Column: Columbia politics affect MU students
Published Feb. 2, 2010
I imagine a respectable political columnist would talk about last week's State of the Union address and how resoundingly "blah" it was. A real writer would probably go into detail about all the things President Barack Obama discussed and the alleged controversy over Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito's comments.
Because I am neither of those things, all I have to say on the subject is the speech was OK, problems still exist and no one deserves any political back-patting until the status quo actually changes.
I would rather use this space to talk about something that has caught my attention in the past couple weeks: the Columbia mayoral election. Over winter break, without the distraction of classes, I had some time to go to a few local gatherings. I've concluded it's very important for students to be involved and active in local politics for a few reasons.
For one thing, downtown ordinances concerning bars, closing time, smoking, loitering and noise are decided on the local level. When bars are practically located on campus and those bars almost exclusively cater to students, it's important for us to feel represented when policies are put in place that govern our extra-curricular activities.
Additionally, lots of students work in Columbia outside of the university system. A big issue coming up in the local elections in April is job growth and stability. This is especially important for students who stay over breaks and are potentially looking to live in Columbia full-time after graduation.
Even if you are a student who gets away from Columbia for every break and for most weekends, you are a resident of Columbia for at least nine months of the year. Local issues affect all students, no matter how emotionally committed they are to this town.
So that's why I've decided to get active in this election, supporting my favored mayoral candidate, Sid Sullivan. I like him because he's the most progressive, and he's a great guy besides.
We have a lot of choices. There are six candidates running in the non-partisan race. Local physician Bob McDavid, bar proprietor Sal Nuccio, Fourth Ward Councilman Jerry Wade, Columbia resident Paul Love, former MU student Sean O'Day and Sid Sullivan, a retired teacher and county administrator.
Columbia is a great town, but it's not without its problems. I've lived here for three years and lived 40 miles north of Columbia for the 20 before that. With Mayor Darwin Hindman retiring after 15 years as mayor, it is a great chance for the Columbia government to get a fresh perspective. This city has been developing so quickly and has changed so much in those 15 years. Major changes need to be made in how Columbia decides how it will grow.
Besides the mayoral election, students have a variety of opportunities to get involved locally. There are a couple of local measures appearing on the ballot in April along with the candidates, and I'm sure the proponents of those measures would love some student help. There are also quite a few issue-based organizations based here in Columbia, and some of them are even non-partisan.
As more and more students decide to stay in Columbia after graduation, the more students need to become active in the local arena.
Jordan Stein is a senior political science major and a campaign volunteer for Columbia mayoral candidate Sid Sullivan. She can be reached at jesf25@mail.mizzou.edu