After gulping the sweet taste of victory Thursday, the new Student Government Association president took a weekend-long deep breath.
Now it's back to work.
President-elect Shea Chaney has a full agenda for this week - including today's meeting UK President Charles Wethington, starting the blueprint for his administration and delivering on some of his campaign promises.
"What we've done is basically taken some time to take a breath," said Chaney, referring also to his vice president, Heather Hennel. "The work starts (today)."
Chaney said he would ask Wethington today to reclaim the $20,000 SGA staff assistant's salary from the student government budget. Chaney said UK originally paid for the position until a salary freeze in 1992.
Chaney also described the organization of his executive staff, which will become official at Wednesday night's Senate meeting.
"We've consolidated, like, big-time," Chaney said. More than 25 current executive committees will be streamlined significantly next year, he said.
The new changes will increase responsibilities and importance of committee leaders, Chaney said. He also said he is forming an interviewing committee made up of next year's Senate leadership, Residence Hall Association representatives and other student organizations to assist naming the committee directors.
Current Executive Director for Academic Affairs Avi Weitzman, who lost narrowly to Chaney last week, partially opposed Chaney's plan.
"It is somewhat of a good idea, but some of the committees are able to work together for a common goal," Weitzman said. "Take the environmental concerns and health issues (committees), they can work together but they also work effectively apart on different goals."
Though he and Chaney have different views on this aspect of managing the executive branch, Weitzman said he is ready to work with Chaney.
Weitzman's name, however, will not be in the executive director pool.
"I wouldn't stay in the same position - that's stagnation," he said. "I think I'll be moving on to a different organization."
Chaney said he plans to appoint three paid executive directors, in contrast to two positions this year, to manage the committees.
In addition to the existing Academic Affairs and Student Services posts, Chaney will add a Campus Relations job to handle community college outreach, diversity concerns, governmental affairs, residence life and lobbying committees.
Neither Abernathy nor Weitzman plans to contest the election or the results, which left them in second place by only 29 votes, but they would like to learn more details about the claims filed against an LCC poll worker on Wednesday.
SGA Board of Claims Chairman Matthew Thomas said more information about the Lexington Community College incident would be available this week.
Reportedly, 51 students were allowed to vote at the LCC poll without proper identification clearance, but a statement released by SGA said the disqualified votes would not effect outcomes in either the presidential or Senate races.
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