Democratic newcomer, though it was later viewed as welcome news for the Democratic Party. Elmore won the election with a slim majority and was soon inaugurated Governor of North Pavonistade.

As Governor, Elmore called for greater support of individual citizens and small settlements. He was considered instrumental in supporting the 2008 North Pavonistade Grants Act, which facilitated access of individuals and small businesses to provincial financial grants. He also proposed a ban on major officeholders from partaking in sensitive private sector activities (e.g. lobbying) after leaving office, citing a need to curb unfair advantages and corruption. The ban, colloquially known as Elmore's Boot, was implemented in early 2013.

Elmore was able to win re-election in 2010 and 2014. Though his governance had mostly been received warmly, Elmore promulgated several acts that were controversial. For instance, his decision to eliminate drug testing from the qualifying criteria for welfare gained significant criticism for several months. His lasting popularity and his ability to bring opposing parties together had been widely remarked upon. Dan Rotheman, the former Governor of North Pavonistade, commented that "something in him [Elmore] helps heal wounds and bridges divides between people with many parts in common."

Presidency

In 2017, Elmore announced his intentions to run for Presidency. He was confirmed as the Democratic nominee for the 2018 election, in the process beating other Democratic candidates considered to be forerunners. He resigned from his position as Governor of North Pavonistade to focus on his presidential campaign. In his campaign trail, he faced then-incumbent President (and Social Democratic candidate) Matthew Azurite and PDF candidate Aurelia Robin.

Elmore won the 2018 election with a sizable majority. His victory was considered an upset, as the Democratic Party - expected to become the official opposition - instead won seats that were traditionally won by other parties (especially the PDF). This also marked the first time that a incumbent Pavonistadian president lost re-election in several decades. He was inaugurated President of Pavonistade on February 17, 2019.

Political Positions and Ideology

Calvin Elmore has been described as being more centrist than most other prominent Pavonistadian leaders. Some data aggregators such as Cooperation in Politics have indicated Elmore as also being ideologically distant from other leading Pavonistadian politicians. He is described as a Third Way politician in support of economic intervention and a mixed economy. His positions on various policies such as maintenance of "responsible Internet surveillance" have gained attention because of its contrast with the mainstream positions of the Democratic Party or PDF. As with numerous left-wing and centrist politicians, Elmore rejects overt militarism and support a non-interventionist foreign policy.

Elmore had spoken regarding his positions, stating, "I am going forward and only forward, for not only myself but for all of the country, for too much of a shift to the left or to the right may prove more detrimental."

Social Issues

Elmore is one of the major proponents of LGBT rights in Pavonistade. While he was mayor of Paisburg, he said that "if a person cannot choose to be homosexual, there's no real reason for us to say that homosexuality is immoral." He outlawed discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the private sector in the city; many cities followed suit prior to related constitutional amendments. As Governor of North Pavonistade, he supported a constitutional amendment to permit individuals to change their legal gender, an amendment which came into effect in 2011. As President, Elmore has also signed laws ensuring equal rights and protection from discrimination for transgender people.

Personal Life

The Presidential Palace is the official residence of Calvin Elmore. Like most Pavonistadian presidents, he has a personal residence, which in his case is located in his hometown of Paisbury. The Paisbury residence is one of the possible vacation sites of Elmore.

Elmore's current wife is Eileen Miranda-Elmore, and both were married since May 10, 1998. They had a son, Payton Elmore, who was born on June 15, 2000. Calvin Elmore was married to a previous wife, Gwen Williams, from 1987 to 1989. Before they divorced over irreconcilable differences, the couple had a daughter, Sarah Elmore, who is residing outside of Pavonistade.

Elmore is known to be interested in association football (aside from basketball) and soft science fiction. His musical tastes, while varied, tend to involve classical, rock and roll and punk songs. He is also known for having an interest in anime (both Japanese and Japanese-inspired) and video games, both being uncommon interests among Pavonistadian politicians.