Ben Leatham elected Derwent Chair

Ben Leatham has been elected as the Derwent JCRC chair for 2014.

The hotly contested election saw Leatham beat off strong competition from opponents James Fraser, Alastair Walker and Sam Hickford, winning 198 votes in the second round and gaining more than 80 votes than opponent Walker. Candidates Fraser and Hickford were knocked out of the first round, scoring 89 and 19 votes respectively.

Turnout for the chair position was 405, down from last year’s impressive 576.

Leatham congratulated the other candidates’ campaigns and welcomed the rest of his team. He continued to wish the JCRC a successful year, keeping Derwent the “best college on campus”.

The turnout was testament to the high quality of all four candidates and the highly effective and committed campaigns ran. Leatham’s emphasis on accountability and transparency was a common theme across all campaigns, with further hopes to incorporate his RAG experience in raising money for the college and getting people involved – a topic of much interest for all contenders.

The theme of placing a premium on transparency was repeated throughout the night with second years emerging victorious virtually every time they were pitted against first years – showing the electorate’s demand for trust and experience from their representatives.

On winning, Event Vice-Chair candidates Patrick Amoroso and Andy Bostock, emphasised their want for more inter-college challenges in an effort to get more international students  involved with college events. With Big-D under scrutiny, the team were also keen to run more realistic events with better funding and management.

Other notable results include Paddy Reilly O’Donnell and Rob Brogan winning the race for Merchandise Reps and the election of Derwent’s first Disability Rep, Joseph Williams, and Welfare Reps Tom Clark and Ely Villanueva Iglesias.

Derwent JCRC 2014 in full:

Chair: Ben Leatham

Welfare Vice-Chair: Chessie Stephenson

Ents Vice-Chair: Patrick Amoroso and Andy Bostock

Treasurer: Charles Wain

Secretary: Lucy Winship and Andrea Bustamante

LGBT Rep: Euphemia Swanson

Sports Reps: Anna Cook, Beth Freane, Sam Weighall and Alex Lee

Ents Reps: Callum McClafferty, Dakota Glasgow-Simmonds, Ellie Budden and Lizzie Davies

Bar Reps: Felix Aylett, Kit Lockey, Anna Newsum and Rosalie Dowding

Disability Rep: Joseph Williams

Merchandise Rep: Rob Brogan and Paddy Reilly O’Donnell

RAG Rep: Laura Freedman and Aimee Hardy

Volunteering Reps: Alexandra Hackitt-Anwyl and Caterina Soave

Sponsorship Rep: Nick Wright and Ben Coulburn

International Rep: Ellen Visnes and Ioan Nedelcu

Welfare Rep: Tom Clark and Ely Villanueva Iglesias

Press and Publicity: Barto Joly de Lotbiniere

Alumni Rep: Maisie Kelly