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Corrections: In this story, the line of succession to the student body presidency was reported incorrectly. Also, the original version of this story said Vice President of Student Entertainment Joseph “Pat” Nabozny will be graduating in December. He told The Maine Campus he will be graduating in May. The story has been updated to reflect the corrections.
If the University of Maine’s student body president wins another term over a former student senator on Thursday, the entire Student Government board of executives is set to graduate by May.
President Anthony Ortiz expects to graduate in May, as do Caleb Rosser, student body vice president; Nathan Kinney, vice president for financial affairs; Hannah Hudson, vice president of student organizations and Vice President of Student Entertainment Joseph “Pat” Nabozny.
The constitutional line of succession reads Rosser, then Kinney, then senator pro tempore of the General Student Senate Sam Helmke, then Hudson, then Nabozny.
At the Oct. 17 Student Body Presidential Debate in the Memorial Union, Anthony Ortiz said there would be no leadership crisis if he won, responding to a question asked by Michael Shepherd, debate moderator and editor in chief of The Maine Campus.
At the debate, Ortiz said an advisory committee for all executive positions, comprised of those who have held positions in the past, would help appointed board members grow into their roles.
“The advisory committee I put in place has volunteered to assist,” he said.
Ortiz’s challenger for the office, former Sen. Rebekah Dunham, said if she were to win Thursday’s election, the student body would not only benefit from her presence but also from Ortiz’s as an advisor.
“I think this would make me a better president,” Dunham said. “It would be his experience and my fresh experience.”
At the debate, Ortiz said the main difference between he and Dunham is “experience.” In a Friday interview, he took a different approach.
“She has not proven herself as a leader,” Ortiz said. “A leader needs a certain type of personality.
“Rebekah does not have the personality,” he said. “The senate needs a leader they can trust, and I don’t think they trust Dunham.”
Dunham bristled at Ortiz’s comments, saying “the personality of an executive is to work with others.”
“Trust is something that’s built and earned,” she added. “To say before the election that it’s something I don’t have is unfair.”
Sen. Ben Goodman, a fourth-year political science student who has been a senator off and on during his time at UMaine, agreed with Ortiz, saying though Dunham “has the opportunity to be a force for years to come in the University of Maine community,” she needs more time to cultivate relationships within Student Government.
“Even before President Ortiz was thrust into his current position, he had a strong track record of reliability and getting things done for University of Maine students,” he wrote in an email. “Rebekah is correct that trust is something that is built and earned — but while she has been a strong and reliable member of the student senate, she has not yet shown students how she will translate her experience into a successful Presidency.”
Helmke, a junior, said Ortiz has his “full support” and he can’t yet trust Dunham to lead because of the candidates’ difference in experience.
“I [don’t] think that she has the experience and know-how to lead Student Government and enhance the organization so that it lives up to its full potential,” Helmke wrote in an email. “She needs more time to learn the system and develop relationships on campus, [whereas] President Ortiz has that experience and will follow through on anything he sets his mind [to].”
“There are senators with enough leadership experience to fill the executive” after his departure, Ortiz said.
Presidents appoint vice presidential positions with the “advice and approval” of the senate, according to the body’s constitution.
“The Senate is a great place to build trust and relationships, and I think that Rebekah has planted the seeds for success in student government,” Goodman wrote.
“But strong leaders come from the strong support of the people who work with them,” he continued, “and to be the best leader she can, Rebekah needs more time to cultivate her relationships.”
Editor in Chief Michael Shepherd contributed to this report. Sen. Ben Goodman writes a political column for The Maine Campus.
