Student Confederation President Polson Kanneth asked Board of Elections Chair David Blum to resign yesterday and appointed senior Marc Malon, who served as Kanneth's campaign manager last spring, as acting chair.
"I gave Mr. Blum the option to resign, but I was prepared to let him go," Kanneth said. "I was the chair of the Board of Elections last fall, and I know how much of a huge component it is to the SC."
One of the main issues students have with the SC is whether it is connected with students or not, according to Kanneth.
"Although David did know the BOE internally, he did not connect effectively with students," Kanneth said.
Blum, a sophomore who was confirmed by the General Assembly 11 days ago, said he feels that he wasn't given a chance in the position.
"If Polson is going to actively help the new acting chair, I am going to condemn him for not offering the same kind of effort to me," said Blum, who was a member of the Board of Elections last year. "The BOE is semi-independent from the executive chair. ... In my opinion, the election should not be run by the president."
According to Blum, he received little help from the SC and GA. "They were constantly pushing me to get things done by the end of September, and I was given no chance to meet with board members."
Blum met with Kanneth Wednesday afternoon to discuss room reservations, and by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Kanneth asked Blum to step down from his position.
"When I resigned, I offered to be a general BOE member," Blum said. "Basically, Polson told me in an angry tone with a tear in his eye and his pudgy little face that I can no longer be part of the SC."
Both the chair and the vice chair of the Board of Elections must be appointed by the president with advice and consent from General Assembly Vice Chair Julia Oldenstadt, who is currently awaiting confirmation from the General Assembly.
"If I had no classes and wasn't trying to lead a normal student life, I feel that I could be a perfect chair," Blum said.
Malon, who is now serving as acting chair, is someone Kanneth said is extremely active in the student body.
"Marc is on the SPA Leadership Council, the College Democrats and the senior gift committee," Kanneth said.
Malon became involved with the SC during the spring of his sophomore year. He was elected into the GA's Class of 2005 shortly after. Previously, he campaigned for Haley Stevens, former SC president who resigned in the spring of 2003.
"Since I have gone through two election cycles [Stevens' and Kanneth's], I feel that I am in fairly intimate knowledge with the BOE," Malon said.
The Board of Elections handles general oversight issues such as complaints, illegal poster locations or destruction of fellow candidates' posters, according to Malon. The BOE can also deal with deeper issues such as candidate spending.
One of Malon's main goals for the upcoming SC election season is to publicize events by placing fliers all over the University.
"There are positions available for Class of 2008 GA and Class Council seats as well as residence hall and off-campus seats," Malon said. "I also really hope to get information out about the election through word of mouth."
Malon also wishes to table in the Mary Graydon Center to broadcast the upcoming information sessions for fall campaigning.
"I intend to run a very tight ship," Malon said. "I plan to be incredibly vigilant, and will not tolerate unethical activity...If an incident is big enough, I will not hesitate to contact judicial affairs, because a lot of the SC bylaws are similar to University rules."
Richard Bradbury, speaker of the GA, said Malon will not be confirmed right away.
"The GA looks forward to confirming Mr. Malon as Chair of the BOE ... However, the confirmation will not come immediately, but Malon will perform in acting capacity," Bradbury said.
"I am excited to help out," Malon said. "Everything really seems to be coming together quickly, despite the unfortunate situation ... I have enjoyed my time and service in the SC and expect a smooth, fair election process"
