The battle has been over for more than a month now. The signs have faded, the pins have been removed and the leaflets have made their way to the trashcans, while the victors have been preparing for their new duties.
After a long campaign, Andy Holcombe and Ann Schwab are now the new faces on the Chico City Council after they were sworn in at their first City Council meeting on Dec. 7. But one thing Chico did not see on Dec. 7 is a Chico State student being sworn in to serve on the City Council, and it looks to be even more difficult for an enrolled student to win a seat in the future.
On the November ballot, the passage of Measure H would have lowered the minimum council age from 25 years old to 18 years old. The initiative failed with 61 percent of the voters voting to keep the minimum age at 25.
Though Measure H would have expanded the ability for more of the Chico State students to run, the 25 and over student population is still eligible to run for office. Councilor-elect Schwab thinks it would be a great idea for students to run if they think they are up to the task.
"It doesn't matter what age you are it just depends on the experience you have," Schwab said.
Previous leadership and community involvement can be helpful when running, Schwab said. The student candidate should also be ready to dedicate a lot of time and effort in campaigning to students as well as non-students.
"Nobody could just win with just the student base alone," Schwab said. "They would have to win a broader base."
Schwab said it is also important to speak to the community and get it behind you.
"You would have to meet all the campus groups and get endorsements," Schwab said. "Endorsements from off campus groups like the city police, unions, and clubs would help as well."
A.S. President Adam Dondro was disappointed that Measure H did not pass but agrees with Schwab that for a student to win he or she would have to appeal to the entire city.
"For City Council you would want a student who knows the town and knows the format of how the City Council works," Dondro said. "If the city of Chico doesn't think they are qualified, they wonít vote for them."
Dondro said that if a student were to hold a seat on the council it would be a great benefit for the students.
"The city provided us with $10,000 for the Halloween festivities on campus, and when you are talking about the city council, you are talking about the city police as well," Dondro said. "If you had someone on the council it would be a huge advantage."
But a possible obstacle for a student to run for council would be the costs of the campaign. Dondro said the months he spent campaigning for A.S. president got quite expensive.
"I got a few donations but I mostly paid for my campaign myself," Dondro said with a wince.
Schwab spent close to $20,000 for her campaign and though much of it was from donations, some of the costs came out of her pocket as well.
James Schuelke, a sophomore majoring in political science, also knows what it takes to run a political campaign. Schuelke volunteered at the Chico Democratic headquarters for about three months until the election was over. He said he has mixed feelings about Measure H not passing because he thinks it would be difficult for a student under the age of 25 to win a spot on the council in the first place.
"I think winning as an 18-year-old is near impossible," said Schuelke. "But they should still have the right to run."
And in other parts of the country, many cities have allowed voting aged teens to run for office and college students have taken advantage of it.
In 2002, 19-year-old Patrick Sieng, who attended Willamette University in Salem, Ore., ran for a spot on the Keizer City Council but did not win. Nathaniel Bruno was 19 years old and attended the University of California, Berkeley when he ran for the Hayward City Council in 1998. He also did not win.
Schuelke thinks the reason why these teenagers lost is because many voters often trust in their incumbents more and would rather vote for them again than to trust their city in the hands of a teenager.
"On the one hand you if you are able to die for your country, you should be able to run," Schuelke said. "On the other hand there are limits on a lot of positions - like you have to be 35 to run for president. In that case itís probably good to have that age limit because they will have more experience in politics and in life."
However, this year 21-year-old Sam Dunlop, a student who attends St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wis., won a seat on the De Pere City Council after defeating the 64-year-old incumbent Richard Peters. Dunlop's victory was attributed to an outstanding student turnout to the polls on election day because Councilor Peters, who had served on the council for four years, sparked controversy with student voters when he said that they should not be able to run for city council because most of them are only temporary residents.
Schwab said the only guidelines for running for the Chico City Council is that the person running must be at least 25 years old, a resident of Chico and registered voter in Chico.
"I have a full time job and I did it," Schwab said. "I think the town could benefit from student knowledge."
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