City College and the Associated Student Government (ASG) will hold a new election for the current role of ASG vice president on Oct. 22.
Elections for president and vice president normally precede the fall semester and bind for the following year, but the college administration declared the vice presidential results invalid over the summer due to “numerous irregularities,” according to Interim City College President Lynn Neault.
At the onset of the administration’s decision, newly elected ASG president Carolina Moreno took the proactive step to fill what she saw as a vacancy, and according to the ASG constitution, she appointed vice presidential candidate, Michael Roderick, to the position.
However, the administration is not viewing this as a vacancy, and in accordance with the district constitution, a new election must be held when there are invalidated results.
“The procedure that specifies that there needs to be an election…also talks about how vacancies will be filled following the AS constitution. But this isn’t a vacancy. So the district procedure specifically delineates vacancy from election irregularity, ” explained President Neault.
The issue began last year with a complaint that vice presidential candidate, Victor Nakada, violated student campaigning procedures. He was subsequently found to be in violation but not disqualified from the race. Instead, sanctions were imposed against him after the election, and votes were removed from his tally, bringing his total under Roderick’s, which caused Nakada to lose the race.
Speaking to the removal of votes, newly appointed Dean of Student Affairs, Dr. Michael Paul Wong, stated, “The original election wasn’t a proper election. The students have a right to have their vote really mean something.”
However, the need for a brand new election was recently disputed by the ASG due to their interpretation of their constitution, and their official appointment of Roderick at the beginning of the semester.
“I feel like a new election is just a waste of time and is taking away from the bigger picture. I can’t focus on student advocacy or student representation because I have this on my table,” Moreno commented.
Only 622 out of roughly 18000 eligible students voted in the spring. Additionally, due to regulations stating all executive level ASG candidates must participate in at least one semester of ASG prior to holding office, Roderick will likely be running unopposed Oct. 22.
However, the administration states that they cannot incorporate these factors into their decision to hold a new election.
“The issue is grounded in the education code. It’s a matter of, by law, student organizations are authorized by the district, and within our policies and procedures, a new election must be held,” clarified President Neault.
Neault went on to genuinely lament, “I hate being in this position. I really do. I mean, my first month here and I already have to be at odds with ASG.”
Similarly, Dr. Wong admitted, “I didn’t take this job saying let’s have a fight with the students! You know, let’s power trip! I took this job saying I’m going to come to City College and the student government and me, we’re going to create some great things together.”
At this point, Moreno has appointed an election commissioner and the process is moving forward.
Complete election packets are due from eligible candidates by Monday, Oct. 7, at 3:00 pm.
Voting will take place Oct. 22-23. Please visit the Student Affairs office or www.sdcity.edu to participate.
