This board does not endorse Andrea “Andi” Hester for the uncontested position of internal vice president.
While Hester spent the last year as part of the council, her work as financial supports commissioner does not give any indication that she would be successful in a higher position of authority. During her previous campaign, Hester outlined seven goals for her platform, ranging from an ASUCLA benefits program to a part-time, on-campus jobs fair. She accomplished or made progress on only three of these ideas.
This year, Hester adopted a broader platform with more general goals like campus safety and student leader networking. Though she named-dropped several administrative officials she spoke to, she could not present many tangible ideas for implementing her platform.
When asked how she would achieve her goal of increasing corporate sponsorship, for instance, Hester only referenced her running mate David Bocarsly’s prior success with the idea and said he was willing to share his insight.
Furthermore, she exhibited a surface-level understanding of major points of her platform, such as campus safety, referencing only a specific part of Hilgard Avenue where a single blue emergency light is located to show that the campus’s surrounding area could be dangerous. She did not seem aware of actual crime statistics from the past year.
In brief, the vote of no endorsement stems from Hester’s own seeming lack of confidence in her platform and her uncertainty about its execution. Hester should take a careful look at her goals and make sure she does more research and surrounds herself with knowledgeable consultants.