Eric Reath was appointed Student Government comptroller-designate April 28. His term begins May 1.
Reath, formerly the speaker of the Undergraduate Senate, was picked from 14 applicants after Comptroller-elect Taylor Yeates announced April 22 he would not take the position next year due to personal reasons. Yeates ran unopposed in this year’s election.
Outgoing SG President Nate Bronstein appointed Reath, with some input from the incoming SG executives, after the Senate granted Bronstein the power to appoint a comptroller without Senate approval April 25.
Reath the ‘standout’ applicant
Bronstein based his decision on the candidates’ ability to work with the incoming SG administration and knowledge of finances, AU, the comptroller position and the SG overall.
Reath was a “standout,” Bronstein said.
Reath has worked on the SG Budget Committee for two years.
“He was the most qualified. He comes with a tremendous amount of experience,” Bronstein said. “When he came in, he knew this position inside and out, more than any other candidate by far.”
Reath ran against Kevin Sutherland for SG secretary in this year’s election. Sutherland won.
“I ran for secretary because I thought there was an earnest need for outreach,” Reath said, adding that Yeates would have been anyone’s first choice for comptroller.
“I have a big set of shoes to fill,” he said.
Incoming SG President Tim McBride believes Reath will work well with his incoming administration.
“With Taylor, we had someone who was perfect,” he said. “With Eric, we’re getting the same deal.”
Reath to be ‘proactive’
Reath plans to reform budget reports so they reflect daily spending. The current reports can be several weeks behind, he said.
To combat problems like when the Student Union Board-sponsored Cee Lo Green performance ran $11,000 over budget, Reath wants to be more proactive — “something that this organization really hasn’t seen before.”
Over the summer, Reath said he will meet with Kennedy Political Union, Women’s Initiative and SUB officials to plan out next year’s events to avoid future problems with overspending.
“I’m not going to let it happen,” he said. “We have this privilege to serve the student body and we’d better do a damn good job.”
sdazio@theeagleonline.com
