Use the form to vote for Illiton’s new Seneschal. (Votes can also be sent by email to [email protected].) Votes must be received by 8pm Central Time on 4/28.
The new Senechal will be announced here on 4/29/2022
CLICK HERE FOR THE GOOGLE VOTING FORM
Candidates
*Click Name to Read More About the Candidates*
Sir Ixtilixochitl, KSCA, OP
Master Wilhelm Michalik, OP
Sir Ixtilixochitl, KSCA, OP
I, Sir Ixtilixochitl, Master of the Pelican and Knight (mundanely called Bo Ring), do hereby put my name forward as a candidate to succeed Oda Dono as Seneschal of the Barony of Illiton.
I discovered the SCA after my friend, Drix (now Master Andrixos), encountered it at the Jubilee Old English Faire. It was Drix also who handed me my first rattan sword in December of 1981, when he returned to Galesburg. I was a founding member of the Shire of Iron Steed, where I was warranted as an armored combat marshal in 1986 and have been a warranted marshal ever since that day. I would get my first experience as seneschal serving there, as well as my first opportunity to be an autocrat (many are the events that I have autocratted in the ensuing years). After Iron Steed, I spent two years in the Shire of Baile na Scolari. I was recognized as a knight at Pennsic War, in August of 1994. Upon my return from that Pennisc, I found myself a member of the March of Lochmorrow.
In Lochmorrow, I would serve as Seneschal four different terms as seneschal in the last 28 years. It was in my first tenure as seneschal the Lochmorrow would host three interkingdom wars. I served as the first Kingdom Marshal of Youth Combat from 2000-2003. I was recognized with my second peerage during that time, becoming a Master of the Pelican. Lochmorrow grew from the Macomb area to also include Quincy when the Shire of River Keep folded. I was the officer that was entrusted by the kingdom to handle that transition.
During a later term as seneschal, I recognized that the college focus that Lochmorrow had would always leave it suspectable to wide variations in membership. For that reason, I led the change to make the formerly independent March into a Canton of the Barony of Illiton. This turned out to be a very good choice for the strength of both groups.
In addition to the offices listed above I have served as regional commander and XO for the Midlands Army more times than I can count including being called upon by the kingdom to step in one year as XO in July for Pennsic because I could be counted on to do the job on that short of notice. I have also been asked by the Kingdom to train new commander for this position. Finally, I have also served at the Society level as a member of the Grand Council when that organization was created to advice the BOD.
I feel these qualifications give me the experience needed to serve as seneschal during this time for the entire Barony, not just my Canton. Should I be chosen, my goals would be to find ways to make the Barony grow. It is the core of new members that for years served as the strength of Illtion. While many of the members used to come via the Olde English Faire and that source is no longer ours, the concept is still crucial. New blood as members and as officers will be what sustains Illiton as it approaches its 50th year as a group. Fresh ideas come with new risks that the Barony must take–as it has so many times in the past. Change is hard but sometimes needed. The trick is to retain the best of the old traditions while allowing new ideas an opportunity to flourish.
If chosen as seneschal, this is how I plan to lead our barony from the mundane side while, at the same time, making sure that I am working hand-in-hand with the Baron and Baroness of Illiton, who lead us in the fun of the SCA.
Yours in Service,
Sir Ixtilixochitl, KSCA, OP
Master Wilhelm Michalik, OP
I, Michael Mihallik, known in the Society as Wilhelm Michalik, do hereby submit myself as candidate for the Office of Seneschal of Illiton.
I have served in this role in the past, and have also been routinely relied upon by the subsequent Office holders to run the business meetings in their absence. I continue to maintain the Office of Seneschal for Illiton’s Canton of Lochmorrow, where I serve alongside my fellow candidate, Bo Ring, known in the Society as Ixtilixochtl de los Indios.
I currently chair the committee to review and to revise the Baronial Charter and Operational Procedures. I believe I am a “known quantity” within the Barony, and therefore the manner in which I intend to execute the Office of Seneschal will be no particular surprise to the Baronial Populace.
If elected by the Populace and deemed acceptable to the Regional and Kingdom Seneschals, my intention is to maintain business meetings at the length required for business, and no longer. We all spend too much time working to support our families and interests to add unnecessary duration to a Baronial business meeting.
Further, I intend to work with my fellow Officers, and with Their Excellencies, to encourage and support the current serving Officers. I intend to demystify the roles and responsibilities of the Officers with the Populace, so as to encourage persons to serve Our Barony. By the end of my term, my intention is to ensure that all serving Officers have trained and active Deputies, and that there is a pool of potential successors who are willing to maintain what we’ve built.
“Many hands make light work”, goes the old proverb, and I feel that an Officer who feels empowered, who has the resources to achieve their duties, and who has Deputies to assist them in their efforts will find the burdens of Office to be less onerous than they seem to have become.
This Barony has had my service and my love for over a quarter-century. I want to see Illiton rise again from the wreckage of recent world events, and to show this Kingdom that Illiton has weathered the storms and come out stronger. I will be relying upon the entire Populace to help me, and I will be calling upon you all “to serve where serve you might”.
Yours In Service – Wilhelm