The Journal’s editorial board voted to endorse a candidate team. The vote to decide who we would endorse tied at 11-11—and left us wishing for a third option. Here is an evaluation of the two we have.
Last week, the Journal reported on the leak of an internal e-mail sent by team CYZ’s presidential candidate Michael Ceci to his campaign about team MAP’s vice-president (university affairs) candidate Suhail Panjwani’s offensive Facebook comment from August.
Both teams’ mistakes and their sudden turn to petty politics raise questions about either team’s suitability to be the face of Queen’s.
Because the executive is only in place for a year, it’s unlikely either team will fulfill all of its campaign promises and the vote will likely come down to the candidates’ personalities. Team CYZ—comprised of Ceci, vice-president (operations) candidate Leslie Yun and vice-president (university affairs) candidate Adam Zabrodski—ran a more professional-looking campaign than team MAP.
Their Blueprint, outlining CYZ’s campaign promises, is extensive and looks, for the most part, well researched.
The team’s proposal to outsource the AMS’s IT maintenance is laudable and long overdue. The server has been inconsistent for most of the year, costing AMS services in productivity and making it difficult for students to access the main site.
But CYZ’s promise to lobby Kingston Transit for a direct bus route between campus and the VIA Rail and Coach Canada terminals is unrealistic, and the team has greatly overestimated its lobbying power.
It’s surprising team CYZ would make this promise one of its six main commitments, when the transit system is maintained by the city and is beyond the team’s control.
Zabrodski seems to be the most articulate of the six candidates.
His honest approach to answering questions is refreshing and necessary in a role where he would be dealing more with people than with finances.
But Zabrodski fumbled a question on ancillary fees and will have to learn the facts before he can accurately represent Queen’s to other universities’ student unions.
Ceci handles himself well as a presidential candidate. His experience as undergraduate trustee means he’s able to command attention and effectively liaise with powerful figures.
But his smooth talk and extensive use of political jargon make him come off as insincere.
Yun is the weak link in the team. Her medial concentration in economics doesn’t make up for her lack of experience dealing with large budgets.
But Zabrodski’s and Ceci’s experience with Engineering Society and the Board of Trustees, respectively, should be enough to make up for Yun’s shortcomings.
Team MAP—comprised of presidential candidate Colin McLeod, vice-president (operations) candidate Ellen Allwright and Panjwani—is more down-to-earth than team CYZ.
MAP’s platform contains fewer promises and less details. This approach may help the team to be flexible but may also prove inadequate when dealing with the broad scope of activities within the AMS.
The team’s promise to lobby the University for an earlier release date of exam schedules is appreciated.
It’s commendable that, with this promise, the team is looking at cheap ways to improving student service, something they should consider for some of their other ideas.
Although there should be more communication between the AMS and its ratified clubs, MAP’s proposal to create three paid positions to deal with clubs seems redundant when one should suffice.
Allwright is the team’s greatest asset and the strongest of the six candidates.
As the Common Ground’s head manager, she’s responsible for a $1-million budget and a staff of more than 140 people, giving her financial experience and human resources savvy.
McLeod’s honesty is endearing but his surprise at the other team’s opposition research tactics seems naïve.
His genuine approach, though, could win over those put off by Ceci’s smoothness.
Panjwani’s varied extracurricular experiences should help him in dealing with the vice-president (university affairs)’s diverse portfolio.
Some are calling him a hypocrite for condemning ASUS President Jacob Mantle’s Islamophobic comment last term. It’s disappointing they’re criticizing Panjwani for the very behaviour they hope to see in Mantle, that is, learning from his mistake and speaking out against oppression.
In dealing with the issue, CYZ appears to be conniving while MAP comes across as whining; neither image is good and the winning team will have to regain students’ trust in the AMS.
In spite of poor selection, all students should exercise their right to choose their student government by voting today and tomorrow.
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