Appointment of Smith raises questions in wake of elections violations
Student Body President Kenny Tracy, who narrowly avoided an elections penalty for allegedly promising cabinet positions in exchange for campaign support, is raising eyebrows with his choice for chief of staff.
Aware that it might be seen as somewhat controversial, he selected Trenton Smith, one of the two freshman council members named in the election violation allegation, for his top staff position last week.
“He’ll have some proving to do to the more tenured members of SG,” Tracy said.
Tracy said Smith was one of four candidates he’d been considering for the position, along with two sophomore campaign staffers and opponent Emily Saleeby, who asked to serve in the role after losing the runoff.
“She was in my top choices,” Tracy said of the former student body vice president. “She said she had connections with administrators, and I felt like her skill sets could have been best used elsewhere.”
He said he’d offered Saleeby the secretary of institutional affairs position instead and she’d declined it.
“I wasn’t passionate about it. I didn’t apply for it,” Saleeby said. “You should apply for things that have applications for them. What I was passionate about, I asked Kenny for. ... That’s what I approached Kenny with, and that’s what I offered to do for him.”
In order to accept the chief of staff position, Smith first had to drop his newly adopted senate seat. Arts & Sciences has one of the most popular seats of any college at USC, so there have already been two new applicants since Smith dropped, according to Student Body Vice President Chase Mizzell.
Saleeby said she felt she was a better and more qualified candidate, having served for almost a year in executive office, and that the way Tracy handled the situation added insult to injury.
“He told me Trenton was going to be chief of staff over text message,” she said.
Saleeby, who said she’s not sure of her future in SG, contends that she has put the elections aside and is ready to move on.
“I’m looking at it from the outside picture,” she said. “Figuring out where I can benefit the university the most, whether that be in SG or not.”
As for what qualified the first-year political science student to head Tracy’s executive staff, Tracy pointed to Smith’s record in Students for Education Reform and freshman council.
“He has administrative skills,” Tracy said. “Initiative-wise, maybe he’s not so strong, but from what I see, head of staff is more about organizational skills. Trenton communicates efficiently and professionally.”
Mizzell also expressed confidence in Smith’s abilities, despite his lack of experience.
“He’ll be a good adviser,” Mizzell said. “Undoubtedly, having someone as chief of staff who will need a little more training will take a bit of time, but I think Trenton is fully capable of filling the position and doing well.”
Smith, when asked, rejected the idea that his status as a freshman should raise any questions as to his qualifications.
“Where I can act in a managerial role is not based on how old I am or how long I’ve been at the university,” Smith said. “Not so much as how well I’m able to fulfill the position and apply myself to the responsibilities.”
He said he’d been aware Saleeby and other more senior SG members had applied for chief of staff when he emailed Tracy to apply.
“I knew there were multiple people he was considering,” Smith said. “I just wanted to give him another choice. There was just an election and people who were all within SG were taking sides. I knew I’d never been offered a position (illicitly during the election). I knew I’d never done anything wrong. At the end of the day, I want SG to be the most efficient it can be so we can help the student body.”
And Tracy, for his part, stands by his choice.
“I’m in full support of my decision,” Tracy said. “I’ll be very open about it.”