Andrew Phillips has swapped election petitions for prayer petitions.
Phillips, last year’s chairman of the Board of Elections, served as mediator, defendant and judge during one of the most complicated and venomous student elections in recent memory.
One year later, he said he has no plans to get back into politics.
Phillips has been accepted to attend Duke Divinity School, and is currently working with the Episcopal Service Corps.
But despite the change in occupation, he said he is using many of the skills he learned as chairman in his current job.
When looking for a pastor, most people want someone who will listen and be a ”non-anxious presence,” Phillips said.
“My hope is that last year that was part of what I was called to do, to be a calm presence on behalf of the student body.”
Phillips was at the center of last year’s controversial election, once being sued three times in one day.
Ian Lee a student body president candidate from last year, said Phillips was a good sounding board for last year’s problems.
“Whenever you talk to Andrew, three things come in mind — patience, thoughtfulness and respect. He really bought a personal approach to the job beyond all the legal mumbo-jumbo,” said Lee, who is a member of The Daily Tar Heel’s editorial board.
Phillips said he even questioned last year whether anyone should be subjected to the job of Board of Elections chairman.
“Would I recommend it? To the right person, yes,” he said. They have to not mind that they’re going to be unpopular, he said.
“It is not a glamorous job, and it is probably one of the more stressful jobs in student government, but it’s still an important one.”
Shruthi Sundaram, the board’s current chairwoman, said Phillips was the right person for the job.
“He really did a great job of figuring things out very quickly,” she said. “I really admired his way of dealing with the candidates.”
Phillips said he thinks the fact that no lawsuits have been filed during the current election is largely because the campus was fed up with last year’s drama.
“Everybody, from candidates to the board, to the student body, just wanted a clean simple election,” Phillips said.
In a small departure from this year’s smooth election, the board met Wednesday to determine whether it would redo the process because of technological problems that kept some students from voting. It voted unanimously to certify the results.
Phillips said he has faith in the current board to make the right decisions.
“They are people of common sense. They’re smart, they’re competent and they have integrity” Phillips said. “Without knowing all the ins and outs of the election process, I trust their judgement.”
And despite Phillips’ move to Duke University, he said his loyalty is still with UNC.
“I will always remain Tar Heel at heart and wear my Carolina shirt with pride,” he said.
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