Web site's founders also encourage subscribers to vote for ticket
By ERIN LaRUFFA
Associate News Editor
Despite promises they would not use the independent, student-run Web site NDToday.com to endorse themselves, student body president and vice president candidates Scott Palko and P.J. Mercanti got some campaign help from the Web site this weekend.
Palko is both a student body presidential candidate and president of the Web site.
NDToday.com displayed a picture of Palko and Mercanti with a member of their campaign staff dressed in a Winnie-the-Pooh costume and holding a sign that reads, "Vote Like a Champion Today: Scott and P.J." There is also a link to Palko and Mercanti's personal campaign Web site which promises "an honest, non-political response to wrongly printed information in an ND media source."
The founders of NDToday.com, Frank Helgesen, Nick Fellers, Andy Warzon and Rob Pazornik also sent out an e-mail at 10:55 p.m. Sunday night encouraging NDToday.com subscribers to vote for Palko/Mercanti.
Judicial Council president Tim Jarotkiewicz said the e-mail was not a campaign violation, because the Web site was independent and it was sent before the campaign period ended at midnight.
Palko said he used the website to correct misconceptions printed in a campus media source.
"Because of the lies that were made about us, we felt we were at a disadvantage and we wanted to set the record straight," said Palko. "It's not an endorsement."
Although the link never explicitly names The Observer, Palko and Mercanti appear to be responding to comments printed in the newspaper's voter guide last Thursday. In particular, the Web site addresses the paper's representation of Palko and Mercanti's position on student tailgating and duLac — a representation that Palko described as containing "lies."
"Students see that and it influences them," he said. "No one's going to vote for someone that's against tailgating."
Palko, who told The Observer last Monday that he did not "want to abuse the situation and just take advantage of NDToday," said on Sunday that he and Mercanti have not yet decided whether they will use NDToday.com in any additional capacity.
According to Judicial Council vice president of elections John McCarthy, the ticket's use of NDToday.com does not represent a campaign violation.
"They haven't used it in an unfair way," said McCarthy. "It's just like writing an editorial for [The Observer]."
McCarthy equated NDToday.com to The Observer and Scholastic, two media sources the Judicial Council has no control over. However, McCarthy added that if any candidate used NDToday.com to insult their opponents, the council would step in.
Palko and Mercanti's opponents said they agree with McCarthy that Palko and Mercanti acted reasonably.
"It doesn't bother me. It's an individual Web site, so they can put their opinion on it," said candidate Brian Moscona, who is running with Keri Oxley.
Nick Williams, who is running for vice president with Nikki McCord, said Palko's use of NDToday.com would be similar to any candidate spreading information to a group of his or her friends.
"I don't think [NDToday.com] represents a true cross-section of the students," added Williams.
For candidate Libby Bishop, it was important that Palko only set up a link to his campaign Web site.
"That's better than them posting it completely on NDToday," said Bishop, who is running with Trip Foley. "In a sense, they are using it as an implicit campaign tool, but they're not bombarding you with `vote for us.'"
All News Stories for Monday, February 11, 2002
