Senate:
I would first like to point out that I'm his campaign manager. However, I knew Kevin was going to run prior to this agreement and planned on supporting him based on his votes and input at the Internal Affairs meetings. I strongly believe that being an Internal Affairs Commissioner makes one a solid choice for Senate however this is only once you've been on the commission long enough to actually make input and know ASUCD. Kevin is one of the few commissioners that stands up and says how he feels about proposals and he has an excellent record on that commission. Kevin is by far the most experienced candidate in this election, having served on a commission as well as working outside of ASUCD to expand wi-fi. He can back his promises with a record of accomplishment which is something other candidates cannot do.
2.-5. The ACT kids: Justin Gold, Zaana Hall and Will Klein
ACT has been criticized but people need to think twice before identifying them as "another slate". ACT is only running 3 candidates because they rejected candidates they did not see as qualified for ASUCD Senate. This is a huge distinction from the LEAD slate, and the debates proved that LEAD has run people that might have needed another year before they could be serious candidates. The ACT slate did not run on LEAD's broken promises but on similar promises with different goals and methods of how to accomplish things. Furthermore, the ACT candidates can tell you more than something that's been scripted for them to say because they truly represent the students.
Justin Gold is a strong voice for change. Justin has many good ideas for the campus and knows how to get things done. Some thought a tough question could trip Justin up at the debate but his response shut a lot of people up. He has taken the time to know the history of ASUCD and the recent issues students have with their campus. Justin Gold will work hard and deserves to be elected.
Zaana Hall is the hardest working candidate I've seen from ACT. She is a student of the students and she's taken time to talk to the people she intends to work with while talking to students about other concerns. Zaana knows her stuff, and the student body would benefit by electing an outsider than knows the inside.
Will Klein is the kind of candidate that can re-energize the environmental movement at UC Davis. He's on EPPC and he knows a lot about how to make our campus more sustainable. His plan for edible trees is out-of-the-box and tangible. Furthermore, Will Klein is an intelligent candidate that is only running because he wants to see things done.
6. Chintan Desai or Trevor Taylor
I want to make it clear that LEAD is not all bad. These two candidates are worthy of a vote for change because they are a break from the LEAD mold. Trevor wants to make significant reforms with regards to transparency and he's connected to a lot of students through the greek community and the COHO. He would be an excellent senator and I'm glad he's taken up reform as a platform. Chintan Desai is a standup guy that could get a lot done for ASUCD. He's a hard-worker and former RA, I think ASUCD could use an RA Senator. Furthermore he supports open-government and is therefore a break from the LEAD tradition.
Toss-up: Jeremia Kimelman
Jeremia is an awesome guy with experience that no candidates have. He would do a lot of good for ASUCD and the campus. Unfortunately, he could become a slightly modified Chad Roberts. If Jeremia Kimelman was willing to forego study-aboard for the next year then he would easily make my top 6. I encourage anyone reading this to talk to him about that matter before voting for or against him.
