Two slates officially run for GSB execs

Steven Brittain

Ballots for the upcoming Government of the Student Body elections were finalized in the Campanile Room of the Memorial Union Monday night after candidates for both senatorial and executive seats drew for ballot positions.Andy Tofilon, GSB co-director of intergovernmental affairs, and Charlie Johnson, speaker of the senate, will be running as a tandem for the positions of president and vice president. Also running for the executive seats are Jeff Mayes and Stephanie Vinton, who are running on the same ticket.Tofilon, junior in journalism and mass communication, said his presidential campaign platform will focus on what he and Johnson see as being the three most important issues facing GSB.”The main things that we want to accomplish are to make sure that tuition remains affordable to the students, to increase the campus safety measures and to maximize the potential of CyRide,” he said.Johnson, junior in political science, said they would also like to focus on the tax-free textbook exemption that was brought up in GSB this semester. Johnson said they want to go past the legislative loop-hole that exists right now and discuss the topic with the state Board of Regents.”We would like to have the regents make text books at the University Book Store completely tax-free in all situations,” Johnson said. “It would create a much larger convenience to the students.”Mayes and Vinton have targeted the realm of student involvement and active leadership roles as the focal points of their campaign platform.Vinton, sophomore in public service and administration, said she wants to see an increase in voter turnout. With the electronic-voting system, she said, there is a good chance for that to happen.Their platform also will emphasize the roles students can become involved with on campus, said Mayes, junior in animal science.”We want to push students to take an active role through GSB,” he said. “We won’t be intimidated by anyone, and we hope that the students won’t be intimidated by GSB.”