Editing Nature of the Beast (section)

===Otis James, the Mayor===

"''Everything is under control!''"

Mayor James used to have it easy. In the overwhelmingly Republican town he has not had a serious challenger for his position. All he had to do to keep it was maintain the status quo. Then came the pandemic and Firdale's financial difficulties. With bedrocks of the town's economy under threat on his watch, Mayor James needs to find new solutions. Something he has never been good at, focusing as he has been on keeping things running as they always have. To him, Prospect Oil pipeline is a salvation not just for Firdale's economy but for his career as well.

In his 60s but fit for his age, Mayor James likes to project an air of an authoritative person in control of the situation. Some talk around town says that if Buckner told him to jump out of the window, James would not even stop to open it first.