The University of North Florida Student Government held a debate for the 2025 presidential candidates on Feb. 27, where Amelia Dyal (Talon Party), Anthony Balsamo (Soar Party) and Horatio Gilman (SAM Party) debated a variety of topics.
Each candidate answered different questions that were provided by the SG elections office. The debate was moderated by Dr. Nicholas Seabrook, chair of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration and the director for the Office of Public Policy Events.
Dyal currently serves as Senate Pro-Tempore and the Rules and Oversight Committee chair. Vevvy Summerall, Talon Party’s vice presidential candidate, is a senator and the vice chair of the Rules and Oversight Committee. Although Summerall was elected to the Senate last spring as a member of the Soar party, she is running with Dyal as a member of the new Talon Party.
Balsamo was the former Attorney General of the SG executive branch. Per SG bylaws, he had to relinquish his position to run in the election. Tommy Mazzella, Soar Party’s vice presidential candidate, is the current chair of the Budget and Allocations Committee.
Both Gilman and Will Raffier, SAM Party’s vice presidential candidate, are current members of the SG Senate.
Listed below are a few questions that were asked during the debate, with each candidate’s responses.
What are your top three priorities within the first 100 days?
Gilman said his first priority would be expanding the commissions initiative started by the current SG administration, his second to “improve major on-campus events,” and his third, to make it easier for RSOs to receive funding.
Balsamo said his first priority would be to fix the funding process for RSOs and make it easier for them to navigate the process. His second priority would be to improve campus safety, and his third priority would be to improve SG’s accountability and engagement with the student body.
Dyal said her first priority would be to hire a strong executive staff, and her second priority would be to get her administration physically outside connecting with the student body. Similar to Gilman, her third priority would be to build upon SG commissions.
How will you ensure transparency and accountability in SG’s programming and initiatives?
Dyal said the best way to ensure transparency and accountability is to make sure students understand SG meetings are open to the public, as well as making sure SG gets feedback from students on initiatives.
Gilman said the SAM party plans to be more transparent by utilizing the Osprey Voice surveys and submitting opinion pieces to Spinnaker to inform students about what SG is doing.
Balsamo said he would like to utilize Osprey Voice more to connect with students. He also said that hosting small events that allow SG to engage with students helps ensure transparency.
Why should students vote for you over your opponents in this presidential race?
Balsamo answered, “Experience.”
Balsamo said that he has worked in SG for two years, which he said gives him a better understanding of SG’s budget and funding.
Dyal said the Talon Party brings something “new and unique” to SG. She also mentioned that the Talon ticket is the first all-female ticket since the 2020-2021 election year.
“I always want to lead with honesty and be an approachable person for any student who feels concerns or needs that they want to see on campus,” said Dyal.
Gilman said the SAM Party knows how to provide solutions to the issues students have because they listen to the student body’s different perspectives.
“SAM’s a very grounded party,” Gilman said, “We’re very down-to-earth, and we understand what people want.”
Voting in the spring elections
Voting for the Spring 2025 elections will be held on March 11 and 12 in the Osprey Plaza. Voting will take place from 9:00 am to 4:00 p.m. each day for on-campus voting.
For online voting, the window to vote will open at 9:00 a.m. March 11, and will close at 4:00 p.m. on March 12. Students can vote online through the Perch Portal.
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