Associated Students of Madison representatives elected former Student Services Finance Committee Chair Brandon Williams as chair of the new Student Council session Sunday.
Williams defeated former Academic Affairs Chair Jonah Zinn in a 20-12-1 vote.
Representatives also elected former Legislative Affairs Chair Adam Johnson as vice chair and T.J. Madsen as secretary.
Williams said he feels he is ready to take on the role of chair, pointing to his experiences allocating student segregated fees and working to reach out to the student body as SSFC chair.
According to Williams, the rising cost of education is the top issue facing students. He said he plans to address this issue by continuing communication with state and local lawmakers.
""Every single student, even if their parents pay for their entire education, has some investment here,"" he said.
Williams said he also hopes to ensure that all students know their rights when it comes to landlords and renting off-campus, as well as bridge the gap between ASM and the student body.
""I think it's important to remember that we're an organization that's comprised entirely of students that exists strictly for the benefit of students,"" he said.
Rep. Sam Stevenson said although he feels both candidates were qualified for the position, he supported Zinn because of Zinn's experience working directly with the student body as chair of the Academic Affairs Committee and his work with the Student Labor Action Coalition.
""Jonah has an attitude about the student body that is very proactive,"" Stevenson said. ""He wants to get out and know people and what's important to students.""
Several representatives, however, said they felt Williams' work as SSFC chair made him the best candidate for the position.
""[Brandon] has the potential to really raise the bar for ASM leadership and to set an irreversible precedent for the next few sessions and hopefully for the next decade and more,"" Johnson said.
Johnson, who defeated Rep. Jolie Lizotte in a 20-12-1 vote, said his work rebuilding the Legislative Affairs Committee qualifies him for the position.
He said increasing outreach to the state government, to peer institutions and to the student body are the most important tasks he plans to accomplish as vice chair.
""I really view the vice chair as being the quintessential figurehead of outreach within ASM, so that's where I want to focus,"" he said.
Following Williams and Johnson's elections, Madsen won an uncontested election for the secretary position.
