Voters say ‘President Jimmy’

The new Associated Students president will be Jimmy Reed, who beat A.S. newcomer Ben Kovar with two-thirds of the vote, 66 percent.

“I’m definitely excited and very, very much looking forward to serving the students of the campus this year,” said Reed, who is finishing out a term as executive vice president.

He said his priorities for next year include keeping a close eye on university budget cuts (he particularly wants to keep funding for the police department’s escort service) and continuing the Go Chico! pride campaign.

Reed shares the current A.S. administration’s views on the Common Management System (CMS) software the CSU is forcing campuses to adopt. “The A.S. is still refusing to put any money toward the system,” he said, calling it an unfunded mandate that “serves no good” for students.

The results of the A.S.'s first-ever all-online voting were released April 19. Sixteen percent of eligible voters, 2,571 students, turned out.

Also, 53 percent of voters recommended that the A.S. encourage the university to require that all students take a course in environmental concepts.

Michael Dailey, an organizational communication junior, secured the position of executive vice president with 99 percent of the vote after his opponent, Katie Kreps, dropped out of the race.

Bob Ray had launched a write-in campaign for that position, upset that his first-year graduate-student status made him ineligible to run. He continued to protest this week, appearing at an A.S. Board of Directors meeting and demanding that votes for him be counted.

Tiffany Yost, a business management graduate student, retained her post as vice president of business and finance, garnering 66 percent of the vote.

While many had thought the field of eight candidates for vice president of facilities and services would force a runoff for that position, Kristina Lysette Zekos-Ortiz won outright. Instead, a runoff was held April 24, after the News & Review’s press time, for the post of commissioner of community affairs, sought by JP Vasellina and Bobby Armstrong. Each got barely under 50 percent of the vote, thanks to a measly five write-in votes cast for a third candidate.

The new director of legislative affairs will be Fay Roepcke; director of university affairs is Monica Chesini (with 62 percent of the vote, she unseated incumbent commissioner D’Aunta Richmond); commissioner of activity fee is Mario Sagastume; commissioner of environmental affairs is Jason Duda; commissioner of multicultural affairs is Eleni Theodorou; and commissioner of re-entry affairs is Melanie Carlson.

They will take office May 15 and will be helped through the transition by the outgoing officers.