Double dose of Darren?

By Don McHoull

Faced with a lack of left-wing candidates for the RyeSAC presidency, current President Darren Cooney says he is considering running for an unprecedented second term in office.

“I honestly want what’s best for RyeSAC, and an overly conservative candidate wouldn’t be what’s best for RyeSAC or Ryerson students,” said Cooney.

Cooney says that people around campus have been suggesting that he run again, and he is considering doing just that.

“I love this job,” he said. “I’d be happy to do it again.”

The only candidate to publicly declare an intention to run for the presidency is third-year business student Dave MacLean.

Cooney declined to label MacLean politically.

“I don’t know where he stands on a lot of issues,” said Cooney. “But I know we have differed on some issues this year.”

If Cooney were to run for office again and win, he would be the first president in the history of RyeSAC to serve more than one term.

In 1996, then-president Paul Cheevers ran for re-election on an anti-Canadian Federation of Students platform. He came in dead last in a field of four candidates with about 15 per cent of the vote.

MacLean was surprised to learn that Cooney was considering running again.

“In my understanding of the bylaws, you have to be a full-time student to run for president,” said MacLean.

Cooney said that he had checked the bylaws, and that wasn’t the case.

“The bylaws state that once you’re a member of the executive you’re also a member of the administration,” said Cooney. “In the case of RyeSAC, the administration is the 14,000 full-time undergraduate student members of RyeSAC, so yep I would be allowed to run.”

Maclean said that he would not challenge Cooney’s right to run.

“I welcome anyone who wants to run,” MacLean said.

Cooney said that if another left-wing candidate appeared, concerns about splitting the vote would affect his decision on running.

“You’ve got to consider all the factors in politics, and student government is no different,” he said.

Cooney has until noon on Jan. 24 to decide if he will run.