John Brauer came so close to winning on election night, November 2, 1982, that a large number of BCA people, myself included, stayed up until the final precinct was counted early the next morning to see if John would pull ahead for the last (and deciding) Council seat.  It did not happen. 

John Brauer's campaign meant more than the seventh consecutive defeat by a U.C. student in the past decade.
John's near victory actually energized students and BCA.  He had done extremely well fo a young, white, male student, the type of person who had not been nominated since 1975.

There was an emerging new belief that a student belonged on future slates and could actually be elected to the City Council.

I had been a student organizer myself when Rick Brown's loss in April 1971 began that long, collective losing streak that now stood at 11 years and counting.  BCA still relied heavily on student votes.  Many of us continued to believe BCA  needed to elect a student as part of the continuing quest for a Council majority.