A single candidate for the president of the Board of Regents has emerged after last month’s meeting ended in a split vote that moved the deciding voter, student Regent Jenny Rokes, to tears.

Regent John Forsyth of Des Moines and Regent Robert Downer of Iowa City announced their intention Tuesday to seek the positions of Board of Regents president and president pro tem, respectively.

Forsyth and Downer said the delayed vote gave them a chance to hold a series of meetings to discuss their goals for the regent universities.

During these meetings, they found they wanted many of the same things.

“Obviously, it would not be possible at this time for both of us to be president,” Downer said. “I am much more concerned with substance than I am titles and as a result, based upon these discussions with John and seeing how we could go forward together, I determined to withdraw from the race.”

The day before the board’s March meeting, current President Owen Newlin unexpectedly announced he would not seek another term as president. Newlin, who served as president since 1996, will continue to serve as a regent through April 30, 2005.

During the meeting, Forsyth and Downer were nominated to fill the position.

The vote was split 4-4, with Rokes, a junior at the University of Northern Iowa, as the deciding vote. Rokes, who was appointed this January, was moved to tears, and Regent Sue Erickson Nieland of Sioux City pushed for the decision to be postponed until April.

“I think that both John and I were interested in seeing Jenny taken out of the middle on this. I think this was a very unfair position in which to place her being a new member of the board,” Downer said.

“That’s certainly not to say that she didn’t have the ability to decide this, because I’ve been very impressed with her service on the board thus far, but I just don’t think it was a fair decision to place her in.”

Rokes could not be reached for comment.

Forsyth said the delayed vote will be beneficial for the board in the long run.

“Last meeting, no matter who won the vote, it would’ve been a five-to-four vote, and that makes it more difficult as one moves forward,” he said.

Forsyth said he and Downer’s differing leadership styles will complement each other.

“We just have very similar visions, very similar goals for the board, and when one looks at our background, we are very different,” he said.

“I am a product of a large university, large organizations; Regent Downer is an attorney [with experience in small and entrepreneurial businesses] … and so we kind of looked at these issues and said, ‘How could we get the most done if you looked at us as a team?'”

Regent Deb Turner of Des Moines is the current president pro tem. Forsyth said her term will end with Newlin’s.

Both Downer and Forsyth were appointed to the board last year.

The regents will meet Wednesday at the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School in Vinton.