The Presidential race is always an important race because the president is seen as the leader of the AMS. This year is no different. With three candidates who are all campaigning equally hard, we here at the Insiders have taken the time to analyze the candidates responses to debate questions and also their platforms in order to endorse the candidate who we feel would be best at the job.
Presidential Endorsement: Jeremy McElroy
We feel that Jeremy is the best candidate for the job because at the end of the day he is the one with the most hands on knowledge and an intimate understanding of what the position entails. While each of the candidates will have a certain amount of learning to do, we feel that Jeremy would have the least and this gives him a major advantage over his opponents. With all that being said, we feel that Jeremy is the only one who has set out goals which are tangible in the year he has in office. Jeremy shows the most poise during debates; something that will be a relief after last year’s administration.
So why not Michael or Omar?
Michael Moll is a one-trick pony whose main platform point is to improve communication between the AMS and students. While student engagement is a perpetual issue that should receive attention, and his Old Spice take-off is cute but lacking substance, most of his ideas have already been attempted or are ongoing, and have failed to achieve the desired results. When asked at our presidential debate what he plans to do if not elected, Moll said he would completely disengage himself from the AMS, showing how strongly he truly feels about the value of engagement to the students he wants to reach. During the debate, Moll’s answers made clear his unfamiliarity with how the AMS operates, something he acknowledged, but felt it would be reasonable to spend the summer learning how the organization works. To put it in terms consistent with his commerce background, Moll’s running for president is akin to interviewing for the job of CEO of the AMS. With an admitted lack of relevant experience, any other organization in the world would consider Moll to be unqualified to even apply for the job, let alone be short-listed.
It appears as if Omar Shaban has already given up, from being absent from debates to knowing less than the average council member (this is very troubling). He is an extremely polarizing candidate; something that the AMS absolutely does not need after the tumultuous year we have had. The straw that broke the camel’s back would have to be Shaban’s statements during debates about how his personal views would trump council and other executive’s views (remarks which he correctly predicted we would pan). Shaban has not demonstrated that he possess the skills to facilitate any sort of teamwork, should it interfere with his personal views.
I am so glad that I was not accused of not caring about the students. I was absent from the two debates due to extenuating circumstances; I wish it was something that I could control, but it wasn’t.
As for my controversial statement, I stand by it. What I explicitly said is that my main concern is the opinions of the students first, council second. What I meant by that (and I admit that I should have made that clear) is that I would try as hard as possible (depending on what tools that I may have) to get feedback from the students. If the students want something that the AMS council does not like, then I will have to go with the students. It’s more of a direct democracy kind of thing.
Also, I am not really that polarizing. I have very good relations with university and I have spoken to them on the most controversial international issue. If you ask around about my interactions with the university (and if you ask the university administration itself) you will find that I am considered as the “middle ground” on most issues (including the one that I am very passionate about).
The only thing that I am going to agree with is the fact that I do not have as much experience as the average AMS councillor. And unlike Michael Moll, I am not going to pull a “CEO interview” stunt and say that I am going to learn everything that needs to be known over the summer. However, I do wish to say that I have made the effort to learn all about the AMS and how it works and how decisions are made. I also made the effort to examine the attitudes of the various councillors and what their views are on various issues. If you ask any councillor (including the ones who vehemently oppose my point of view), they can tell you how accommodating and amicable I am (even though they might tell you that they will not vote for me).
Finally, if I lose this election, I am not going to give up. Instead I am going to attend all AMS council meetings (or at least try as much as I can) and I am going to run for council in the next election. I am still dedicated to students and will continue to work for their benefit.
^ See? Condorcet strategy.
i am loving how Jeremy McElroy cheated.
UBC STUDIENT, GREAT YEAR AHEAD!