Weinstein ’09 endorses Weinberg '11 for USG VP

USG president Josh Weinstein ’09 publicly endorsed vice presidential candidate Michael Weinberg ’11 early this morning in an e-mail to many of Weinstein’s supporters from his own campaign.

In the e-mail, sent at 1 a.m., Weinstein said he would “like to offer my absolute support for Mike Weinberg for USG Vice President” and invited recipients to contact Weinstein to “help Mike’s campaign.” The e-mail made no mention of Nick DiBerardino ’11, the other candidate for vice president.

The e-mail began with congratulations for unopposed USG presidential candidate Connor Diemand-Yauman ’10. Weinstein then said that “Connor initially asked Mike to be on a ticket with him, but has decided to remain impartial publicly, because he is unopposed” and commended the combined strength of a potential Diemand-Yauman-Weinberg administration.

In a statement to The Daily Princetonian, Diemand-Yauman said he “was extremely disappointed after reading Josh's email. I have not endorsed Mike Weinberg, nor do I intend to. Josh's email was sent without my consultation or my approval. To be clear — I do not endorse Mike Weinberg and I decided not to run on a ticket long before I found out I was running unopposed.”

“I had no idea that he would use my name in the e-mail or mislead the student body in regards to why I decided not to run on a ticket,” he said in an interview.

Weinberg said in an e-mail later this morning that he and Diemand-Yauman did discuss runing a joint campaign.

"For a period of time we were in fact going to be running on same ticket," he explained. "After he had several discussions with people from ODUS and USG members, he decided that running on a ticket would not be best."

Weinberg added that Diemand-Yauman told him in an e-mail that they will not be on the same ticket "because doing so would not allow 'all of the candidates to be presented in the most individualistic manner possible in order to give the student body all the information necessary to make their own decision.' " Weinberg added that the two "still have a great personal and professional relationship and will continue to do so, regardless of the outcome of this election."

Diemand-Yauman said he knew Weinstein was planning to endorse Weinberg, but said he advised Weinstein against that action “due to the fact that in doing so, he would be overstepping his prerogatives as student body president.”

U-Council chair Maria Salciccioli ’09, who has publicly endorsed DiBerardino, said she knew that Weinstein was planning to send out the e-mail endorsing Weinberg. She said that some USG officers had told Weinstein that they believed the endorsement was “inappropriate” but “[Weinstein] basically said he was going to do it anyway.” Salciccioli is also a blogger for the ‘Prince.’

Salciccioli said that “friends reached out to [Weinstein to dissuade him] but were sort of coldly rejected.”

Sitting USG presidents have typically not endorsed candidates in the past. Other USG officers, however, routinely throw support to candidates.

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Weinstein explained his rationale in an e-mail to the 'Prince.' “I was on the fence for a while about whether or not to come out publicly in support of Mike, but I decided it was important,” he said. “Mike has unique experience … and he has a strong platform.”

But Salciccioli said that she thinks Weinstein’s endorsement is related to the fact that he and Weinberg are both in the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity.

“Mike was appointed by Josh to a paid position while he was Josh's pledge, and that's where his experience comes from,” she said in an e-mail, referring to Weinstein appointing Weinberg as executive secretary for the USG. “So I think people not knowing that may affect how they view the endorsement.”

“I find it rather coincidental that the first time in recent memory that a [USG] president has chosen to break precedent and propriety … is when one’s fraternity brother is running,” Salciccioli added.

Weinberg said in an e-mail that Salciccioli's comments are personally motivated, and maintained that he was not Weinstein's pledge when the appointment took place. "Maria simply does not like Josh," he said, explaining, "Josh and I have both a personal and professional relationship, but the reason that Josh nominated me for Executive Secretary was because he had supreme confidence in my abilities relating to the position and USG in general, and I have surpassed his expectations. Maria's statement about my appointment is false: I was not a pledge when appointed, and her statement can hardly be said to have an impartial tone."

USG presidents have not endorsed candidates in the past, DiBerardino and Salciccioli said. DiBerardino explained that judging from his own conversations with Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Students Thomas Dunne, “for at least the past 10 years, it has never happened.”

"Josh has broken many precedents during his term," Weinberg said. "Generally, I believe that the USG President should err on the side of caution because of the large influence a statement of endorsement may have, but there may be specific cases where it is permissible."

DiBerardino said that he knew Weinstein was considering the move, but that Weinstein did not approach him.

Weinberg said that though he knew Weinstein had planned an endorsement, he did not know when it would happen. "I will talk to Josh today to ascertain the exact reasons for his public endorsement at this time," Weinberg explained.

DiBerardino, Diemand-Yauman and Salciccioli all emphasized their view that the endorsement was inappropriate.

“I do not believe it is in the prerogative of the USG President to overstep his power by influencing the selection of the incoming USG Administration,” Diemand-Yauman said. “This incident has reinforced for me even more the importance of my own impartiality.”

Salciccioli said that Weinstein is overusing the power that the students gave him for political purposes. “I think the main role of the USG president is to serve as the voice of the people to the administration and to sort of take all the interests of the entire student body into account,” she said. “While in office, to leverage that power and that position, which is a non-partisan, non-political position, to make a partisan political decision is really inappropriate,” she said.

DiBerardino added that this could be damaging to the USG’s internal dynamics. “[This could] create parties or factions in the USG, which is completely antithetical to the USG’s democratic mission … [this action] attempts to take the decision away from the student body.”

Weinstein, however, stands by his decision as an act for the students.

“I believe that — based on my experience working with the two candidates — offering my full support for Mike is the best thing I can do to serve the interests of the student body,” he said.

He added that he doesn’t think his endorsement will have undue influence. “I don’t view it as the be all and end all of the election’s outcome,” he said, though he acknowledged that he hopes “that the student body will consider my endorsement — based on my experience in USG and working with Mike — in making their decision.”

Weinstein won more than 80 percent of the vote in his campaign for president.

Diemand-Yauman said that he hopes students will think carefully before voting. “To the student body — I implore you to evaluate the vice presidential candidates for their experience, initiative, and vision. I have remained impartial thus far because I trust you, the student body, to select a candidate by virtue of what he will bring to the position,” he said.