Francisco “Pacho” Carreno ’06 was elected president of the senior class during last week’s WSA elections. In addition, Daniel Heller ’06 will be treasurer, and Calvin Cato ’06 was elected secretary. The results of the vice-president’s election were nullified and a new vote is taking place this week due to the disqualification of candidate Taylor Bentley ’06.
On Friday night the WSA Elections Committee was informed by a vice-presidential candidate that Bentley had hung a campaign sign within 15 feet of a public computer on the third floor of the Campus Center. The location of the poster was a breach of the WSA Constitution.
“We informed the candidate in question, and [Bentley] confirmed that the flier in question belonged to and was hung by the candidate,” said WSA Coordinator Ali Gomer ’05. “The Elections Committee followed the constitutional guidelines and disqualified the candidate.”
Bentley claims that, according to the WSA Constitution, his action did not merit disqualification but merely removal from the ballot. Furthermore, he argues that the WSA followed a questionable procedure by alerting him to the violation a mere two minutes before the meeting in which he was expected to defend himself.
“Contrary to what the WSA makes it sound like, violating the election law is not an automatic ground for dismissal,” Bentley said. “The fact that the computer is
considered a ‘campus computer facility’ is a little questionable. I am still fighting for what I want and running in spite of this setback.”
Each of the other three races, for which winners were determined, yielded relatively large margins for the winners.
“It was a tough election but the results were fair,” Carreno said. “At the end of the day, I think I won because people trust me. I think they know that I’ll do everything I can to make sure our senior year is unforgettable.”
Carreno beat his opponents by a large margin, garnering 123 votes, almost twice the votes of the runner-up, Jordan Schulkin ’06.
Likewise, Cato received 163 votes, compared to the 76 votes cast for runner-up Jennifer Kim ’06. The election for treasurer was more competitive, with Heller getting 174 votes and James Charney ’06 finishing second with 111 votes.
“I know I didn’t campaign as hard as James Charney, my number one competitor,” Heller said. “I felt that those who knew me trusted me, and that they would trust me with their money. My biggest concern was getting people to the polls.”
“I was impressed to see that 60 percent of the class voted,” Carreno said. “I think that the large turnout has a lot to do with the nature of our class, but also with the intensity of the campaign.”
Rather than tallying the remaining votes of the vice-presidential election and declaring a victor, the WSA chose to postpone the vote. According to Gomer, tallying the remaining votes would disenfranchise those students who voted for the disqualified candidate.
“By holding a second election, all juniors can have their vote for vice president counted, not just the juniors who voted for a candidate who was not disqualified,” Gomer said. “I think it is unfortunate that this had to happen, and I really feel badly for the disqualified candidate because it is a disappointing thing to have happen in an election. However, my committee did what the constitution states we should do in such a situation and that’s really why the Election Committee exists – to make sure the rules of the Constitution are upheld to the best of our abilities.”
At the WSA meeting on Sunday, possible improvements to the election guidelines of the constitution were discussed. The idea of amending campaign rules and disqualification procedures was discussed but a decision was postponed until the Constitutional Review Committee reports on the issue to the Assembly within a few weeks.
“I’m generally happy with the results,” Carreno said. “There were a few unexpected things that I wish had gone a little differently, but I think that the Coordinating Committee of the WSA handled them really well.”
The election for vice president will be held for five days, starting on Monday, Apr. 11, and continuing until Friday night at midnight. Students can vote at http://wesleyan.edu/wsa/voting.
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