Despite taking a year off and returning to campaign as a relative unknown, David L. Hanselman '94-'95 still won 45 of 77 votes to claim the Undergraduate Council's presidency last night.

In a run-off election Hanselman beat outgoing vice president Joshua D. Liston '95, who was painted by each of his three opponents as a scandal-burdened political opportunist.

Hanselman and Liston first ran in a four-way race against Sam Ferrell '95 and Jason E. Schmitt '98. But because a majority vote was needed to elect an officer the two leading candidates were sent back to the ballot.

Although Liston lost the second race, he still made good on his first campaign promise: to repeal last year's $10 term-bill fee hike, even though he wrote the initial resolution supporting it.

In other races, outgoing secretary Brandon C. Gregoire '95 was elected vice president, outgoing press secretary Jonathan P. Feeney '97 was elected secretary and outgoing finance committee chair Jay I. Kim '95 won the race for treasurer.

The presidential and vice presidential candidates spoke of new visions for the council and said they planned the improve the council's campus image by avoiding scandal and responding to real student concerns.

Hanselman philosophized on the nature of Memorial Hall's sexton, the "anonymous leader" who rings the bells that structure students' days.

"Harvard College would probably function just as well without this leader," said the candidate who visited each new council member's room last week.

"We need to select not a sexton who will chair meetings and go home, but an active leader who knows you personally," he said, "and who knows where you sleep."

Hanselman said his priorities as president would include strengthening the house advising system and advocating reform that would allow departmental classes to count for Core credit.

He even pledged a "no-scandal guarantee": he promised to resign if he is shown to have acted dishonestly or subversively.

Hanselman made clear allusions to last year's accusations that Liston kept inaccurate attendance records and allowed several members to remain on the council when their numbers of illegal absences should have forced Liston to expel them.

Liston, whose censure by the council was overturned on a technicality, has consistently denied that he did anything inappropriate.

Though Hanselman's credibility was also questioned in the election process, the charges against him proved less damaging than those directed at Liston.

First-year Schmitt included Hanselman in his attacks on entrenched council representatives who had chances as executives to change the council for the better--and didn't.

Schmitt called upon an unprecedented 63 new members to support him in leaving behind corruption and incompetence.