Mike Banyas’ 10/22 column in support of candidate for State Representative Professor Tony Gierzynski was fascinating. But the response by Progressive candidate David Zuckerman was even more so. To advance the dialogue, our legislative representative sent his wife to demand that the UVM Student Government respond to Banyas’ article. Here is a response, but it may not be what they were seeking.

I don’t subscribe to the ideologies or politics of either the Democrats or the Progressives (which are usually identical-it’s their tactics which differ), so I find it easy to comment on the ‘race’ between incumbent progressives David Zuckerman and Bob Kiss and Democrat challengers Professor Tony Gierzynski and Nancy Kirby.

Seeing them each speak, it is clear that Representative Zuckerman and Bob Kiss have gravitated to the lunatic-fringe Left. They have become completely out of touch with the UVM community. That may be the reason why we’ve had no real voice within the state legislature for a years.

Who are we supposed to take seriously? We have Zuckerman, a ‘really nice guy’ and charismatic speaker, who comes to our Student Government begging votes and then after a mildly critical editorial by a Democrat, sends his wife to rant at the SGA that they MUST respond to that ‘attack.’ Are we supposed to find Kiss credible? Kiss, who thinks it’s a great idea to join the local campus Communists on an anti-war panel? Sorry Bob, you are judged by the company you keep and you are found wanting.

Perhaps we might respect a tenured UVM professor of Political Science, admittedly very liberal, respected as a man of principle, moderation and compromise by students and faculty across the political spectrum. Perhaps we might respect Nancy Kirby, a very well-respected moderate in the local community.

Zuckerman and Kiss have taken the student vote for granted. They have lost their constituency and have failed to get the endorsement of the Student Government leadership for the first time in years so are now in a panic, pleading votes from disreputable groups whose primary political activity is selling the Socialist Worker. We are their primary constituency and they have failed us. UVM has changed and it’s time that our representation changed, too. It pains me to personally support liberal Democrats, but I see that for the greater good, we must support them if we are to have effective voices representing us in the State Legislature.