Run-offs abound, as four USG positions remain up for grabs

Candidates for USG president and three other contested offices will be returning to the campaign trail today for runoffs, the USG announced last night.

Joe Kochan '02 and David Tukey '02 will compete for the USG's presidential office, while Rolando Amaya '03 and Brigitte Anderson '02 will square off for the number-two spot.

West Owens '03 will compete with Melissa Kemp '02 for the job of social chair. Jacob Hodes '02 and Traci Strickland '02 will continue to battle for the position of academics chair.

For some candidates, however, the election is over. In uncontested races, Mike Kimberly '03 won the treasurer's seat, Nina Langsam '03 the campus and community affairs chair post and Barham Ray '03 the undergraduate life chair position.

The class senators will be David Silk '02 and Anesu Mandisodza '02, Andrew DeFilippis '03 and Olivier Kamanda '03 and Sonya Mirbagheri '04 and Brad Flora '04.

According to USG vice president Spence Miller '02, the USG's run-off rules were modified last spring. "For any executive position where there are 3 or more candidates and one doesn't receive more than 50 percent of the vote, there will be a run-off between the top two," he said.

The candidates in the run-off elections will have 24 hours for additional campaigning, starting at 12:01 a.m. today, Miller said. Voting for the run-off elections will begin at 12:01 a.m. Saturday and continue through Tuesday.

Slightly more than 50 percent of the student body — 2,300 undergraduates — voted in this week's election, Miller said.

Kochan has served as the USG executive secretary and as USG chief of staff, as well as holding other appointed positions since his freshman year.

His campaign platform includes fair wages for University service employees, a renovation of Dillon gym, increased career services for non-profit career options and improved student support services.

For his part, Tukey has served on the USG for the past two years and currently is the campus and community affairs committee chair. He was also Princeton's representative to the Ivy Council — an organization of Ivy-League student governments — this past year.

If elected, Tukey plans to expand the Sustained Dialogue on race relations, improve campus lighting, Jadwin Fitness Center and the mail system and continue work on the USG's Student Life Initiative.