Other UC members said yesterday that the election was fundamentally open.
“Of course there are influences, but ultimately anyone could have run, anyone had a shot, and ultimately Clay won,” UC member Tara Gadgil ’07 said.
AT THE ELECTION
At a meeting marked by several tense exchanges, Lurie argued that members should elect him so that he could serve out the year, and have the next year’s UC choose their vice president.
Some UC members also said that the confusion surrounding Nichols’ departure spurred representatives to vote for Lurie in protest.
“I think that members of the council feel that Ian [Nichols] was forced out and that contributed to them voting for Jason [Lurie],” UC Financial Committee Chair Blake M. Kurisu ’07 said. “I don’t think we could have conveyed that Ian wasn’t forced out in anymore clear terms than we have.”
With 42 members present at the meeting, Capp missed commanding a majority of the 50-member council by three votes.
The post of UC vice president was vacated four days ago when Nichols abruptly resigned during the UC’s weekly meeting Sunday night.
In his closing statement, Capp responded to allegations from Lurie that the student body was disenfranchised by the closed election of a new vice president.
“I have said repeatedly and I firmly believe that this is an unfortunate circumstance, but we have to deal with this,” Capp said. UC bylaws mandate that when a popularly-elected post, such as vice president, is vacated, the new leader must be chosen by vote of UC members at their next meeting.
Glazer said later that he thought the close vote might reflect UC members’ discomfort with the situation of a resigned vice president.
“A lot of members aren’t sure of the best way to move forward and it might seem like an easier way to leave it for the fall,” Glazer said.
Capp stressed in his speeches and after the meeting that he would commit himself to reforms to Finance Committee and to improving CLC.
Legislation passed yesterday gives more structure to the job of vice president, and Capp will now chair a standing rules committee and an outreach committee to student groups. (See related story, page 5.)
-Staff writer Liz C. Goodwin can be reached at goodwin@fas.harvard.edu.