By Rory Linnane
Associated Students of Madison News
Associated Students of Madison Representatives voted in a tie for Brian Benford and Tyler Junger for ASM Chair, leaving ASM without a chair until their next meeting.
The elections for ASM Vice Chair and Secretary were also postponed. Representatives interpreted ASM bylaws to dictate that ASM fill the vice chair and secretary position only after filling the chair position.
According to ASM Vice Chief Justice Ben Beduhn, who took minutes at the meeting, Representatives also voted in Melissa Hanley as Shared Governance Chair, and Steven Olikara as Diversity Committee Chair for a second term. Neither are ASM Representatives.
Members plan to vote on other committee chairs at the next meeting.
Benford and Junger are both UW-Madison juniors and ASM Letters and Science Representatives. Benford, 49, is a former District 12 alderman and current head of the Equal Opportunities Commission. Junger, 20, is the former Student Services Finance Committee Secretary.
Benford and Junger each received 13 votes from ASM Representatives, leaving the result inconclusive.
Graduate School Representative Matthew Tobelmann, who cast the last vote, originally "passed" on his vote, planning to abstain.
"I was comfortable with either candidate leading council, so I thought I should leave the decision up to members of this body who more fervently believe in one candidate," Tobelmann said later in an interview.
However, when ASM Student Judiciary Chief Justice Trenell Darby, who chaired the meeting, returned to Tobelmann for his vote, Benford was leading by one vote. Tobelmann, who later said in an interview that he supports Junger, voted for Junger, leaving a tie vote.
“My biggest concern is that it’s such a close vote and that not enough representatives are present.”
Four ASM Representatives were absent during the vote for Chair today: Graduate School Representatives Elizabeth Wrigley-Field and Katrina Flores, and Freshman Representatives Rebecca Newman and Axel Hernandez.
Members will vote again at their next meeting, Tuesday at 6:30pm in the Hearing Room of the Student Activity Center.