[@deegee]

I've been mulling over a few character ideas and narrowed it down to a local rancher with considerable influence on the town. Perhaps he is more aligned with the 'tycoon' character at the beginning, mostly for his own personal gain. I could see them having an agreement of some kind in exchange for his cooperation - maybe land rights or a promise of a political future. However, throughout the story, he becomes more jaded by the tycoon's actions (I'm sure there will be some persuasion from the townsfolk as well). This could culminate in a significant event that serves as a turning point. I don't want to get [i]too[/i] ahead of myself, though! We should probably allow things to play out naturally and see where we are from there.

I was also toying around with the idea of the town priest or clergyman, but I don't have that concept fully fleshed out yet.