Lona Freeman (Arabi)
Lona Freeman | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2021 | |
| 29th President of Arabi | |
| In office January 10, 2019 – January 10, 2023 | |
| Vice President | Melissa Hewitt (2019–2021) None (July–Oct 2021) Robert Stephens |
| Preceded by | Walter Freeman |
| Succeeded by | Lucien Orton |
| 31st Vice President of Arabi | |
| In office January 10, 2011 – January 10, 2019 | |
| President | Walter Freeman |
| Preceded by | Walter Freeman |
| Succeeded by | Melissa Hewitt |
| Governor of New Cambridge | |
| In office January 1, 2007 – January 1, 2011 | |
| Lieutenant Governor | Georgina Knoll |
| Preceded by | Henry Gold |
| Succeeded by | Sebastian Whittaker |
| Arabin Senator from New Cambridge | |
| In office January 8, 2003 – December 31, 2006 | |
| Preceded by | Mark Bowen |
| Succeeded by | Mark Bowen |
| CEO of New Millenium Realty | |
| In office December 30, 1994 – January 1, 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Walter Freeman |
| Succeeded by | John Freeman IV |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Lona Gail Moore March 26, 1964 Yorktown, New Cambridge |
| Political party | Democratic (2020-present) |
| Other political affiliations | LSP (until 2020) |
| Spouse | Walter Freeman (m. 1988) |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence(s) | Presidential Mansion, D.A. |
| Salary | $275,000 |
Lona Freeman (born March 26, 1964) is an Arabinian politician and who served as the 29th President of Arabi. Freeman is the first female president of Arabi. the first president to be married to a former president.
Life
Freeman was born on March 26, 1964 at St. Mary's Hospital in Yorktown, New Cambridge. Her mother is Melinda Newsom (1942) who is married to her father, Thomas Moore (1942). She has 2 younger brothers, John (1967) and Randy (1971), through her brothers she has a combined total of 4 nephews and 2 nieces.
She graduated high school in 1982 from Yorktown Senior High School and attended Northern University of New Cambridge majoring in Political Science. Freeman graduated in 1986 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.
Lona married Walter Freeman on June 18, 1988. They have three children, Michael (1989), Amanda (1991), and Christopher (1996) and they also have four grandchildren, Aiden (2016), Emma (2018), and Tara (2021), through their son Michael, and Asher (2020), through their daughter Amanda. Freeman announced on January 12, 2023, that she will become a grandmother for the fifth and sixth time through her daughter Amanda and her youngest son Christopher, they are expected to be born in August and September, respectively.
Career
Senator
Governor of New Cambridge
Vice President
Presidency
Freeman pledged to put more women in positions of power than ever before in the history of the country.
Freeman announced on December 12, 2020, that she will not run for re-election.
During her presidency, Freeman nominated three Supreme Court Associate Justices and one Chief Justice. Of the 250 federal judicial nominations, 210 have been women. Freeman created four new cabinet positions; Department of Education, Department of Labor, Department of Agriculture, Department of Energy. She nominated 13 cabinet secretaries, 2 of which were secretaries from dissolved departments.
Freeman fulfilled a major campaign promise by signing the Parental Leave Act, 2021, which ammends a the Parental Leave Act, 1987 which expands maternity leave from 12 months to 18 months with full pay and paternity leave from quarter-pay to full pay and from 3 months to 12 months.
During Freeman's presidency she has had two Vice President's; Melissa Hewitt and Robert Stephens. Hewitt resigned due to political differences with Freeman. Hewitt wrote a tell a tell-all book on her time working in the Presidential Mansion which sold 7.8 million copies throughout Arabi.
Controversy
For most of her presidency numerous reports were made that Freeman was difficult to work with, demeaning to her staff, and inconsiderate to cabinet members. In June 2021, it was reported that tensions were high between Freeman and her vice president, Melissa Hewitt. A staffer leaked that Hewitt was considering resigning due to Freeman's shifting political ideologies, backtracking on promises, and flip-flopping on policy issues. In early July 2021 a staffer leaked to the Arabin National Press that Hewitt and Freeman got into a heated altercation during a cabinet meeting with Freeman allegedly calling Hewitt "a bitch who needs to learn her place." On July 29, 2021, Hewitt resigned the Vice Presidency saying in a press conference, "I am resigning the office of Vice President effective immediately due to major political differences with the President, especially on social policies. I had been contemplating this decision for several weeks now and have decided that it is in my best interest and the best interest of the country that I no longer serve in this administration which has become so very dysfuntional over the last few months." Hewitt is scheduled to sit down with Kay Johnstone on August 8, 2021, for a tell-all interview detailing her time in the administration, what she saw, and why she believes many cabinet members will be resigning over the next several of weeks. Freeman put out a statement wishing Hewitt well on her future endeavors and hopes they can move past their differences. Freeman denied calling Hewitt "vulgar names" and says these reports are "false and inaccurate, designed to make my administration look bad," and called these reports "sexist attacks concocted by trying to convince many people that a woman cannot run a country because she is hysterical or insensitive."
Health
On October 28, 2019, Freeman announced during a press conference that she had been diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. She told reporters while she is receiving treatments she will delegate the duties of president to vice president Melissa Hewitt but would ultimately have final say in certain matters.
On March 1, 2020, Freeman announced she was in remission and later in the month will undergo a double mastectomy.