Vice presidential candidate Nehal S. Patel '02 said she thought if the council's elections were more competitive, students would be more interested in it.
Leonard and his running mate, Catherine E. Tenney '01, both said their relatively recent arrival on the council--each was elected for the first time this semester--puts them in a position to reform the council to make it appear more legitimate in the eyes of the student body.
"I have the passion of an outsider but the knowledge of an insider," Leonard said.
Melvin V. Priester '01, who was at the debate, said he felt that--with the exception of the outlandish Benjamin W. Dreyfus '01--the debate was boring, and complained that candidates spent too much time talking about the council's image instead of substantive change.
"I think it's more than just a PR problem," he said.
Last night's debate was sponsored and run by the Institute of Politics.