EDITORIAL: Impeach Michael Goldman

By admittedly hinting at or sharing tallies with candidates and their friends during the voting period of two Student Union elections he oversaw, Union Secretary Michael Goldman '08 proved incapable of managing a fair elections process. Since Mr. Goldman hasn't adhered to the duty of his elected office, the Senate should undoubtedly impeach him. When we elect our student government officials, we place trust in their ability to perform their duties and represent us well. If this trust is violated and the infraction calls the official's ethics into question, it's fair to say he should not represent us anymore. By failing to remove Mr. Goldman, the Union failed to protect its constituents.

As elections commissioner, a role filled by the secretary, Mr. Goldman has been able to see voting tallies on the elections software. Sharing information with candidates clearly could have skewed the results. It's impossible to know if outcomes of races would have changed because of Mr. Goldman's actions, but the question still exists.

Mr. Goldman argued in his own defense that past elections commissioners have shared voting tallies, but that shouldn't matter. Pointing fingers doesn't make his behavior any less reprehensible.

He conceded at the Sept. 23 senate meeting that he acted unethically, but refused to resign. As punishment, the senate censured him and took away his ability to see voting tallies.

But while a censure is shameful, it's not enough. If Mr. Goldman's powers are being stripped, what good is his title to us anymore? We are disappointed in the senate for not impeaching him. Several senators said a vote over whether to impeach him didn't even come up. An unofficial, non-binding straw poll was taken behind closed doors in an executive session -no non-Union officials allowed-over whether a vote to impeach should be taken at all. The poll failed by one vote (13 out of 19 were needed).


While the senate couldn't impeach Mr. Goldman, the student body is taking action. Sunday night, the Union Judiciary agreed to hear a case filed by Rivka Maizlish '10 that asks the UJ to declare Mr. Goldman's actions unconstitutional and suggest a course of action for the senate. But the UJ can't impeach Goldman, so the senate must do so.

We are also dissatisfied with how the senate held its discussions on this issue. Why were the media and other students barred from seven hours of the debate? Executive sessions are unnecessary and add to the secrecy and distrust students feel toward officials. Students have the right to know what officials decide behind closed doors. We hope the Union will be more open in the future. A Union resolution is in the works to disclose details of the Sept. 23 executive session, which would be a positive first step.

Mr. Goldman was right about one thing: He didn't explicitly violate the Union Constitution. The bylaws simply say the secretary should oversee the elections. Of course, it's implied that s/he will be fair, honest and impartial. We thank the senate for moving to amend the bylaws immediately to state clearly how an elections commissioner should behave.

But before the Union makes any improvements for its future operations, it must first make sure its officials are trustworthy. If Mr. Goldman isn't impeached, the Union's elections process simply can't be taken seriously.