Impeachment to proceed, Kressel faces removal from office
President Ross Kressel faces removal from office if the Senate votes to impeach him Tuesday. (SGA Photo)
In the SGA Executive Board meeting Thursday afternoon, a letter, authored by Treasurer Luke Rozansky, was presented to the board beginning the process of impeaching Student Body President Ross Kressel.
In his letter, Luke Rozansky states that he “[has] lost [his] confidence in [his] President” and that he has “come to the conclusion that this a major offense and should bypass a Censure and a Vote of No Confidence by going directly into an Impeachment.”
As detailed by the SGA bylaws, disciplinary action may be pursued in the event that a member of the organization commits a minor, moderate, or serious offense. Rozansky mentions a major offense, which is not mentioned in the bylaws. What constitutes each type of offense is not written out in the bylaws. It is also unclear who gets to make that decision.
The George Street Observer was not present for the letter’s presentation, as the Executive Board entered executive session, forbidding the public from attending the meeting.
An attorney contacted by the paper’s editor said this action violates South Carolina’s Open Meetings Act.
Presenting a letter of impeachment to the Executive Board is the first step in removing an executive or legislative officer from the SGA. Following the presentation, a senator will introduce a bill of impeachment against that officer.
Sources on the Executive Board expect a bill of impeachment against Kressel to be presented to the SGA Senate at their September 13session by Chief of Staff Baker, Academic Affairs Committee Chairperson Justin Lyons and Deputy Chief of Staff Brooke Sensenig.
If the Senate decides by a 2/3 majority that an impeachable offense has occurred, the letter of impeachment will be forwarded to the Honor Council. The Honor Council then has eight business days to come to a decision for removal.
In reaction to the allegations against him, President Kressel released a statement apologizing for his actions. His statement follows:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Charleston, SC (September 8th, 2011)
Friends:
I was recently given the chance to resign from my position as Student Body President. Today, I was presented with a letter that will likely lead to the beginnings of impeachment proceedings.
While more details have come to light follow [sic] a story released by the George Street Observer, I can tell you that a private Twitter account and posts from it are at the center of this controversy as stated in the article.
My actions in this case were unprofessional, inappropriate and misguided and I sincerely do apologize and have begun work towards repairing the damage from my actions.
With that all being said, I view the content of these tweets as a private matter.
I believe that the letter from Treasurer Rozansky asking for my impeachment is an inappropriate course of action and only distracts from the great work I look forward to doing as your Student Body President.
Sincerely,
Ross Kressel
President of the Student Body
Senate meetings are held at 4:30pm in the Stern Center ballroom. The GSO invites the student body to join them for the open meeting Tuesday, Sept. 13.
The Pot Calling the Kressel Black
Three things happen every year in our fair city. That being a flood of tourists every spring for Spoleto, the multitude of worried mothers on campus every August, and another inevitable milestone of time passing in Charleston, scandal in the Student Government Association. This year’s brand of S.G.A. crisis revolves around President Ross Kressel under threat of impeachment for a potential (and I can’t stress that enough) tweeter account where comments were posted that offended members of S.G.A. (Speaking of offensive comments, has anyone seen what horrible, lewd, and degrading things people post about Ross Kressel on College ACB?) The charge against President Kressel is being lead by Chief of Staff LaQunya Baker, who lost to President Kressel in a run-off election last year, and Treasurer Luke Rozansky. The claim is being made that President Kressel violated a section of his oath of office that states he, “shall not bring shame and/or disgrace” to his office or the College of Charleston. Now I’m all for keeping elected officials in line, but it lends a little more credibility if you’re an average citizen (or student in this case) not someone who is a member of the executive board. It would also lend more credibility if members of S.G.A. where not hypocrites.
I was a member of S.G.A. for 4 years and needless to say I saw more than a few members of S.G.A., past and present, participating in under-age drinking, using fake id.’s, smoking pot, and generally being hammered drunk. I know that it’s college and everyone has done multiple things on the list I just gave. I myself have done some of those actions and have no inherit problem with them being part of the college experience. I only have a problem when people try to punish others for actions that are no where near as bad. Again, I’ve seen the things people in S.G.A. have done and a lot of the actions I’ve seen arguable what could be considered shameful and/or disgraceful, and certainly would have been more serious contenders for impeachment than an anonymous twitter account. So, the next time members of S.G.A. want to start accusing people of shameful and disgraceful actions in there organization they need only to look in the mirror.
[…] like a professional politician, Kressel’s issued a public apology for being a jerk,” according to Gawker. But, as the stellar journalists they are, they are […]