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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 10, 1994)
Net?raskan Thursday, March 10,1994 ASUN Elections LETTUCE wins ‘triumph of imagination’ By Matthew Waite Senior Reporter PLEASANT DALE — Porky’s Bar and Grill was the place Matthew Brinkman chose to reveal the real reason he ran on the LETTUCE ticket. “All I wanted out of this was a date with Judy Rishel,” he said. “1 would like to make an offer — a standing proposal of marriage to Judy Rishel.” Brinkman said he was serious about Rishel — that his proposal was not a joke. “There is no ulterior motive,” he said. “I really want to spend the rest of my 1 ife with Judy Rishel.” In two weeks the LETTUCE party — Brinkman, Matt Kisslcr and Brian Fitzgerald — managed to turn one of the election debates into a circus and turned what some considered a joke into a serious run for the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska presi dency. Students placed 11 percent of the vote for LETTUCE’S first and second vice presidental candidates. Brinkman said the campaign started as an attempt to get a story in the Daily Nebraskan and receive at least 100 votes. He said the ordeal snowballed from there. “It almost felt like an avalanche,” he said. “We can call our little run at the presidency a triumph of imagination.” He said they formed LETTUCE in an at tempt to send a message. “We came into this race hoping to serve as a wake-up call,” Brinkman said. “In our opin ions, that buzzing alarm clock is still going off. “The VISION party winning (Wednesday’s) election is a perpetuation of the status quo,” he said. “Clearly the victory of VISION is a sign that students at UNL have not tired of govern ment that does not represent them — or cats.” Fitzgerald agreed. He said the days of busi ness-as-usual politics in ASUN were not over. “This sends a clear message to ASUN and the university as a whole that the days of free booze, free lunches and cheap women are not over for ASUN,” he said. Travis Heying/DN Brian Fitzgerald, left, first vice presidential candidate for the LETTUCE party, and presidential candidate Matt Kissler ended their ASUN campaign Wednesday evening with a small group of supporters at Porky’s Bar and Grill in Pleasant Dale. Though LETTUCE lost the election, Fitzgerald said he was relieved by the results. “I feel relieved we won’t be hassled by the media anymore,” he said as he laughed. “All the reporters can let us lead our lives.” Brinkman, while relieved, said the LET TUCE party would carry on the fight. “Right now there is kind of a sense of relief in the LETTUCE camp, but that sense of relief is overshadowed by a more pervasive feeling of responsibility to our would-be constituents,” he said. Brinkman said he encouraged others to do what LETTUCE did, but only if they could do it better. “We encourage originality and creativity in student government,” he said. “If a candidate can promise that, we encourage them to run.” RESUME presidential candidate J.B. Howell drinks alone after learning his party lost in Wednesday’s ASUN elections. RESUME leader has no regrets By Kara G. Morrison Senior Report*_ J.B. Howell was alone at W.C.’s when the bartender announced he had a phone call. The conversation w&s brief. “Oh, I lost big time,” Howell said, reaching over the bar to hang up the phone with one hand and throwing down a sandhill chaser with the other. Howell and his RESUME party received 9 percent of the student votes in his bid for Association of Students of the University of Ne braska President. Andrew Loudon of the VISION party won with 51 percent. “I knew I was going to lose, but I didn’t think it was going to be this crushing of a defeat,” Howell said. RESUME’s candidate for first vice president, Joey Whitney, was counting votes with the electoral commission. Second vice presiden tial candidate Robert Anderson was studying for a test. All in all, Howell didn’t seem bitterly disappointed in the loss or the lack of attendance at his post election party. He said he didn’t regret running for student body president — a decision he said he made “just to give people a choice” when he teamed no one was running against the VISION party. ‘Tm glad I ran. At least I’m happy Loudon spent $2,500 to beat me,” Howell said and laughed. Howell boasted that nc spent only $15 on his campaign. Ten dollars were donated, he said. “I’m very thankful to the people who supported me. I hope 1 didin’t disappoint anyone," Howell said. “I think with more input it could’ve been better, but at least 1 went out and did it the way I wanted to do it. I’m happy. "I didn’t want to run an election where 1 would stand on the street comer and sell myself like a hook er. "...I think the biggest factor is the fact that (Loudon) had 89 peo ple kissing his ass to get the cheeseball elected, and the people got the biggest snow job they’ve ever seen in their lives.” "I’d like to congratulate An drew. I’m glad it didn’t turn into a smear campaign," he said. "I’m glad we at least stuck to the issues." Election Results Ift 122,629 eligible voters 2,611 voted - 11.5% of entire student population VISION President & First Vice Second Vice RESUME President & First Vice Second Vice LETTUCE ini President & First Vice Second Vice OTHER WRITE-INS President & First Vice Second Vice Votes % of Vote % of Student Population 291 212 594 478 11.0 8.0 22.7 18.3 1.3 o & i 2.6 2.1 DN graphic Voter turnout, not defeat, disappoints Dave backer From Staff Reports Students For Dave Chairman Gary Doyle said he was disappointed when he heard the results of Wednesday night’s ASUN elections — VISION claimed victory with 57 percent of the vote. But he wasn’t down because VI SION won instead of David Letterman. Doyle said the student voter turn out of 2,611, or about 11.5 percent of eligible voters, was what brought him down most. “I was hoping that the votes would increase because of (Dave),” he said. “I guess it proves students don’t give a damn.” Though the turnout was low, Doyle said, at least students kept interested until election day. “Dave livened (the election) up,” he said. “People were talking about the election and kept interested for a change.” Doyle said he wasn’t surprised by VOICE’S victory. “Anyone and their dog could have CBS TV Letterman predicted that VISION would win,” he said. “Everyone knew they would.” Doyle said he accomplished what he set out to do—to get people to pay attention to the campaigns, even if they didn’t vote. “I’m leaving campus with a smile,” Doyle said. “1 think I’ll call him up and say, ‘hey, Dave. Sorry you lost.’’*