Cranefish Town Business Council

"URN"

- Cranefish Town has no official government as of yet, so some local business owners and I have formed a committee, to help oversee the city's growth. We call it the business council.

The Cranefish Town Business Council was the de facto governing body of Cranefish Town following the city's establishment after the end of the Hundred Year War. With Cranefish Town having no official government, the committee was formed by a group of local business owners to help oversee the growth of the city, thus making the city function as a corporatocracy. Acting as a deliberative assembly, representatives originated from the Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Water Tribe, though the functioning of the council was hampered by infighting between the bending and nonbending members.

History
Following the construction of the Earthen Fire Refinery, Cranefish Town underwent significant expansion as new businesses and factories were established in the area. With the city having no official government, the Cranefish Town Business Council was formed by a group of local business owners, including Lao Beifong and Liling, to oversee the growth of the city.

Under the leadership and governance of the business council, Cranefish Town continued its rapid expansion which the members on the council benefited greatly from. However, increasing mechanisation rendered many bending workers redundant and led to an escalation of violence and crime in the city. Attempts by the business council to quell the violence were hampered by conflict between its own members, with benders on one side and nonbenders the other. This friction ultimately led to the two sides sitting separately in the council chamber.

To deal with the violence, Lao invited Team Avatar to Cranefish Town and asked Avatar Aang to visit and speak at an upcoming business council meeting, suggesting that what the city really needed was "the wisdom and guidance of the Avatar". Arriving at the meeting, Sokka noted to Aang the separation of council members between benders and nonbenders, with Aang questioning why they would do so. Addressing the council, Lao proposed that bending be banned on public streets in Cranefish Town, a suggestion that was met with anger from the bending contingent of the council. The meeting ultimately erupted into chaos as council members on either side continued to argue with one another. Lao invited Aang to address the council, and in place of a bending ban the Avatar proposed to the council the establishment of a police force in the city. One of the council members, Liling, volunteered her own security team for the task, a proposal that met with unanimous support from the remaining representatives.

Organization
The Cranefish Town Business Council was a deliberative assembly, consisting during Aang and Sokka's visit of nine members: five nonbenders and four benders, though friction between each contingent meant they sat on opposite sides of the council chamber. When addressing the other council members, both Lao Beifong and Aang did so from behind a podium positioned in the center. Any member can call for a vote on an issue or proposal, which can be done with a simple show of hands from those present.

Notable members

 * Lao Beifong
 * Liling