2008 Woodie Awards
ASG endorses candidates for Oxford City Council
Dave Matthews
Issue date: 11/2/07 Section: Campus
Three city council seats are up for grabs in Oxford's upcoming elections Nov. 6, and Associated Student Government (ASG) hopes to fill two of them by endorsing the campaigns of candidates Greig Rutherford and Betty Quantz.
For the past three weeks the Oxford Tenants Organization (OTO), which acts as students' liaison with city council, has been at work researching the candidates to find out who will best serve student interests should he or she be elected.
Junior senator Thaddeus Boggs, who presented the endorsements to student senate, said OTO chose Rutherford because of his emphasis on the economic development of businesses uptown.
"Right now people have their hands tied," Rutherford said. "Right now zoning laws are hurting the community … they need to be streamlined, and we need laws that can be enforced and that do not create a situation where property owners are sent to the board of zoning appeals to request variances."
A variance is a requested deviation from zoning law code.
Boggs said they chose Quantz because of her open-minded views toward issues, as well as her tendency to side with students on issues like last year's outdoor drinking games ban. In addition to living in the Mile Square of Oxford, Quantz's daughter, Elizabeth, is a first-year at Miami University.
"It's like having another set of eyes," she said, of having a daughter going to Miami. "She's opening our eyes, seeing how students react."
One of Quantz's biggest concerns is improving the parking situation in the Oxford community for students and residents.
Both candidates appreciated the endorsements from ASG, and urge Miami's students to be active in the elections Nov. 6.
"Voting participation is fundamental to a healthy community," Rutherford said. "Let's face it, the student population makes up a huge percentage of the population of Oxford when school's in session … certainly the student population should be involved in local politics."
For the past three weeks the Oxford Tenants Organization (OTO), which acts as students' liaison with city council, has been at work researching the candidates to find out who will best serve student interests should he or she be elected.
Junior senator Thaddeus Boggs, who presented the endorsements to student senate, said OTO chose Rutherford because of his emphasis on the economic development of businesses uptown.
"Right now people have their hands tied," Rutherford said. "Right now zoning laws are hurting the community … they need to be streamlined, and we need laws that can be enforced and that do not create a situation where property owners are sent to the board of zoning appeals to request variances."
A variance is a requested deviation from zoning law code.
Boggs said they chose Quantz because of her open-minded views toward issues, as well as her tendency to side with students on issues like last year's outdoor drinking games ban. In addition to living in the Mile Square of Oxford, Quantz's daughter, Elizabeth, is a first-year at Miami University.
"It's like having another set of eyes," she said, of having a daughter going to Miami. "She's opening our eyes, seeing how students react."
One of Quantz's biggest concerns is improving the parking situation in the Oxford community for students and residents.
Both candidates appreciated the endorsements from ASG, and urge Miami's students to be active in the elections Nov. 6.
"Voting participation is fundamental to a healthy community," Rutherford said. "Let's face it, the student population makes up a huge percentage of the population of Oxford when school's in session … certainly the student population should be involved in local politics."
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