April 19, 2001

Sanchez '03 Victorious In Democrats Election

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Last night, in the spirit of spring, the Cornell Democrats refreshed their executive board with the election of new officers.

“I am very excited for the prospects of Cornell Democrats and what they can accomplish for Cornell and the Ithaca community this coming year,” said Cornell Democrat member Michael Mathy ’03.

After a two-minute speech from each candidate, a discussion and a question and answer period, next year’s officers were voted in. Results were as follows: President Alexandra Sanchez ’03, Secretary-Treasurer Dan Dimendberg ’03, Publicity Director Thomas Leung ’03, Director of Community Relations Michael Moschella ’02 (who is currently serving as the group’s president) and Webmaster Tsee Yung Lee ’03.

“I am really thrilled,” Sanchez said after her victory. “I am looking forward to dedicating energy towards the Democrats.”

Sanchez considers her biggest goal for next year as bringing Hillary Clinton back to campus, perhaps this time with her husband, Bill Clinton.

“Hillary Clinton is my role model,” Sanchez said. “We would like her to come back [to Cornell] in the fall when it’s nice out.”

Also on Sanchez’s list of projects is securing a Democratic majority on campus by further educating the Cornell population about party issues, working on the Democratic primary election in the New York gubernatorial race, and forging alliances with other campus groups that share interests with the Democrats.

“I want to make sure the Cornell Democrats are an active and effective part of campus,” Sanchez said.

Recruitment was a frequently repeated word at the election. The Democrats are on the lookout for new members, specifically women, according to Sanchez. After three years, Sanchez is the first woman to be elected president of the organization.

“I am always very conscious of being one of the only women in the Democrats,” Sanchez said. “I would like to see a lot more women involved [with the Democrats] because Cornell women have a lot to offer politically.”

Lee offered the web page as a potential outlet for attracting new members through the posting of detailed outlines of the meetings and the provision of links to online petitions.

Moschella, who resigned as President prior to the elections, affirmed that he is pleased with his new position.

“My new position will allow me to use my strengths and avoid my weaknesses,” he said. “It will let me work with ideology and not logistics.”

Moschella declared protecting the student voice on the Common Council and within the Tompkins County Democratic Committee as two of his goals.

A few members expressed concern over Moschella’s acceptance of the new position.

According to Josh Roth, a nominee for the presidential spot, there is a chance that Moschella’s presence on the executive board will overshadow the rest of the club’s efforts.

Moschella responded that if he wanted the spotlight, he would have run for re-election.

“I want to hand over the reigns to Alex and everyone else,” Moschella said. “I want to start to integrate a lot of other faces. I will continue to work with the people who know me, but will lay low when it comes to [publicity].”

Sanchez said she is pleased to work with Moschella and to follow in his footsteps.

“I am a huge fan of Mike’s and I love working with him,” Sanchez said. “He is an asset for the club regardless of whether he is on the [executive] board or not. I think it will work out even if he does overshadow me, because I am not here for my personal gain but for the goals of the Democrats. I think it will be a great year.”

Archived article by Rachel Einschlag