Belle Haven

Belle Haven is the national capital, largest city and the financial seat of the Commonwealth of Baker Park.
Nearly 10% of the population of the Commonwealth live within the areas that include the incorporated City and the adjoining Belle Haven County, usually referred to as "Metro Belle Haven" or "Capital Area".

From the beginning of settlement of Baker Park, Belle Haven has held a prominent place in the lives of the country's citizens, the national economy and the spirit of nationhood. In 2012, a paper by noted demographic expert Dr. Eric Headley offered up the theory that 5 out of 6 of the entire total of people who have ever lived in the country since its founding have been present in Belle Haven at least once in their lives.

History

Although Newport was the first established settlement in Baker Park, Belle Haven was selected to be the primary center of immigration and relocation for the country; on April 30, 1880--13 days following the official claim of control, when the initial wave of permanent workers arrived--the steamer Belhaven landed a party of approximately 16 on the northern edge of the river. When the "officials" present--William J Baker, oldest grandson of George W Baker; George W Baker II, his 21 year old cousin who would be the nation's second Prime Minister 25 years later; Duncan Evans Jacoby, the ship's captain who is said to have chosen the spot; and two other Baker Company employees--had done the ritual preliminaries, they drove heavy cast iron spikes into the ground in the manner of a star.

This was not at the place that was later designated as "Zero Point", the round disk from where all official measurements of distances in the country are drawn; until well into the 1960's the mythology that the two spots were the same was widely accepted, but research showed that the spot where the spikes were hammered in was approximately 30-40 feet to the west, and about 15 feet further away from the river's edge.

Governance

Belle Haven was the first municipality in the Commonwealth to be designated as a city under the definitions laid out in the Commonwealth of Baker Park Act (1892) [as amended]. It received a charter from Parliament upon passage of the Corporation of the City of Belle Haven Act (1893) [as amended] (Public Law 1-1-16) which provided for a Corporation Board, consisting of three individuals chosen by the State Assembly to oversee the financial affairs of the city; an elected Council; and a Mayor elected separately from the rest of the council.

The Corporation Board is solely responsible for all revenue & spending, with the Chairman directing the functions of the other two officers: the Secretary, in charge of expenditure, and the Bailiff, who collects revenue.

The Mayor and Council appoint the heads of the departments for the city: Public Safety (police/fire/emergency), Public Works (roads/sanitation/health). and Public Utilities (water/power/sewer). The top official of other offices are filled by civil servants--Law, Zoning & Planning, Parks & Recreation, Personnel, Permits & Inspections, Transit.