STUDENTS MADE A DIFFERENCE IN CITY COUNCIL ELECTIONS

The April 8 election results weren't quite what we had hoped them to be. I
wasn't able to become the first MU student elected to the Columbia City
Council in more than 20 years, and repeal of the current marijuana
ordinance, Proposition 1, failed 58 percent to 42 percent.

There were many students who tried to make a difference here in Columbia by
voting last week.

Unfortunately, there were many more students who were decided to vote "back
home."

I'm suspicious voting "back home" is often just a way to cover laziness and
apathy. Those "back home" voters are everything that's wrong with students
in Columbia.

Columbia is your home nine months out of the year, and it's the decisions
made here that are the ones that will affect you on a daily basis.

Those of you who did vote in Columbia take heart. Your votes were
important. I pulled a "Ralph Nader" in the election and grabbed enough
votes away from one of my opponents - Ben Orzeske - to keep him from winning.

It's not that Orzeske's not a nice guy, but he and some of his friends on
the East Campus Neighborhood Association have been systematically screwing
students for years.

Perhaps, when the East Campus Neighborhood Association endorses someone for
City Council three years from now, they'll do more to work on student
issues and try to get the student vote.

As for these next three years, Brian Ash, the new City Council member,
seems committed to keeping the nearly 30,000 of us students in mind when he
makes decisions about our neighborhoods. Proposition 1 also had a victory,
even though the marijuana proposition itself failed.

The debate about a possible change to Columbia's marijuana laws prompted
Columbia Police Chief Ted Boehm to change his department's policy for
first-time offenders.

Now, all first-time small possession cases will be sent to city court. In
essence, that will keep the first offense off a person's record.

This change closed up some of the inequities in the city's old policy and
will give a student who makes a mistake the chance to stay in school and
find a good job when they get graduate from college, when before, a
marijuana possession conviction could spell trouble for a student's future.

There were some small victories in last week's election thanks to everyone
who cared enough about the city they live in. You have made Columbia a
better place for all of us to live.

Thank you.