[media-credit name=’BEN CLASSON/Herald photo’ align=’alignright’ width=’336′][/media-credit]

The College Democrats officially endorsed University of Wisconsin freshman Conor O?Hagan?s candidacy for the County Board of Supervisors District 5 seat Thursday, despite their executive board?s recommendation against endorsement.

O?Hagan and his opponent, UW senior Wyndham Manning, are vying for the District 5 seat, responsible for the area encompassing the University of Wisconsin campus.

Manning said he was not surprised by the outcome of the meeting. He added he has been disconnected with the general membership of the College Democrats for too long.

?I have gone down a different avenue, so I?m not as involved with the College Democrats as I used to be,? Manning said.

There has been some criticism against College Democrats chair Oliver Keifer?s involvement with the O?Hagan campaign. Kiefer addressed these concerns, saying when he signed on with O?Hagan, there were no other candidates competing for the seat. Manning did not announce his candidacy until the last minute, according to Keifer.

?There we were, still no candidate and the semester was winding down. … I thought that there was a chance that we might not even get a single candidate on the ballot,? Keifer wrote on the College Democrats? political blog Jan. 29.

Keifer said there is no rule against working on a specific campaign and believes he did nothing unethical. He also pointed out he recused himself from the executive board?s endorsement interviews.

?As far as the endorsement goes, I have had very little involvement. I won?t be leading the proceedings tonight so everyone feels like they have a fair shake,? Keifer said. ?I have not been lobbying behind the scenes, and I don?t feel the situation is a conflict of interest.?

College Democrats treasurer Andrew Voss said Keifer?s involvement with the O?Hagan campaign was not questionable.

?We?re professional enough to put aside any personal issues or connections to decide who we think the best candidate is to represent the college campus,? Voss said.

Despite the alleged controversy surrounding the endorsement, O?Hagan said he is pleased with the outcome of the meeting.

?I am truly happy that I got this endorsement. It was one of the most important things to me in this race,? O?Hagan said. ?I am looking forward to working with the College Democrats in the future.?

Although he lost the College Democrats? endorsement, Manning remains competitive within the race with his recent endorsements from the Teaching Assistant Association and the Green Party.

During the meeting?s question-and-answer session, O?Hagan said his goal is to bridge the gap between students and the rest of the county. He said he believes he will be able to represent students because he will be on campus every day.

In addition, O?Hagan identified increasing funding for the university?s SafeRide program as his No. 1 issue. He feels a broader SafeRide program will help reduce the number of muggings and sexual assaults on and around campus.

?County funding would really enhance the effectiveness of the program,? O?Hagan said.

In addition to O?Hagan?s endorsement, the College Democrats also endorsed Justice Louis Butler for the state Supreme Court, Marjorie Passman for School Board Seat 6, Ed Hughes for School Board Seat 7 and Scott McDonell for Country Board District 1.