FAMU BOT narrowly approves Mangum’s request to appeal court ruling on SGA elections

Former Judge Belvin Perry, Jr. votes "no," says trustees weren't given enough information to make a good decision

Yesterday, the FAMU Board of Trustees (BOT) narrowly approved a request by President Elmira Mangum to appeal a circuit court injunction against a full redo of the Student Government Association presidential (SGA) election. The motion passed with a 7-5 vote.

The “yea” votes were: Chairman Cleve Warren, Vice-Chairman Kelvin Lawson, Tommy Dortch, David Lawrence, Craig Reid, Nicole Washington, and Robert Woody.

The “no” votes were: Matt Carter, Faculty Senate President Bettye Grable, SGA President Tonnette Graham, Kimberly Moore, and Belvin Perry.

Back on Thursday, Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper granted a request by SGA presidential candidate Justin Bruno for a temporary injunction to stop a redo of the whole SGA presidential election in both Tallahassee and the law school campus in Orlando. Cooper agreed with Bruno that the new election should only take place in Orlando where voting-day problems were reported.

Bruno won the SGA presidential election last month. Mangum supported a decision by the Student Supreme Court to order a redo of the entire election after the losing candidate, Victor Chrispin, submitted an appeal that claimed there were problems with the election process at the law school.

FAMU officials cancelled the new election that was scheduled to take place at the law school on Tuesday.

“These legal actions were taken to uphold the students’ right to decide their own election process,” Warren said in a statement FAMU released after the BOT meeting. “The Student Supreme Court made their own ruling in the Student Government Association (SGA) election and the actions we have taken seek to keep these matters within the student defined, student governed, internal procedures as prescribed by Florida statutes and the Florida Board of Governors’ regulations—and out of the state court system. In no way, shape or manner did the University administration or Board of Trustees seek to interfere or choose a side in the SGA election.”

Perry, the former chief judge in Florida’s Ninth Judicial Circuit, said he didn’t think trustees were given all the information they should have had.

“I’m very concerned that we were not provided adequate information to make an intelligent decision on this vote,” he said in a quote published by WCTV-6.

Perry added that: “We weren't provided a copy of Judge Cooper's order. We weren't provided a copy of the transcript. We were not provided even copies of what happened with the students in their own internal organization nor any rules or procedures.”

Carter, another one of the trustees who voted “no,” also has a law degree and previously served a senior staff director for two Florida Senate committees.

Grable raised questions about whether Mangum was really looking out for the students or herself.

“My (no) vote was about what would have been the response if it was reversed and Mr. Chrispin had won?” Grable said in a quote published by the Tallahassee Democrat.