For the second time, the SGA Senate voted to reject SGA president Elliot Spillers’s nomination for chief of staff on Tuesday night.
Spillers nominated Douglas Logan, a junior majoring in education, for the vacant chief of staff position but the Senate voted by a count of 25-12 to reject her appointment. Two senators abstained while 11 senators were absent. The rejection comes one week after Chisolm Allenlundy’s appointment was voted down by a vote of 32-13 and four days after Kevin Paul was endorsed by majority vote of the Senate for the position. That resolution was later rescinded for a violation of Senate rules.
“Tonight I decided to put up Ms. Douglas Logan, who I believe would be an amazing asset to our executive council as well as our cabinet,” Spillers said. “I think that she is an amazing leader. She served in SGA for a while. As with what happened with Chisolm, they did not confirm her tonight, which was a little upsetting, but it’s all good.”
Unlike Allenlundy, Logan has experience working with the executive side of the SGA as well as the Senate. According to a release from the United Alabama Project, she has spent terms as a deputy vice president for external affairs and as a senator.
During the session, Spillers provided the Senate with copies of Logan’s resume for review.
Senator Paige Lindgren spoke in negation of the appointment.
“The only thing I have to say about this whole situation – while I think that on paper she seems like a great candidate, I was just now handed her resume,” she said. “I’ve never talked to her, never met her, I just don’t feel like I’m ready to vote on the subject right now.”
Lindgren did not respond to a request via Facebook for further comment before press time.
Senator Dalton Beasley spoke in affirmation of Logan, contrasting her nomination with the endorsement of Kevin Paul last Saturday and praising her leadership experience on projects like Beat Auburn, Beat Hunger.
“In regards to a former speaker – you say we aren’t quick to make a vote, yet we were very quick to vote last Thursday in saying the Senate was comfortable in supporting Mr. Kevin Paul, with no resume in our hands with no prior decision, with no argument,” Beasley said. “We have our resumes now.”
Spillers said he has appealed to the judicial board for intervention. He cannot proceed with nominating other executive positions until the vacant chief of staff position is filled.
“I believe that something is at play here,” he said. “I’m not too sure exactly what it is. The first time, when I put up Chisolm and he got voted down, I kind of saw that coming because of a text that I got that was a screenshotted message to senators from members of the Machine telling them to vote down Chisolm with their majority vote. I’m not too sure what happened this time.”
According to a roll provided by the United Alabama Project, the following senators voted against Logan’s confirmation: Reece Bell, Jackson Britton, Jeff Burnstine, Emily Cerrina, Cassie Clifton, Zachary Cox, Rebecca Denson, Emily Ferons, Alexandrea Friar, Alex Grady, Jack Grantham, Reagan Hattaway, Alyssa Kessler, Paige Lindgren, Lance McCaskey, Joan McGill, Thomas Mills, Sarah Patterson, Tyler Portanova, Sarah Puckett, Lillian Roth, Alex Smith, Marissa Turk, Hayley White and Megan Wingbermuehle.
The following senators voted in favor of Logan’s confirmation: J. Lucas Adair, Sam Baker, Dalton Beasley, Bria Harper, Nick Key, Kever Lewis, Landon Nichols, Evan Ogden, Hunter Richey, Reid Ruggles, Alli Selman and Jon Vincent.
