Christy Lambden receives the editorial board’s endorsement for Tuesday’s student body president runoff election — but not without a healthy dose of reservation.
Lambden excels at both articulating and understanding what students from a variety of perspectives on campus want. It’s reasonable to think that those on his executive branch will be drawn from a base as wide as those on his campaign.
While a broader team isn’t always a better team, Lambden seems to possess the requisite ability to lead and motivate. On the other hand, Will Lindsey’s platform lacks policy on key stakeholders, such as the LGBTQ community, in student government decisions.
But once the lens is moved from Lambden as a person to Lambden’s platform, he’s a significantly weaker candidate. He has a number of proposals that are pure politicking at best and pipe dreams at worst — leading a comprehensive overview of general education requirements springs to mind, as does uniting the executive branch and Student Congress.
However, what makes Lambden a better choice is his view of the purpose of student government. He seeks to improve that which is already established, rather than attempting to make something wholly new but not necessarily better.
This is in contrast to Lindsey, whose plan for a president defers policy-making to student organizations, confusing the role of student government.
Moreover, Lindsey’s primary perception of the role of student body president seems to be that of an unofficial lobbyist. But Lindsey’s influence in Raleigh would be weaker than in the Board of Governors, to which Lindsey’s platform gave little attention.
Both candidates have their weaknesses, but Lambden’s would be easier for his team to compensate for.
