Today is the run-off election for Student Confederation president. The choice before you is between Kyle Taylor and Joe Gallina, and we hope you all vote, especially since the margin of victory could be as small as the four votes that separated Taylor and Gallina in the general election.
We, as former hopefuls ourselves, would like to take this opportunity to explain why we think Kyle Taylor is the best remaining candidate for the job.
First and foremost, Taylor's experience as a former SC vice president cannot be understated. His time in that position lends him a familiarity with the SC and its workings with the GA that no other candidate in this race possessed. As his rivals, we felt it was his greatest advantage, and as president he will use it to the benefit of the entire student body.
On the campaign trail, relationships are difficult to form, especially among opposing candidates. But as we stood outside in the frigid cold, tired, hungry and missing the comfort of our beds, there was Taylor, with a damn smile on his face. It was hard not to like the guy. Immediately, we admired his enthusiasm. But as we got to know him better, we became impressed with his vision for the future of AU. His relationships with various members of the administration place him in an excellent communicative position and will no doubt play an important role in negotiations on key policy issues that arise within the GA. As director of Eagle Nights, Taylor demonstrated his attention to detail and flair for programming. His ability to engage students in activities and events that otherwise might not attract large crowds - ahem, Vanilla Ice ... baby - is admirable and will also prove to be an asset. But, most importantly, as advertised, the guy just has great skills.
Our decision to endorse Taylor is not out of spite for Gallina. We both think that Gallina is a fine, capable individual who wants to do the best for this university. However, we feel that his adversarial tone toward the University administration will do more harm than good when it comes to securing the changes the student body wants and needs. Furthermore, we felt that his campaign promise to shape the SC into an "equal force" with the University administration was at best poorly defined and at worst totally unachievable.
As a student at the university, you should want your student government to make your experience here better in a concrete fashion. In voting for Kyle Taylor today, you will have taken the first step toward seeing that hope for substantive change realized.
Nick Johnson is a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs. James Gardner is a junior in the School of Communication and School of Public Affairs. Johnson and Gardner both ran for SC president and finished with 17 percent of the vote.
