Just a week after the filing deadline for the DeKalb aldermanic race, candidates for the student-populated 7th Ward are outlining their goals.

Independent challenger Jordan Kagan, a sophomore business major, officially began his campaign late Monday, along with a list of goals. Kagan will face independent incumbent Jeff Monroe, a senior political science major, who was appointed to the DeKalb City Council in October 1989.

The 7th Ward encompasses Grant and Stevenson towers, Stadium View, High Meadows, Varsity Square, DeKalb Plaza and University Heights apartment complexes.

“My reason for running is to ensure that a qualified alderman will represent the rights of all the residents of the 7th Ward, especially the students, for the next four years,” Kagan said.

If elected, Kagan said his goals would be to establish a committee to look into lowering the entry age into bars to 19, to protect students from losing power in the city from redistricting after the 1990 census, and to fight for the building of the DeKalb civic center, a DeKalb shopping center and Metra train stop.

However, Monroe criticized Kagan’s goals as campaign rhetoric.

“He is totally misguided if he thinks bar owners want 19-year-olds in bars,” Monroe said. “I think he’s certainly using this as a campaign device.”

Although Monroe said he supports lowering the age to 19, the owners are against it and the council probably wouldn’t have enough votes to amend the ordinance.

As for redistricting, Monroe said keeping qualified student aldermen on the council would stop “the perceived need to get rid of students on the council.”

Monroe said issues like building a mall, the civic center and train stop are essentially out of the council’s hands.

“I feel very confident of the issues of what can really be done and what is hot air,” Monroe said. “I’m trying to run this as a class campaign. I hope he wants to address real issues.”

Kagan also proposes to establish an anti-discrimination committee and to look into the efficiency of the city’s recycling program.

However, Monroe said DeKalb already has a human relations committee and the recycling program is working well.

“I think there’s a clear-cut difference between his rhetoric and my results in the environmental arena,” Monroe said.

Monroe said issues like tenant rights and the proposed Lucinda Avenue Project are more pressing student issues.