Capp Takes VP In Close Vote

Former Undergraduate Council (UC) vice-presidential candidate Clay T. Capp ’06 was elected UC vice president by a plurality of members yesterday, narrowly defeating outgoing senior Jason L. Lurie ’05 22-20 in a secret ballot vote.

Several UC members—including Lurie—said that the unexpectedly high number of votes for council contrarian and outgoing senior Lurie reflected disenchantment with the circumstances surrounding the election process and the resignation of former UC Vice President Ian W. Nichols ’06.

Lurie was the only other candidate to run for the position, after at least ten UC members declined nominations.

Two representatives who many had expected to seek the position—Student Affairs Committee Chair (SAC) Aaron D. Chadbourne ’06 and UC Treasurer Faraz N. Munaim ’06—announced in e-mails prior to the UC meeting that they would not run.

Capp had run alongside UC President Matthew J. Glazer ’06, but was narrowly defeated in a rare split-ticket vote.

Last night, Capp attributed the lack of competition to members’ acknowledgment that the vice president’s job was simply a lot of work. “I think people just realized what the job was, and that it wasn’t that sexy of a job,” Capp said.

But Munaim said later that he was discouraged from running by an e-mail from former UC Vice President Michael R. Blickstead ’05 and by the widespread knowledge that Glazer had privately endorsed Capp.

“There’s nothing wrong with Matt saying that he wanted Clay, but the only thing is what it does is it dissuades other people [from running] because you know that you’re not the number one choice,” said Munaim, adding that though he thinks Capp will make a good vice president, he was disillusioned with the election process.

Glazer said that though he thought UC members would expect that he would support his former running-mate’s candidacy, he remained open to other potential candidates.

“When people asked me about whether they wanted to run or not, I did tell people that I wasn’t only capable of working with Clay,” Glazer said.

Former UC President Matthew W. Mahan ’05 and Blickstead sent numerous e-mails to prospective candidates articulating their endorsement for Capp.

“Although I was not personally discouraged from running I know that several other serious candidates were contacted by leadership of this administration and last year’s administration discouraging their desire to run,” said former vice-presidential candidate Samita A. Mannapperuma ’06, who said she was considering running until a few hours before the meeting.

Mahan’s e-mails, obtained by The Crimson last night, contained his endorsement of Capp, but did not specifically discourage others from running.

Former Campus Life Committee Chair Christina L. Adams ’06 said that, though they largely expected it, the entire UC knew that Glazer wanted Capp for vice president.

“The general atmosphere was that the former vice president and president as well as Glazer were making it clear that they wanted Clay for the next vice president,” Adams said, adding that no one contacted her directly about whether she should or should not run.

Other UC members said yesterday that the election was fundamentally open.

“Of course there are influences, but ultimately anyone could have run, anyone had a shot, and ultimately Clay won,” UC member Tara Gadgil ’07 said.

AT THE ELECTION

At a meeting marked by several tense exchanges, Lurie argued that members should elect him so that he could serve out the year, and have the next year’s UC choose their vice president.

Some UC members also said that the confusion surrounding Nichols’ departure spurred representatives to vote for Lurie in protest.

“I think that members of the council feel that Ian [Nichols] was forced out and that contributed to them voting for Jason [Lurie],” UC Financial Committee Chair Blake M. Kurisu ’07 said. “I don’t think we could have conveyed that Ian wasn’t forced out in anymore clear terms than we have.”

With 42 members present at the meeting, Capp missed commanding a majority of the 50-member council by three votes.

The post of UC vice president was vacated four days ago when Nichols abruptly resigned during the UC’s weekly meeting Sunday night.

In his closing statement, Capp responded to allegations from Lurie that the student body was disenfranchised by the closed election of a new vice president.

“I have said repeatedly and I firmly believe that this is an unfortunate circumstance, but we have to deal with this,” Capp said. UC bylaws mandate that when a popularly-elected post, such as vice president, is vacated, the new leader must be chosen by vote of UC members at their next meeting.

Glazer said later that he thought the close vote might reflect UC members’ discomfort with the situation of a resigned vice president.

“A lot of members aren’t sure of the best way to move forward and it might seem like an easier way to leave it for the fall,” Glazer said.

Capp stressed in his speeches and after the meeting that he would commit himself to reforms to Finance Committee and to improving CLC.

Legislation passed yesterday gives more structure to the job of vice president, and Capp will now chair a standing rules committee and an outreach committee to student groups. (See related story, page 5.)

-Staff writer Liz C. Goodwin can be reached at goodwin@fas.harvard.edu.