“There are two checks out of a hundred that caused trouble,” Capp said, adding that he had begun providing a weekly update of council expenditures and creating a reserve fund to prevent the council from overdrawing in the future.

Mannapperuma said that the crucial factor she would bring to council leadership was her involvement with Currier HoCo and student groups, including H-Club and Harvard Women in Business.

“I bring a diverse and well-rounded perspective to council leadership,” she said. “I interact with students and know what students want.”

Ian W. Nichols ’06 said that his five-semester service to FiCom provided him with the experience to lead the council. “Quite frankly, I think FiCom is the most important,” Nichols said. “Currently there is no FiCom representation...I think that’s wrong.”

The format of this year’s council debate differed from last year in that the moderators—former council members Joshua A. Barro ’05, Joshua L. Stern ’05 and Jack P. McCambridge ’06—guided the debate by asking the candidates specific questions based on their College and council experiences.

Stern said that the moderators intended to provide a level playing field by comparing questions with one another before the debate.

“It was our opportunity for us who know the candidates...to highlight things that are unclear and things that people are concerned about,” Stern said.

—Staff writer Elena P. Sorokin can be reached at sorokin@fas.harvard.edu.