Retiring Hou
member IIglbl
to keep million
WASHINGTON - A legal
provi ion, which expire thi
year will allow 33 departing
members of the House of Rep­
resentative to keep more than
$8 mi llion in unused campaign
contributions.
The 1979 statute allows
members of the House to keep
campaign contributions if they
give up their eats before the
end of 1992.
The 33 members who are
retiring from Congres or run­
ning for the Senate or were
defeated in their party'
primaries, are eligible to keep,
collectively, $8.6 million.
Twenty-two of them say they
plan to donate the money to
political parties or charities.
The sums retiring
Michigan House member are
eligible to keep are as follows:
- William S. Broomfield (R)
$655,652
- Bob Traxler (D)
$295.029
- Carl D. Pursell (R)
$154,564
- * Robert W. Davi (R)
$143,085
- Howard Wolpe (D)
I $117.418
(·Has less leftover cash on
hand than the amount eligible
to keep.
(Source: Federal Election
Commission, National
Taypayers Union)
Philadelphia
second In
sending people
to death row
PHILADELPHIA - Philadel­
phia courts have sent more
people to death row than any
city but Houston, and some ex­
perts fault the system of state
financing of the defense in
capital 'cases involving poor
defendants.
Legal experts say inade­
quate legal representation is a
leading reason that
Philadelphia's courts have
condemned more people to
death.
Since Philadelphia adopted
its capital punishment law in
1978, the courts in Philadel­
phia have condemned 77 men
and one woman to death. The
death row population of
Philadelphia is larger than the
combined death rows of 21 of
the 36 states that have imposed
the death penalty since 1976.
Minority death
rate rising
LANSING Michigan
minorities are dying at a rate 75-
percent higher than whites, and
the gap is growing, the state
health department reported Tue -
day.
Health researchers blame the
problem on infant mortality,
homicide and poor access to
health care for the late's
minoritie .
The report show the death
rate among whites dropped from
535 per 100,000 in 1985 to 484
per 100,000 in 1989 - a 9-per­
cent decrease.
. At the arne time, the death
rate for minorities increased 6
percent, from 801 per 100,000 in
1985 to 850 per 100,000 in 1989,
the last year for which data is
available.
By BEN CH ITT
public forums nd written commen . Th
rgeted d te for Ph II w August 1.
D DI Roland Harm aid
th t idea of the e ecutive order w to put
d y-to-day operations in the director' office
to incre e the effectivene of th deci ion­
making tructure.
"A lot of the e commi ions have taken on
life of their own," he aid. "They're etting
policy and there eem to be alot of backlogs
with the permitting proce ."
Controversy has ri en on whether Engler
h the right to propo e the reorganization.
Harme said that legal sentiments were about
70-to-30 against Engler' authority when the
. controversy began. However, when former
Gov. George Romney filed action siding wi th
Engler the tabl turned, and now chance are
50-50. That's where the i ue stands now.
"We wrote a con titution to give the
governor the power to reorganize the execu­
tive department of government," Romney
said.
Romney served as Michigan's governor
from 1963 to 1969.
Rep. Tracy Yokich, D-St. Clair Shores,
LAN INO - If Gov. John Engler wins hi
court b ttle with group of Democrats over
th re tructuring of the D R, two- tep
proce will take effect.
La t ovemb r, Engler i u d an execu­
tive ord r to reorganize the deci ion-making
tructure of the DNR. Th t tructure consi ts
of 19 deci ion-making commi sions, includ­
ing th Natural Re ources Commi ion, the
Air Pollution Control Commi ion and the
Water Re ource Commi ion, and would
tran fer power and re ponsibility to the direc­
tor of th DNR. The executive order al 0
w uld eliminate 19 board and commi ions.
The first part of Engler's plan, Phase I, will
rea sign certain department activities, uch as
rule , fee and land transactions, if the execu­
tive order goes into effect. The proce was
uppo ed to begin Feb. 1 of this year but is
still tied up in the courts.
Phase II will include long-term change
and an in-depth review of all DNR opera­
tions. The public will be invited to par­
ticipate in this step through workshops,
RECORD ALBUMS DONATED TO DETROIT SCHOOLS - The Metropolitan Plumbing and Mechanical
Contractors Association in conjunction with the Plumbing, Heating, Cooling Contractors Association of
Southeastern Michigan recently donated near1y 600 new record albums to the Detroit Board of Education'.
Music Department. Pictured are: Ellen Stevens, deputy superintendent for Quality Education, Frank
Hayden, presldent, Detroit Board of Education, Dr. Debra McGriff, general superintendent, Detroit Board
of Education, Tom Storey, associate managing director, MPMCA, Dr. Robert Crisp, supervisor, Music
Department and John Nussbaum, executive director ,of the Plumbing, Heating, Cooling Contractors
Association of Southeastern Michigan.
Scholarship recipients announced
ANN ARBOR-Forty high school
seniors have been selected to
receive the Martin Luther, King
Scholarship at The University of
Michigan.
Chosen by the U-M Reunion
Committee for Black Graduates,
they will receive the non-renewable
merit awards of 1,000 each if they
enroll in the U-M at Ann Arbor in
the fall of 1992.
Three hundred and eighteen stu­
dents in the nation were nominated
this year for the scholarship.
Nomination criteria include grades,
class ranking and test scores (finan­
cial need is not a consideration).
The applicants submit two letters of
recommendation and an essay
describing their "views, values and
commitment to human rights which
either parallels or reflects the
philosophy of Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr."
The scholarship is supported by
funds raised by the Reunion Com­
mittee for Black Graduates. The
committee is affiliated with Alumni
Association at U-M.
Those elected for the scholar­
ship from Michigan are:
Akomea Poko-Kankam from
Ann Arbor; Stephen Kinnison of
Cas opolis; and from Detroit: Sean
Ferguson, Crystal Martin, Kevin
Mason, Kelly Reynolds Malaika
. Talley and Kerry Young.
Scholars Mollie Bailey, from
Flint, Marlisse Bard, and Joseph
Giles.
Also, Kevin Boyd, Grand
Rapids; Angela Mustonen, Green­
ville; Jason Raines Kalamazoo;
Damani Hosey, Kentwood; Andrea
Bryant, Lansing; and Clarence
Craft, Oak Park.
A! 0, Alysse Jordan, Redford;
Ruqaiijah Ayanna Yearby, South­
field; Shannon Nicole Wood,
Steven ville; and James Milton
Goss, I Troy.
Pontia-c UL to march .for youth
PONTIAC MICHIOAN- The Pon­
tiac Area Urban League i holding
a "CALUNG ALL BROTHERS"
march and rally to help African
American youths.
"Thi worthwhile event is to
bring all African-American males '
together and establish a strong net-.
work base to improve the quality of
life for every minority in the com­
munity, "said spokesperson Jac­
quelin Washington. "Drugs,
poverty, teen pregnancy, health
care, and the criminal justice sys­
tem are just some of the problems
Pontiac Area Urban League recog­
nizes Father' Day everyday with
their Teen Fathers Program,
Washington said.
This program is where a mentor
is matched up with a teen father.
The mentor encourages the teen
father to complete his education
and to be responsible as a parent, as
well as help the teen father to seek
employment. Often the family of
the 'baby' mother i up et with the
father so the mentor find po itive
confronting young Black men
today."
The event will take place on
Saturday, June 20, at 10 a.m: at the
Pontiac Phoenix Center.
Following will be a two mile
walk throughout the community
and returning to the Pontiac
Phoenix Center. Upon .return,
various speakers will address such
issue as education, ports, religion,
busine , etc.
THE TIMING of this event is
the day before Father's Day, and the
.YOU11i, A10
I
.1
Rep. Jam Mc utt, R- idland, id h
upports Engler' idea to cent r authority to
the director nd ov rn r.
"I lway felt that the D needed reor-
ganization in th t area," he . "Thi would
ma e them more ccount ble for problems
and le bure ucratic and diverse."
Me UTI POI T D out that the down
ide would be the clo ing out of public com­
mentary by elimin ting citizen bo rds, 1-
though he aid the public can till expre
views at ppropriate time .
Despite all the controve y thi i u h
created, Harmes aid he i ple ed with the
amount of citizen input.
"One good thing that we found out w
that the citizens of Michigan are really inter­
ested in what the DNR doe and the impact it
has," he aia. "It affects all people and one
way or another you have to deal with the
ONR."
LANSING - Gov. John Engler
say he can.
Some Democrats say he
can't.
Former Gov. George
Romnmey says he can. And his
say may have the deciding in­
fluence ..
Ingham County Circuit Court
Judge Peter Houk found in favor
of a lawsuit filed by Democrats
who claimed Engler overstepped
his authority and violated the
Mlchtgan Constitution by reor­
ganizing the Department of
Natural Resources without legis­
lative approval.
. Engler appealed and now the
decision rests with the Michigan
Court of Appeals where up until
recently, ONR
Director Roland
Harme said, legal
sentiment was
swaying about 70
to 30 against
Engler's authority.
NOW, HOW­
EVER, since
Romney who was
a vice president of
the 1961-62 Con­
stitutional Con­
vention, filed as a
friend-of-the­
court party before
the appeals court
March 27, opinion
has shifted to
about 50-SO, Har­
mes said.
"We wrote a constitution to
give the governor the power to
reorganize the executive depart­
ment of government," Romney
said in a phone interview.
Romney, who was governor
from 1963 to 1969, offered no
opinion on the DNR restructur­
ing itself but rather he adamantly
supported the "fundamental"
authority of the governor to act
within the executive department.
Some Democrat, however,
di agree.
Engler's executive order is a
"direct violation of the
democratic government that has
erved our country for the la t
200 years," aid Rep. Tracey
Yokich, D-St. Clair Shores, who
filed the law ult with four other
legislators.
Awai ·court
ruling on
ngl r' pow r
TH OTHE
w part of a Democratic group that fought
Engler' injunction in the Ingham County
Circuit Court. Engler appealed the injunction
through the Supreme Court, which ent it
bac to the Court of Appeal . The i u i
now on the fast track.
"JOH GLER h declared himself
dictator,"Yokich aid. "Thi i a directviola­
tion of th Democratic government that h
erved our country for over 200 years."
Yokich aid he i concerned that the
propo ed reorganization will quelch citizen
input and have a neg tive effect on what the
DNR doe.
Environmental activist John Dattilo aid
h believes that the goals and objective of
the DNR will be lost if Engler is granted mor
control over the DNR.
"Without checks and balances, we have
tyranny and the governor will be able to force
his decisions on the director," he said. "Thi
will only result in the degradation of the
public' resources and, therefore, represent a
violation of public trust."
Dattilo is a resource development senior at
Michigan State University.
. ,
with her were Rep. Tom Alley,
D- West Branch, chairman of the
House Committee on Conserva­
tion, Recreation and Environ-
. ment, House Speaker Lewis
Dodak, D-Montrose, Sen, Ar­
thur Miller D- Warren and Sen.
John Cherry, D-Clio.
The executive order would
eliminate 19 citizen panels, with
duties including issuing air nd
water pollution permits, approv­
ing hazardous wa te disposal
plans and developing recycling
initiatives. It would abolish the
Air Pollution Control Commis­
sion, the Water Resources Com­
mission and reduce the scope of
the Natural Resources Commis­
sion.
The office of the director
would assume their respon­
sibili ties.
Engler
'says that the
numerous
boards and
commiss­
ions shield
the DNR, al­
lowing the
agency to be
less account­
able than it
should be.
If ac-
countability
rests at the
top, then you
have to es-
tablish a
chain of
command
that em-
powers at the
top, said Rep. Jessie Dalman, R­
Holland, who . upport the
res tructuri ng.
who filed
SHE SAID that Engler's plan
would also do away with orne
of the in fficiencie of the DNR.
The new tructuring would
offer a Simplified et of rules for
obtaining permit and would
con olidate authority. for ap­
proving and denying permits,
rather than preading denial
authority among everal agen­
cie , as is now, aid John Trus­
cott, pre secretary for Engler.
Some busines e wait more than
a year to get their permits ap­
proved he said.
Critics argue that reorganiza­
tion would weaken the environ­
mental protection the DNR and
its commis ions now hold and
reduce citizen input.
I
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