Our Team: Feeney and Coffey

For what we hope is the last time, tomorrow the Undergraduate Council will hold in-house presidential and vice presidential elections. Our choice for president is former Campus Life Committee Co-Chair Jonathan P. Feeney '97. For vice president, we endorse Feeney's co-chair of last semester, Rudd W. Coffey '97.

Most of the candidates for president strike us as unsuited for the job. Jenn Dean '96 is a relative unknown in the council who, though she would break the recent male monopoly on the council's highest offices, would not have the experience and record necessary to be an effective leader. Former Finance Committee Chair Robert M. Hyman '98-'97 is slightly better known, but he has only served one year on the council. If he continues his productive work on the Finance Committee, he could be a good presidential candidate next year.

Former vice president Justin C. Label '97 never had an opportunity to head up a major project while on the Student Affairs Committee, and he hasn't really proven his abilities as a leader. Jeremy R. Jenkins '97-'98, who is a member of the Progressive Undergraduate Council Coalition (PUCC), would come to the office as an outsider. We admire his stance against PUCC's proposed politicization of the council, but it's not as though any of the other candidates advocate PUCC's position. Apart from this issue, Jenkins is simply inexperienced--it's his first term on the council in any capacity.

Feeney doesn't suffer from any of the problems we've listed so far. He does strike us as a bit too much of a politician, and we sometimes think he's involved in some old-fashioned croneyism with Coffey. All the same, his ideas and actions have been sound. He's strongly committed to direct elections of council executives and has been as active as Coffey in promoting council events. We therefore choose Feeney for president by process of elimination.

Coffey is our choice for vice president because we believe it's important that he stay involved in council administration. In fact, we're a little surprised that he didn't run for the top job this year--perhaps he's saving that campaign for the full-year term a direct election could garner. We endorsed Coffey for president last year, and this year he stands out in the vice presidential field.

Image has become one of Coffey's assets. He had a false start in his first-year with his homeless-in-the-Square stunt, and last year we watched his Angry Pilgrim theatrics somewhat bemused. But if Coffey is anything, he's larger than life. Frequently making announcements in dining halls, everpresent at council tablings and events, Coffey has always been at the center of the action. In fact, we would expect him to overshadow any president the council elects--and that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Coffey has a proven reputation as a mover and shaker. He has been an efficient organizer of the kind of events a glorified dance committee sponsors. Coffey's record of hard--though sometimes misguided--work makes him a fairly reliable candidate for vice president.

Even while endorsing Coffey, we have to admit that the rest of the vice presidential candidates are a far more impressive bunch than the presidential candidates; we'd almost prefer that the races were switched. Former Treasurer Brian K. Blais '97 has been a steady worker outside the limelight, and Bradford E. Miller '97 (who is a Crimson editor) has pushed for several pieces of pro-student council legislation.

Former Parliamentarian Elizabeth A. Haynes '98 has served on the University's Committee on College Life, making her one of the most significant council members to students at large. And Paul K. Kim '96, the only four-year council veteran in either race, has unchallenged integrity and commitment to student interests. We hope these four council members will stay on to usher the body through a successful year of reinvention and of helping students.