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Senate censures Union Secretary Goldman
by Miranda Neubauer
Senior Writer
News | 9/25/07
Posted online at 9:03 PM EST on 9/24/07
/ Last updated at 12:22 AM EST on 9/24/07
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As secretary, Goldman can access the elections software and count the number of votes each candidate has received. He admitted to disclosing to at least one candidate how many votes they had received. According to Union President Shreeya Sinha '09, the election outcome wasn't affected, because the candidate didn't win.
The senate voted unanimously to censure Goldman, rather than impeach him, senators said.
"It appears that he knew the number of votes every candidate had received at that time," Goldman said of the student he informed last spring. He said he released the numbers following the primary election. In the election last week, Goldman said he informed two students close to a candidate, "I don't believe that you need to worry about your friend," he paraphrased.
"In this case the hint was, I believe, relatively small," Goldman said.
Sinha and Goldman declined to disclose the names of the individuals involved.
The Union Constitution states vaguely, in Article III, section five, that the secretary should "oversee and certify all Union elections," and makes no mention that the secretary shouldn't share voting tally information with candidates.
Goldman said the Executive Board requested his resignation, but he refused to comply.
"It was an entirely political attack," Goldman said of the censure. While he admitted to acting unethically, he said he didn't feel he violated the constitution.
Sinha denied that the E-board had acted on political motivations. "I completely disagree," she said. "There's no way that this can be politically motivated because his actions speak for themselves."
An anonymous senator said an unofficial, non-binding straw poll was taken behind closed doors early Monday morning to gauge officials' opinion on whether the senate should vote on impeaching Goldman. The senator was granted anonymity because executive sessions are confidential. Because only 12 of the necessary 13 Union officials voted in favor of holding an impeachment vote (a two-thirds vote is required), the vote wasn't taken.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 20
James Sanders
posted 9/25/07 @ 1:26 PM EST
Comeon...I expect better from the Justice. The senate held such an important meeting in CLOSED session and the Justice doesn't see this as a problem? You are supposed to be advocating for open government! How do you know what deals were reached under closed session? How does a secret debate on his impeachment benefit the students? I expected at least an editorial denouncing this if not a UJ case challenging it! Back in th good old days of I don't know four years ago, the Justice would not have let this crap fly. (Continued…)
Alana Granis
posted 9/25/07 @ 7:21 PM EST
It's a hard thing for me to do this but I have to come out with it. I know alot about what pretend government can hide from the public, but hear me out. (Continued…)
Camillus
posted 9/25/07 @ 11:24 PM EST
You're incorrect in your assertion. I know someone who got a text message saying how many votes they needed to get. It was more than one person both rounds. (Continued…)
Daniel Silverman
posted 9/25/07 @ 11:28 PM EST
"There have always been an incredible number of leaks from the executive office," he said. The anonymous senator agreed that this isn't the first time a secretary has given candidates insider voting information, but he couldn't offer any specific examples. (Continued…)
Concerned Citizen
posted 9/25/07 @ 11:56 PM EST
In my humble opinion, the only reasonable form of censure for this high crime and misdemeanor would be to taser Mike Goldman.
Julius P. Butterworth
posted 9/26/07 @ 12:57 AM EST
Don't tase me, Sreeya.
It seems to me that our current Student Union government is full of corruption and nepotism. What Goldman did was obviously wrong, but the actions that followed were most definitely for political reasons. (Continued…)
Jason, Michael
posted 9/26/07 @ 1:07 AM EST
The following statement was co-written by Jason Gray, Director of Union Affairs, and Michael Goldman, Union Secretary, in an attempt to state the fact regarding false accusations and liable in the post by Alana Granis:
"We disagree about a lot, particularly in this case, but we agree upon one thing:
Tamar Ariel did not ask about the results of the election, did not know about the results of the election, and was not told about the results of the election, until after the election was over. (Continued…)
Jehuda Reinharz
posted 9/26/07 @ 1:12 AM EST
Arm the police with guns, I say!
Jacob Cohen
posted 9/26/07 @ 1:25 AM EST
I'm outraged by this conspiracy against Mike Goldman--he couldn't have leaked the results, he was with me that night!
Igor Pedan
posted 9/26/07 @ 1:32 AM EST
Claire,
It's a public forum so the Justice is only accountable as a moderator and not to the facts the post had. That said, as a former news editor of the Justice, I do suggest that you check the facts out and perhaps assign (or write yourself) a follow up article reporting factually on what is alleged in the post. (Continued…)
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