The Undergraduate Council elected Sterling P.A. Darling '01 of Currier House its treasurer at its first meeting of the year last night in Adams Lower Common Room.

Council stalwart and a possible presidential candidate, Darling said he is focused on the treasurer's position for the moment.

"[The presidential election] is a long way off. It's something that I'm thinking about, but between now and then a lot of things can happen," Darling said. "I'm looking forward now to serving as treasurer, which is what the council, of course, is expecting me to do."

John A. Burton '01, Brian J. Hayes '03, Robert L. Chan '02 and Francis X. Leonard II '01 also ran for the position. Darling won in a close vote, defeating Burton of Cabot House, also a longtime council member and former treasurer, in a runoff.

"If that's the presidential election, the campus will have a clear choice between the two of them and it would be a very formidable election. I personally wouldn't want to speculate on that," council president Noah Z. Seton '00 said.

Burton was not available for comment last night.

The council also elected James R. Griffin '01-'02 of Lowell House secretary. Griffin defeated David B. Orr '01 and James C. Coleman '03.

Griffin said last night he hopes to use his position to make the council more accessible to the student body.

"You often hear we're the most hated group on campus," Griffin said. "The secretary really is the publicist for the council and can do a lot to improve our image."

Griffin's candidacy was originally not permitted under council bylaws, as he was a member of the election commission. However, Lev Polinsky '00 moved to suspend the bylaws to permit Griffin to run for office.

The council also discussed general goals for the year, including building stronger alliances with student groups and responding to the administration's recent decision to limit blocking group size to eight students.

"Everything went smoothly. The council had great attendance and the bunch had a lot of enthusiasm," Seton said.