SGA House and Senate to uncontested student body president race


For the first time since the Student Government Association was founded in 1920, the 2015-16 presidential race will be uncontested. 

SGA President Chuck Mahone and running mate Maggie Blackmer, will retain office should Mahone collect more than 50 percent of the votes. Blackmer will be running for vice president. 

Members of the House and Senate said they were supportive of Mahone serving another term.

Senators Audra Flores and Brennah Donahue said Mahone running uncontested is a testament to how well he has run SGA in the short time he has been president.

“Usually when you have someone who is running against another party, it’s because they disagree with something and they want to change things but Chuck has done a really good job,” Flores said.

Donahue believes Mahone will continue to put forth the same amount of effort he has shown since being elected in the spring of 2014.

“(Mahone) said to us at the last meeting that just because he is running uncontested, that by no means is going to hinder the election process,” Donahue said. “He’s still going to go through all the steps and treat (the race) as if he was running in a competitive election. I feel like that was appreciated by (the House and the Senate).”

Sen. Taylor Ackerman echoed the sentiments of her fellow senators saying with all of her interactions with Mahone, as a president he seems “extremely committed to SGA”.

“Chuck is a really good president, so it reflects that nobody would want to run against him because they felt as though they would not be able to compete,” Ackerman said. “From a Democratic point, I think that elections are always good to have, but I think that it’s a compliment to Chuck that he is running uncontested.”

Although she would like to see a focus on attaining a campus programming fund increase, Donahue said whatever direction Mahone chooses to take SGA next year will ultimately yield just as much success as he has now.

“Knowing (Mahone) and his investment in SGA, his (dedication) is not going to waver just because he is running uncontested,” Donahue said.

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About Jordyn Hermani

Troy senior Jordyn Hermani, Editor-in-Chief of Central Michigan Life, is a double major ...

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