2008 Woodie Awards
McConnell and Bueso Elected After Controversial Campaign
Joshua Benesh
Issue date: 4/7/06 Section: News
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Ms. McConnell, advancing a platform to lessen apathy and continue initiatives begun in her previous administration, was able to easily defeat Mr. Mehnert while Ms. Bueso defeated Ms. Stephen by an even greater margin.
The election, for the first time in recent Rollins history, was able to mobilize enough voters to achieve quorum without reopening the voting process for an additional length of time.
The campaigning and election process began with contention. Initially, Ms. McConnell ran unopposed, with the filing deadline for campaign eligibility ending without additional complete and valid applications. Immediately following the filing deadline, Mr. Mehnert filed an appeal, citing improper procedure on behalf of the Elections Committee.
After several meetings and procedural hearings Mr. Mehnert was allowed onto the ballot, the campaign already well underway, and began a rigorous campaign to challenge Ms. McConnell.
The campaign season brought about an exciting debate focusing on reforms to the process of representation. All sides throughout their appearances and in the formal debate agreed that change in the structure of SGA and its constitution were important steps to take in order to advance the state of student life at Rollins.
As the opposition, Mr. Mehnert campaigned on a platform that necessitated change and a writing of the wrongs that existed in past administrations. Ms. Stephen was not so critical, opting to represent herself as a new generation of capable SGA leadership.
The team of Ms. McConnell and Ms. Bueso refuted these calls for a change in leadership by citing positive advances made by SGA under Ms. McConnell's administration during the last legislative year and calling for a continuation of leadership as being necessary for both stability and change.