Overview
STF is perhaps best described as an Elected Dictatorship, or a Constitutional Monarchy, depending on one's point of view. Every 8 months, approximately, the members of STF elect a President and Vice President. For the remainder of the President's term, he (although STF has had a female President in the past, I will use the male pronoun exclusively, for grammatical reasons) serves as an elected despot, with the authority to change virtually any facet of the club administration by the issuance of an Edict. The only matter which the President cannot change, in fact, is the date of the next election. At least, in theory.
In practice, because the President is elected by the membership, he must remain responsive to their concerns.
Also, because STF has become a larger club than it was when this method of governence was first enacted, power has moved from the top level, to the unelected bureaucracy of Cabinet officers, who head the various Fleets and Departments of STF. However, the President has the authority to hire and fire these officials at any time, which preserves a guarantee against a runaway cabinet officer.
Current Administration
Andrew Robinson took office as STF's current President on 2 August 2008, succeeding Daniel Lerner.
The Cabinet
The Cabinet is composed of the heads of the five STF departments (Personnel, Gamemaster, Engineering, Internet and Academy), and the six Fleets (numbered 1-6) of STF. Each officer reports directly to the President and Vice President.
Although normally the Cabinet members tend to hold high RPG ranks, holding such a rank is not a requirement. In an earlier administration, the Academy Commandant, for example, held the rank of Lieutenant junior grade. However, the responsibility inherent in a Cabinet post tends to also be demonstrated in role-playing, and vice versa, so rank and cabinet positions often do indeed go hand in hand.
Current Cabinet
| Office | Chief | Primary Assistant |
| Commander, First Fleet | Captain David Wonderley | Fleet Captain Jody Romero |
| Commander, Second Fleet | Captain John Lucas | Captain Cale Reilly |
| Commander, Third Fleet | Captain Kendra Abbott | Captain Robin Bird |
| Commander, Fourth Fleet | Fleet Captain Krys Bromilow | Fleet Captain Joe Fahey |
| Commander, Fifth Fleet | Captain Jim Hosick | Captain Mick Lee |
| Commander, Sixth Fleet | Captain Missy Bradley | Captain D Grisham |
| Director, Personnel Department | Fleet Captain Brian Olinski | Fleet Captain Daniel Lerner |
| Director, Engineering Department | Fleet Captain Jen Herr | Lieutenant Andrew Dillingham |
| Director, Gamemaster Department | Fleet Captain Phillip Stonness | Captain Joseph Bradley |
| Director, Internet Department | Fleet Captain Russell Watt | Admiral Larry Garfield |
| Commandant, Academy | Commodore Jack Dipper | Fleet Captain Joe Fahey |
Edicts and History
The current administration and several previous administrations were able to preserve and archive their edicts for posterity on this site. Unfortunately, the living history available is still highly limited, representing only a small fraction of STF's existence.
In 1991, STF's existence began as a purely military structure, with a pantheon of Admirals administering the group exclusively. Dissatisfaction with this led to several legislative bodies, from 1992s 'Senior Admirals' Council, (which evolved into the Officers, and later Advisory, Council) and 'Fleet Admirals' (which evolved into the Cabinet) Council. After the abdication of STF's second 'Flag Admiral,' Jim Midyette assumed the leadership, and instituted an elected Presidency atop the Councils. The lower councils themselves were determined to be a source of eternal bickering (like any other legislative body.. see the Congress or any Parliament..), and were phased out of existence in several abrupt steps. The higher council became, much like the US Cabinet, a politically appointed body, but the officers therein are generally selected for their aptitude for a given job, rather than as a means of implementing a specific agenda.
The former legislative council, however, did rise to prominence during a vacancy in the Presidency, which as a result briefly made STF a Parliamentary rather than an Executive system. During this time, several "OC bills" attained the same legal status as the more familiar Presidential Edict. With more clear rules on Presidential succession (namely, past the Vice President, the highest RPG ranked member becomes acting President, and holds immediate elections), such a situation should never arise again.
