SGA President Michael Kilbride could end his term without a vice president by his side, after the Senate rejected his appointee Thursday night amid sharp criticism that he didn’t do enough to seek input from the Legislative branch before making his decision.
“If I had to make a prediction, I don’t think he’s going to appoint anybody,” Deputy Pro Tempore Samantha Friefeld told KnightNews.com. “If he does, I wonder who it will be. If he was smart, he would ask the other branches.”
Unlike the time when just over one-thid of the Senate rejected Kilbride’s choice for comptroller, Darren Kaplan, this time, a majority of the Senate said no to making Nelsi Mora Vice President.
Mora, who served without a whiff of controversy or corruption during her time as a member of Kilbride’s cabinet, was rejected by a vote count of 18-19. The Vice President position became vacant after Taylor Lochrane announced he was leaving SGA to enter the real world to work for the US Department of Transportation.
“Lochrane had announced Kilbride went around asking leaders within Student Government for a well qualified candidate,” Friefeld told KnightNews.com. “No one was ever asked from the Legislative side.”
That bothered Friefeld, because she believes “the vice president is the vice president of Student Government and every branch should be approached.”
Friefeld asked Kilbride for an explanation and found out that “he only talked to people on the Executive branch because he wanted to make an easier transition.”
Friefeld also had concerns regarding Mora’s level of SGA experience.
“I just really felt her qualifications didn’t really qualify her for the job,” Friefeld said.
Governmental Affairs Committee Chair Thomas Hellinger also raised questions about her qualifications, senators told KnightNews.com. There were, however, senators who did speak in her favor.
Sen. Matt Arbos suggested SGA could go the rest of the year without a Vice President, in order to to save the students money.
“Other members of the cabinet can be in charge of their divisions and run things smoothly. We don’t need another paid position,” Arbos said. “Regardless, Nelsi still keeps her Academic Affairs coordinator position. So I think Senate made the right decision in the end.”
KnightNews.com went to the Senate meeting to get a comment from Kilbride but he left early. KnightNews.com was unable to immediately reach Mora for comment.
