Concordia Student Union elections have come to a close, with the entire A Better Concordia affiliation coming out on top, and only one recount scheduled for the position of president.
Presidential candidate and affiliation leader Schubert Laforest stated that he was “shocked” and in a state of “complete joy” that all seven team members were elected. He went on to say that he wasn’t surprised by the 28-vote difference between him and opponent Melanie Hotchkiss, leader of Concordia Could Be. Chief electoral officer Ismail Holoubi, who said the elections “went smoothly,” confirmed that a recount for the position would take place Tuesday, March 27.
“I knew my office would be very close,” he said. “[Melanie Hotchkiss] is a formidable opponent.”
Hotchkiss, for her part, spoke about how “terrible” it was to see such low voter turnout in the election.
“The last two years I got more than 730 votes. I got almost double the votes as a councillor,” she said.
The A Better Concordia affiliation includes Andrew Roberts for VP sustainability, Stefan Faina for VP Loyola, Simon-Pierre Lauzon for VP external affairs, Lucia Gallardo for VP academic and advocacy, Keny Toto for VP finance, Alexis Suzuki for VP student life and Nadine Atallah for VP clubs and internal affairs. Laforest said that he felt his new executive would be at a major advantage considering they have existing relationships and developed many of their ideas together.
“We learned about our team dynamic,” he continued. “How we operate under pressure, how to be most effective as an executive.”
Having had the day to let the news sink in, Laforest said that he is ready to start preparing for the job ahead.
“We’re going to hit the ground running,” he said. “Now it’s time to prove ourselves to our supporters and our critics.”
Current CSU President Lex Gill has already contacted Laforest regarding his formal training this May for the year ahead.
“I told him it would take a lot more than a month to figure this job out so we should meet soon,” Gill said. “The training is important. A lot of this job is thankless and invisible. There’s stuff to get done.”
Gill went on to say the future CSU president shouldn’t feel intimidated by the administration or the Board of Governors. “You have to fight to be an equal,” she said.
In terms of advice, Gill emphasized the importance of the CSU executive working well together.
“So much of it is respecting your team,” she continued. “Your executives become a lot like a family.”
Another result of the election was the successful fee levy increase for campus food co-op Le Frigo Vert, with 954 votes in favour and 660 against.
PRESIDENT
Shubert Laforest 758
Melanie Hotchkiss 730
Position Name Yes No Abstain
Arts and Science Council
Adriana Farias 310 67 409
April Anne Underwood 326 79 364
Carlotta Longo 348 73 364
Chad Walcott 392 105 290
Charlie Brenchley 333 117 346
Christopher Webster 260 117 412
Gonzo Nieto 331 103 364
Hajar El Jahidi 282 80 425
Hannah Hackney 297 67 422
Johnny Alexandar 260 74 444
Juliana Ramos 303 72 403
Melissa Kate Wheeler 315 103 382
Veryan Goodship 317 69 387
Engineering Council
Ali Tahouni 125 22 82
Fahd Ali Nasser 75 42 107
Rami Khoriaty 91 40 95
Fine Arts council
Laura Glover 108 17 54
Michael Mercer 81 22 63
Nicolas Martel 76 19 71
JMSB Council
Jordan Lindsay 128 39 72
Elena Porosnicenco 113 38 79
Paul Jerajian 95 47 83
Yassine Chaadi 114 37 80
Fine Arts Senate
Bella Giancotta 119 13 66
