To the Editor:

While the campaign of Nick Shalek ’05 for Ward 1 Alderman is proud to congratulate Rebecca Livengood ’07 on her swearing in as our interim alderwoman, we feel it is important to remind the voters of Ward 1 that they are still responsible for selecting their next alderman on Nov. 8. Rebecca currently serves thanks to the choice of Mayor DeStefano, not because the constituents of this ward thought she would best represent their interests. Her current position reflects a commitment only to the goals of City Hall and the extreme groups supporting her campaign, not a dedication to the students she hopes to represent. By contrast, Nick Shalek has worked hard to maintain his independence from the quid-pro-quo politics of the city administration and groups such as GESO and the UOC. He is committed to representing all of the students who reside in Ward 1 and wants to make this election truly the choice of those voters, and not just of Mayor DeStefano or the 40 people on the Ward 1 Democratic Committee. Nick urges all Yale students to register to vote, and to remember that they alone can choose who will represent them on Election Day.

David Denton ’07

Sept. 1, 2005

The writer is a staffer for Shalek’s campaign.