Potts, Clarke to work together

Despite past animosity, Andrew Potts and Alison Clarke, the leaders of the Tufts Community Union Senate, appear to have resolved their differences.

To the surprise of many, the two have stated emphatically that they have resolved issues from the past year, and say that they are ready to move on for the good of the senate and the student body.

The relationship between Clarke, the senate historian, and Andrew Potts, the vice president, reached a low last November when Clarke spearheaded a motion to remove Potts from his position on the Senate's executive board. Last year, Potts served as the campaign manager for Melissa Carson's successful presidential campaign against Clarke.

When Carson resigned from her position for medical reasons two weeks ago, questions arose about who would take on the presidential duties.

Because the senate's constitution provides no specific formula for replacing a president, there was much private debate on how best to fill Carson's spot. While some supported the idea of a new presidential election, others questioned the merits of holding a general election so far into the year, and supported transferring the presidential duties to Potts.

Last week, Clarke said that if given the chance to re-elect the senate, she would not have supported Potts for the vice-presidency if it came to a vote. Biting e-mails sent back and forth between the Senate's executive board last week via the Senate listserv did not give much hope that the body would be able to cohere.

But all of the animosity is water under the bridge, the two senators say. "Basically the details are that we've established a working respect for each other," Clarke said. The two brought a signed statement into the senate meeting last Sunday declaring their intentions to keep an open line of communication and resolving to continue moving forward.

Senate Parliamentarian Adam Koeppel has raised doubts about the nature of the Potts and Clarke's agreement to cooperate given the two senators' negative history. "If they are agreeing to something in backroom sessions, regarding a way for Alison Clarke to not run for president, that raises some serious ethical questions," Koeppel said. He, like others, found it strange that Clarke was able to put aside an obvious desire to be president to work with Potts.

Senators last Sunday expressed some doubts about whether or not the change of heart was genuine, but Clarke and Potts are adamant that they are ready to work together. "I still think that I can respect him," Clarke said. "He's been doing a much better job this semester."

The difference might have been Potts' willingness to share the responsibility for leadership in the senate with others. Potts emphasizes that he is not the president, and that the leadership void created by Carson's departure will need to be filled by more people than just him. "I don't think of it as my exec board, I don't think of it as my senate," Potts said.

As for the questions raised about the agreement by Koeppel, Clarke said, "The agreement was more symbolic to show the senate that we have put aside our old differences and we are now working together," she said.

The same feeling was expressed by Potts who said that he feels too much focus is being put on the signed agreement brought out in last Sunday's meeting. "I don't even want to call it an agreement," Potts said.

As for concerns that Koeppel has raised about the circumstances being "shady," Clarke said that she thinks the senate is ready to move on, and that she plans to talk to Koeppel about his concerns when they meet this weekend. "I think the rest of the senate is comfortable with it," Clarke said.