Council Votes for Garza as VP, Again

Overruling two recommendations by its president, the Undergraduate Council last night voted to invalidate the absentee ballots which jeopardized the outcome of October 17th's vice presidential election.

Council Treasurer Rene Reyes '95 disputed the outcome of the election last week, claiming that four absentee ballots cast for him in the run-off of the vice-presidential election were unfairly discounted by election overseer R. Gin Lo '94.

Vice President Melissa Garza '94 maintained her post when the council decided against the legitimacy of accepting any absentee ballots in the election by a margin of 33-21.

"By their nature, absentee ballots present an opportunity for fraud and abuse," Garza said.

Council Parliamentarian David A. Smith '94 said that both the council's recently revised constitution and Robert's rules of Order effectively precluded the adoption of a compromise plan presented by council President Carey W. Gabay '94.

Gabay proposed a dual vice-presidency, with Garza and Reyes sharing the duties of the office. Adding a member to the executive council, however, would entail amending the council's constitution, a procedure which would take at least a week.

Concerns were also voiced over the perception that Garza and Reyes had not agreed to the plan presented by Gabay. "This was my decision as president," Gabay responded.

Gabay's motion was overruled by a majority of the council. Gabay then proposed an immediate run-off election for the vice presidency.

This too was overruled when council Administrative Liaison Andrew J. Ehrlich '96 made a motion to consider only the validity of all the absentee ballots which were cast in all the October 17 elections, thus divorcing the personalities of the candidates from the proceedings.

Garza had questioned the integrity of an election process in which ballots cast in person were scrupulously controlled, while absentee ballots were submitted on scraps of paper.

"We don't know who these ballots came from or when they were cast," she said. "And because this was an election which Marc McKay and I dropped into from the presidential race, how could people who weren't there know beforehand who was running or who would end up in the run-off?"

Smith advised council members to consider their votes carefully. "There is no precedent under this constitution, so applying old council decisions is like using the Articles of Confederation to decide a contemporary court case," he said.

None of the outcomes of other executive races were affected by the elimination of absentee ballots from the tallies.

In other business, the council passed its budget for the 1993-94 fiscal year, allocating $83,000 to the finance committee, $31,450 to the campus life committee, $15,000 to the student affairs committee and $16,450 for council operations.

The council also voted to divide $21,000 of council funds leftover from last year between the council's three standing committees.

The motion to divide the funds was co-sponsored by Gabay, campus lifecommittee Co-Chair Joshua D. Liston '95, andfinance committee Chair Jamila A. Braswell '94.

The motion required the suspension of budgetroll-over by-laws, which would have required thefunds to be deposited into the campus lifecommittee's account.

First-term member Anjalee C. Davis '94presented a counter motion which would haveresulted in house committees receiving the surplusfunds.

In a heated debate which resulted in a motionfor the appointment of a sergeant-at-arms by RuddW. Coffey '97, Davis and Gabay faced off overconstitutional details.

Council Secretary Cynthia A. Johnson '96, whowas chairing the floor debate at the time, deniedDavis's request for a point of personal privilege.

When challenged, Johnson replied, "twoparliamentary wrongs don't make a right,"prompting Coffey to chastise "the chaos in thisroom."

The division of the leftover funds leaves thefinance committee with close to $105,000, whichwill be divided among the 120 student groups whofiled grant applications last week.

Finance committee members will begin interviewstoday for grant settlements.

The final resolution on the docket precedingthe vice presidential challenge was the allocationof $7,070 by the campus life committee to providecoach bus service for students to and from theHarvard Yale football game in New Haven at a costof $15 per round trip ticket.

The council expects to incur a loss of $1,500.

Former Chair Michael P. Beys '94 praised theaction in closing floor debate on the motion "Weought to be spending money for the good ofstudents," he said. "It's a relatively smallinvestment which will make their livesbetter--sometimes the council should take a loss.

The motion required the suspension of budgetroll-over by-laws, which would have required thefunds to be deposited into the campus lifecommittee's account.

First-term member Anjalee C. Davis '94presented a counter motion which would haveresulted in house committees receiving the surplusfunds.

In a heated debate which resulted in a motionfor the appointment of a sergeant-at-arms by RuddW. Coffey '97, Davis and Gabay faced off overconstitutional details.

Council Secretary Cynthia A. Johnson '96, whowas chairing the floor debate at the time, deniedDavis's request for a point of personal privilege.

When challenged, Johnson replied, "twoparliamentary wrongs don't make a right,"prompting Coffey to chastise "the chaos in thisroom."

The division of the leftover funds leaves thefinance committee with close to $105,000, whichwill be divided among the 120 student groups whofiled grant applications last week.

Finance committee members will begin interviewstoday for grant settlements.

The final resolution on the docket precedingthe vice presidential challenge was the allocationof $7,070 by the campus life committee to providecoach bus service for students to and from theHarvard Yale football game in New Haven at a costof $15 per round trip ticket.

The council expects to incur a loss of $1,500.

Former Chair Michael P. Beys '94 praised theaction in closing floor debate on the motion "Weought to be spending money for the good ofstudents," he said. "It's a relatively smallinvestment which will make their livesbetter--sometimes the council should take a loss.