OPINION: CAS Senior Running For City Council Might Be Severely Unqualified, Potentially Fucking Over Thousands of New Yorkers, But At Least He’s Putting Himself Out There, Y’Know?
Campus has been abuzz this week with the news that Chetan Hebbur (it’s pronounced Nit with a “wit”), a senior in CAS, is running for New York City Council. Hebbur, who is running in New York’s 2nd District as a Democrat, announced his run last week. Articles in Washington Square News and the New York Post announced his campaign with fanfare, painting him as a young upstart looking to get into politics post-election.
Some have criticized Hebbur’s choice to run, citing his youth, lack of experience, and deficient knowledge on basic separation of powers between state and municipal government, claims Hebbur hopes to silence by repeatedly bragging about seven years of high school speech and debate and wiggling his bushy eyebrows like a sleazy used car salesman. They worry that he’ll be a blight on New York City government, unable to play politics and powerless to his far more experienced counterparts, and wonder how long they can tolerate listening to his grating vocal fry that he obviously thinks makes him sound cooler. After all, in a city of more than eight million people, a city councilperson has immense power.
To them, I say: isn’t it cool that he’s putting himself out there? Like, it’s so cool. Woah.
Are you impressed? I’m pretty impressed. If I were a woman, I would pursue him. But I’m not. I’m Murray. Murray Samsonite. My name is male-sounding. Even my last name.
