Correction Appended
The “A Voice 4 U” campaign announced Sunday that the North side candidate for a spot on Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3D 02 will be Tyler Sadonis.
Sadonis, a freshman in the School of Public Affairs, believes there should not be a division between AU and the community, and he said issues involving both groups are not being properly addressed.
“I hope to help bring a voice to students,” Sadonis said. “I want to advocate for students and engage both the University and the community.”
Sadonis has past experience in politics, both within school and local governments. He was the student body president of Liverpool High School, and he interned with 2009 mayoral candidate for Syracuse, N.Y., Otis Jennings.
At AU, he is a member of the School of Public Affairs Leadership program, volunteers with the Community Service Coalition and is part of the College Democrats cabinet.
Sadonis's interest in politics started his junior year of high school when he organized and led a letter-writing campaign to the State Board of Regents in New York. A snowstorm had forced the board to cancel the second day of the English Regents test. The board then decided students had to retake both days of the test.
Sadonis's campaign encouraged students to send letters, and the board changed their decision requiring students only to make up the second day.
"If there's one thing I learned, anyone — as long as they do it respectfully and enthusiastically — can change local government," Sadonis said.
He heard about the campaign after participating in the Community Service Coalition, and he discussed involvement in the ANC with the CSC Director, Stephen Bronskill.
Sadonis is excited to have such a unique experience so early in his college career.
"I couldn't ask for a better opportunity to serve in my new home," Sadonis said.
Student leaders within the AU community gathered for several meetings over the past month to nominate and discuss possible candidates, according to A Voice 4 U Campaign Manager Bharat Krishnan. Potential candidates were able to e-mail the campaign to express their interest in the position.
Over the past few weeks, the possible candidates were narrowed down to a handful who were selected for interviews. The A Voice 4 U campaign would not comment on the total number of candidates that the staff interviewed for the candidacy.
Sadonis was selected because he was enthusiastic and excited about the position, Krishnan said.
"Tyler was definitely the most enthusiastic [candidate]," Krishnan said. "He understood that they [the candidates] would do what's best for their constituents — not only AU students, but also for the community residents."
If elected, Sadonis hopes to have an impact on several local issues, including expanding campus housing and trash pick-up in the community. He believes there should be stricter policies to make sure students are properly disposing of trash in the community.
Concerning campus affairs, he said from personal experience he knows how uncomfortable triples can be and wants to cut them down in the future. Sadonis’s main goal though is to reduce the division between the community and AU students.
“There’s residents who have been here forever. Students come here from all over,” Sadonis said. “You don’t have interaction without a student representative.”
The South side candidate will be chosen within the next week, Krishnan said. Currently, the campaign staff is deciding between six to seven potential candidates for the position, according to campaign Public Relations Director Sam Miller.
On Oct. 3, both Sadonis and the South side candidate will participate in a kick-off event canvassing the neighborhood. Another voter registration sponsored by the Student Government and the CSC will be on Wednesday at 5 p.m. on the Quad.
ascalamogna@theeagleonline.com
Correction: A previous version of this article stated that Sadonis heard about the A Voice 4 U campaign through the Community Service Center. It has been changed to say that he heard about it after having been involved in the Community Service Coalition. Additionally, a previous version of the article stated Sadonis was a member of the College Democrats E-board. It has been changed to say that Sadonis is a member of the College Democrats cabinet.
