Susan, Thou Art Smug
Well, SWAMP has a liability this morning, as news spread that the Senate Budget chairman – their candidate for treasurer – has presented a seriously flawed organizational budget. Now it’s not all his fault, and some are trying to blame a professional in the SG Finance Office. But really, this issue could threaten to damage only Ryan Moseley’s prospects at beating Lola Bovell for Treasurer.
But what really tickled my feathers was the response by the Susan Henriques campaign – that Independent candidate for Treasurer.
For the last three years, Susan Henriques has both prepared and reconcilied the budget as the Student Government finance representative to the budget committee. In those three years an emergency meeting was never necessary. Apparently, without Susan the office is having difficulty.
Susan, thou art smug. Rather than puffing your chest and sounding a little smug, why don’t you point out concrete ways to prevent such problems in the future – as you won’t be Treasurer or a student assistant in the SG Finance Office forever.
If I was the Alligator, I’d give a dart to Ryan Moseley for not catching the errors and another dart to Susan for acting all smug about it.
Susan is justified in her actions. Since she was fired for talking to the press in the fall, they have had to hire 6 additional student employrees to replace Susan and her friend in the office who quit after she was fired…and they still got it wrong. The problem they had this year was nothing more than inexperience and Susan offers the experience to do the job. Suggestions in this case aren’t really necesscary … lack of carelessness is what is needed.
But you make my case for me. Again, Susan can play up her achievements, and even contrast it with the screw-ups now. But rather than smiling and acting smug about it, she should be offering long-term solutions, because even after she’s Treasurer for a year, in 2007/8 they’ll have the same screw-ups all over again unless something is done to make the SG Finance capable of operating without Susan in the future.
The real solution is this: don’t fire good employees who know what they are doing and appoint capable people to the budget committee, especially to chair it.
Well, that goes without saying. But history has shown that won’t happen consistently.
Boy kenny, people are actually reading your blog. Am on break so i thought i would shoot you a line. It is fun reading about the UF Election and to im my friends still there.
Yeah i thought lola came off looking real well (I am biased toward lola, i love that girl), in that she did not look as bad as the greek they have running against her. Lola didn’t brag, just said that she could do better and she would look out for sloppiness. Basically she did no harm, as her opponent did lots of harm to himself.
Other than throwing it to a runoff, looking from a far I don’t see Susan as a major player. Although i am sure the alligator will endorse her and she will get votes (although the alligator didn’t endorse gerald when gerald was the most qualified). Honestly the link you posted from her blog came off as arrogant, which is a no no in politics. There is a way to point out that the stuff happened without susan being around: “Send me back to the SGA Finance office and i will clean this stuff up”.
I am reading her other blog post too, like saying she was the first to qualify, etc. that comes off as arrogant. The people running her campaign must not have too much experience so don’t know how to watch themselves in situations like that (like i would have probably done the same thing when i was younger and running a campaign), but some free advice from an old SGA Dog, be humble, not cocky. Offer your ideas for how you would improve things and your qualifications. But don’t brag that you are the savior, etc. and the reason why everything works.
James,
For someone claiming so much experience you should know there is no SGA at UF, only an SG. Susan has every right to be proud of putting more information out there quicker than campaigns with many people involved. This flaw in the budget has everything to do with Susan’s absence and really has nothing at all to do with Lola. Lola will get no gain out of this and her running mate Jared looks like a tool for using a curse word. Since Unite’s VP has already been quoted as saying “ass” and their President saying “f**k,” maybe it’s about time for Lola to say “sh*t.” Perhaps as a sitting senator she should have noticed this in first readings? Shame on the whole senate for letting this get to second readings.
It’s not that big of a deal if someone says SGA or SA or SG or SC to describe Student Government.
Yes, Susan can be happy she put information out there quickly, but she has no reason to be smug and arrogant about it. We can be made at the Budget Committee, at SG Finance, and even the Senate; but we shouldn’t leap to conclusions and think Susan fixed every error in the last three years and its their damn fault firing her.
There are better ways to campaign for Student Body Treasurer.
I personally think names are important. I would take offense if someone said the Commonwealth of Florida, eventhough it means roughly the same thing as the State of Florida, because it shows haste in thought. As to all this business about that post — I think it is being overanalyzed. I would rather a campaign put something out there that can be analyzed rather than silence from a campaign. The purpose of campaigns is not only to produce a winner, but also to have a dialouge about what direction the body should be moving in. Susan is providing her part of the dialouge in a personal way specific to the office she is running for. The silence from the other two cookie-cutter campaigns should make you more annoyed than one post from one candidate. Those campaigns provide the same promises each year with a different name and aren’t held accoutable. There is a reason why students at UF don’t vote — they don’t trust the parties they know will just disappear. Susan is running as an independent and isn’t holding anything back and I respect that. And I’m sorry James, your “based on past experience” argument just isn’t good enough for me … a win with15% turnout isn’t a win to me. It’s worth trying something new to get more students to believe in the process.
I would criticize them (Swamp and Unite) but I’m 800 miles away – I don’t know if they were truly silent, or don’t see their website as anything more than a static e-billboard.
I’ve praised Susan in the past for her wealth of information and the speed in which it is delivered; this comment/thread for me is a warning to her that message counts, especially in a campaign without the usual means for victory at UF.
Whats with all the hate player? “Claiming experience,” you must not obviously know who i am. Oh the stories I can tell you. I should write a book.
Of course campaigns are about producing winners. Yeah you want a discussion of issues, but you want to win. Charlie Crist is running to be elected Governor (my future boss this summer actually when I work at the AG’s office). So is Jim Davis. They are running to win. Not just to challenge the other side, but to get elected and make the changes they talk about. Tell me about how Susan is going to win, when no independent has been elected student body treasurer outside a party?
Anonymous it is safe to say you are one of the people connected to her campaign. I respect your work. I respect any indy or greek who does UF SG. Its better you hear it from an alumni on a blog which probably a .01% of your student body read then some current student writing a letter in the alligator. Be humble, put out your experience but also put out ideas for how the office could be changed whether lola, the greek guy, or susan makes it. That way you have the discussion but also win. I got nothing personal with Susan, she is a facebook friend and I used to turn in my SARs to her when I was BOCC treasurer. I wish her the best and hope she can find her path once she hits graduate school.
Look the post on Susan’s blog didn’t annoy me because I am not a voter, i was trying to answer ken’s question. I thought it came off a bit arrogant and you can’t be that way in SG or real life political campaigns.
Under state statutes the UF student government is known as a state government association (also student government organization). UF SG is an SGA, a student government assocation, although the title for their SGA is UF Student Government. Sorry if i use the different language being the FSU Student body attorney general last semester. Like Kenny understands!
I am a Christian and don’t casually swear, but the two quotes actually made Jared look real. Even Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush used the F-word. I think though Jared may have some sig ep issues, since it was his brother, but still it can be worked out i am sure.
Please feel free to contact me anonymous. Enjoy the fun wacky elections of UF. I want to hear more about my old friend Jeanna who is running for city commission down there.