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Last semester was a bit of a wild ride for myself as well as many members of ASAP (Achieving Student Action through Progress). In spite of being kicked off the ballot by the IEC Dan Bahr, co-founder of SUFC, many off us have spent the summer working on local campaigns, partisan and non-partisan.

Scott Dettman spent the summer and is continuing to be the campaign manager for Glen Brower. Glen is retired Lieutenant Colonel of the United States Army. He is a Democrat running against incumbent Republican Mark Honadel in the 21st Assembly district.

Over the summer, I started working with Advancing Wisconsin. Advancing Wisconsin is an independent advocacy organization that is engaged in educational and grassroots lobbying activities. At Advancing Wisconsin, we seek to advance the public debate around progressive issues by engaging in face-to-face conversations with citizens throughout Wisconsin through an expansive door-to-door educational and grassroots lobbying outreach program.

The fact of the matter is that we lost the election. Many of us have been working hard on campaigns where, at the very least, we know all the votes will be counted. I want to congratulate Mr. Draheim and Mr. Hughes of SUFC, on their victory and I hope, for the benefit of the entire student body, that they become the best President and Vice President of the Student Association that UW-Milwaukee has ever seen.

Nevertheless, I want to thank everyone who supported us. As I recall, 536 of you took the time to write our names in, in order to cast your vote. I want to thank all the groups and student organizations that supported us in spite of foreseeing an eventual backlash. I would like to thank everyone who donated their time, their money and their hope into a cause that was larger than any one candidate.

It is with this sentiment that I want you to know that even though we lost an election, there are many more to come. Fighting against the cronyism that has existed in the SA, and equal representation within the SA are causes that all concerned students should not ignore. Working to restore integrity to a system that kicks political parties off a ballot or forces them to run as independents is a cause we should not ignore. Working to make sure that every student has the opportunity to get the most out of their UWM experience is a cause that we dare not ignore.

The issues facing student government are not hinged upon political ideology. They aren’t matters of mainstream vs. extreme, as some divisive fear mongers would have you believe. They are hinged upon character, integrity, and judgment. It is impossible to foresee who might run in the forthcoming Spring 2009 election, but I encourage all of you to become engaged in your Student Government. Get involved, stay informed, and have fun all the while. So we lost one election, but there’s another one right around the corner.

I hope you all vote on November 4th. Good luck with your semester, take care and God bless.

Julio Miguel Guerrero is the former Vice Presidential Candidate and Co-Chair of ASAP (Achieving Student Action through Progress)

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