27 candidates run for Just Community officer positions as in-person campaigning resumes for first time since before pandemic

Photo By Alexandra Hoffman

FIRST: Sophomore Evan Beller, running for vice-chair of the Student Activities Committee, was the first person to bring a physical sign to school to campaign. Just Community elections are scheduled for this Friday, after a morning showing of campaign videos. Agenda Chair candidates will debate Thursday.

By Gabriella Gomperts, Staff Writer
April 27, 2021

Just Community elections are set for this Friday, April 30, and 27 students in total are running for a Just Community leadership position — 10 more than last year — and all but one facing at least one opponent.

Only freshman Zane Mendelson, who is running unopposed for secretary of the Student Activities Committee, or SAC, is in a non-competitive race.

For Agenda Chair, juniors Adina Kurzban and Jack Sanders are running against each other.

For Fairness co-chairs, three candidates — Henry Fried, Talya Kukurudz and Talia Tizabi — are competing for two positions.

A debate will be held between Adina and Jack on Thursday at 11:35 a.m. after E block.

Under new amendments to the Just Community constitution, elections are now run by the Fairness Committee, not the Agenda Committee. Fairness co-chair Evy Rosenkranz said candidates for all other offices are being asked to produce videos, due Tuesday, April 26, and will not be given a forum for speeches on the turf as in previous years.

Campaigning started April 19, though no one campaigned until last night when freshman Shamim (Shira) Elyaszadeh, posted a single Schoology post of a graphic on Schoology asking students to vote for her for Agenda Secretary.

By Monday morning, things had begun to pick up, with sophomore Evan Beller putting up a paper sign in front of the building to boost his campaign for SAC co-chair, and eight additional candidates posting messages on Schoology.

Junior Liad Machmali set up a candy stand on the second floor by the Robotics lab, with a pink heart sign saying, “Vote Liad 4 SAC Chair.”

Students were asked to submit their candidate applications by Friday, April 16. An Agenda Chair candidates debate will be held this Thursday, April 29 at 11:35, and the election itself is planned for Friday after.

The Fairness Committee, which has been in charge of elections since last year, had not posted the list of candidates as of this morning, April 26, although candidates had to have registered to run by April 16.

That meant candidates were not sure of who their opponents were, several said. Evy said that she and co-chair Eitan Miro had not considered it.

“It wasn’t done in past years,” Evy said in an interview today.

Complete list of offices and candidates is below.