Morris enters ring after last-minute mind change

After making several public announcements that he would not contend for the position, Todd… After making several public announcements that he would not contend for the position, Todd Brandon Morris has now announced that he is running for Student Government Board president.

Candidates had to hand in packets announcing their intentions to run on Friday. And it was just an hour or two before the deadline that Morris turned his in.

According to Kelly, after Morris handed in his packet, he went to shake Morris’ hand to welcome him to the race, but Morris continued to maintain that he was not running. Apparently, he had just filled out an application in case he later changed his mind.

And when candidate orientation came around this week, Morris said his mind was changed.

“I don’t really know what to say about it,” Kelly said. “He’s very mysterious about it — which I don’t understand.”

Morris said he had originally had no intentions of running, despite what some may think now, but that after other people who had planned to run dropped out, some students asked him to enter the race. The students gathered the necessary signatures for him to be put on the ballot and just asked him to think about running.

“When I signed out a packet, I really didn’t think I was going to run,” Morris said.

But after further consideration, he changed his mind. After handing in the packet, he waited in the SGB office until the 5 p.m. deadline to see who else planned to run for board. And while the gathered signatures motivated him, he still says he had not made his final decision.

“I definitely think it’s going to be an interesting election,” he added.

But Kelly does not remain totally convinced that Morris is running.

He nevertheless supported Morris’ decision to run because it will bring more issues — and people — to the polls.

Kelly now expects issues to include the two’s different approaches toward the new student activities fee allocations, and Pitt’s relationship with the United States Student Association. While Kelly has said he would vote against reinstating the relationship with USSA, the student lobbying organization that has taken some liberal political stances; Morris has continuously supported it.

Morris said that he does not plan to make USSA an issue in the election because that is an issue that the next board — not the president — should decide to attack. Rather, he wants to address the activities fee, as well as safety concerns on campus. He is currently working to create a walking service on campus for students, to be available Thursday through Saturday evenings.

But Kelly maintained that he is confident he’ll win, adding that he has done more for Pitt students than Morris.

“It doesn’t matter who I run against,” Kelly said.

Morris expressed similar optimism.

“If I did run, I would get elected,” Morris told The Pitt News two weeks ago, when explaining that he did not intend to serve on SGB again.

Morris has no problem with Kelly running for a second term, and he said there should be no term limits. Students should decide what they want, he added.

Morris does not plan to run with any slatemates this year, he said, explaining that it will help cut back on tension and favoritism. He added that when a board takes office and two of the board members have directly worked with the president, and two have run on a second slate with an association to the president, the board is already divided. There are also too many candidates this year, among whom he could not choose just one as a slatemate, he said.

In the past two elections, Morris has run with presidential candidates.

Board member Lauren Evette Williams, who had previously said she might run, could not be reached for comment.

K. Chase Patterson, who also said he would run for SGB president, said yesterday that he is not running because he does not have the time to commit to the campaign. He is now throwing his support toward Morris.

But Patterson did not seem surprised by Morris’ change in heart.

“I could have told you he’d run,” Patterson said of Morris. “He’s one of those guys who likes to keep secrets.”