A group of Student Association senators and officers interviewed 7th Ward alderman hopefuls Tuesday night to make a recommendation to DeKalb Mayor Greg Sparrow.

Nick Valadez, Jeff Monroe, Thomas Gary, Delorie Tycoo and Roy Withirow each spoke before they were questioned by the nine-member group. Each 15-minute interview was conducted separately.

The SA will make its recommendation to Sparrow at a 10 a.m. press conference today in the Illinois Room of the Holmes Student Center. Sparrow plans to present three names to the DeKalb City Council, one of whom will be appointed to the seat vacated by Mark Powell Aug. 15.

Valadez told the group he is an “advocate for students.” Although he works as a legal research assistant in Geneva, Ill., Valadez said he will be very accessible to his constituents.

“I plan to eat some dinners in the residence halls,” he said. “(If appointed,) I’ll always be a very accessible alderman.”

When questioned about not being a NIU student, Valadez said he “was a student only four months ago” and “was a student for nine years.” Students make up 95 percent of the 7th Ward.

Valadez said he has “always found time to be politically involved” and does not mind being called or visited at home. “I don’t foresee my job getting in the way,” he said.

Monroe, a junior and part-time student, said he has a “strong work ethic” and a “strong sense of equality.” Monroe is a political science major with an emphasis in international relations.

Although he has not had any SA experience, Monroe said he served on the Residence Hall Council and thinks an aldermanship would “be a great experience.”

Monroe said he thinks the SA has shown “a lack of properly directed action” in some cases and called it “politics at its worst.”

Gary, a senior majoring in political science, has lived in Grant Towers South for four years and served as a SA senator for two years.

“Students put in a mountain of money (in DeKalb),” Gary said. “It’s time to stop horsing around.”

Gary is involved in minority relations, Black Student Caucus, the SA finance committee and the Young Democrats at NIU and in Chicago. He plans to consider Annie Glidden Road development, the DeKalb airport and Chicago Northwestern commuter lines if appointed.

Gary said he plans to make door-to-door apartment visits to constituents if appointed. “I’ll be much more direct,” he said.

Tycoo lost to Powell in the 1987 election “with the SA’s help,” she said. A resident of DeKalb Plaza, Tycoo spoke of her involvement with area schools, womens groups and International Education week. She takes classes at NIU.

She is a Sunday school teacher, a Kishwaukee Community Hospital volunteer, visits nursing homes, works in school library preservation and is a Kishwaukee Community College instructor. Tycoo said she might “curtail” her activites if appointed.

“I always keep ties with students,” she said. “I know how to approach young people.”

Tycoo said she would work on issues including towing problems and landlords collecting two or three months rent at a time and pocketing the interest.

She said she broke ties with the SA and the city because of Powell. “I’m very interested in clean politics,” Tycoo said.

Withirow, a full-time graduate student with a bachelor’s degree in political science, is the assistant director for economic development for McHenry County. Withirow was an NIU undergraduate for 12 years.

Withirow said his main concern is DeKalb’s economic expansion. He fears a loss of student representation, he said.

“We stand a chance of losing it all,” Withirow said. “The townspeople are close-minded and anti-student.”

Withirow said he has worked for the Democratic Party in San Diego, Calif., and has run successful campaigns for his brother in Sterling, Ill.

“I think all aldermen representing student wards should attend as many SA meetings as possible,” he said.