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THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Thursday, April 3, 1969
THE MICHIGAN DAILY Thursday, April 3, 1969
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(Pa d Political Advertisementt
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Some men simplyprovideit
There's really just one overriding issue in the e
April 7th mayoral election. Which candidate
has the experience and the proven ability to
provide effective, progressive leadership for
Ann Arbor in the dynamic years ahead? If you
consider all the facts, there's an inescapable
answer. The Man for the job is Dick Balzhiser. ;
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Proven Leadership in;
City Government
Dick Balzhiser was elected to City Council from the Fifth
Ward in 1965. He was chosen Mayor Pro Tem in 1966 and
reelected to Council in 1967. He resigned his Council seat
when he was named a White House Fellow in August of
that year.
The 2V2 years he served as Councilman and Mayor were
one of the most dynamic periods in the history of* Ann
Arbor municipal government. Seven significant progressive
pieces of legislation were enacted. Here's Dick Balzhiser's
record on each of them.
MAIN STREET PROMENADE. Balzhiser voted with a 10 to 1
majority on August 30, 1965, to enact this program to
rejuvenate the downtown area.
HOUSING COMMISSION. Balzhiser was one of five mem-
bers of a special Council Housing Committee which recom-
mended creation of a Housing Commission. He was part
of an 8-0 majority on September 20, 1965, that put the
Housing Commission proposal on the ballot for voter op-
proval. He was part of a 9 to 2 majority on October 9
that adopted a resolution urging a yes vote on the pro-
posal. On March 28, 1966; he voted with a 6 to 5 majority
to provide immediate relief for the community's most press-
ing housing needs by participation in the federal govern-
ment's Section 23 lease housing program. (All Democrats
on Council opposed the program.) After thorough study
of the Housing Commission's recommendatiops to make
sure their plans were consistent with documented commun-
ity needs, Balzhiser moved on March 7 for preliminary ap-
proval of a 200-unit low cost housing program. His motion
passed unanimously.
FAIR HOUSING. Dick Balzhiser has supported the prin-
ciple of fair housing and worked for state and local fair
housing legislation throughout his public career.
As a Councilman, he introduced and supported a motion
to extend Ann Arbor's existing fair housing ordinance to
cover all rental housing on November 29, 1965. The
measure passed 6 to 5. Based on his knowledge that the
real problem 'was discrimination in rental housing, and
on public indications that further immediate extension of
the ordinance might jeopardize the city's general human
relations climate, Balzhiser did not support an amend-
ment to extend the ordinance to cover all housing at that
time. The amendment passed without his support.
Following its passage Balzhiser gave the new ordinance
strong public support. He also worked hard to promote
municipal fair housing legislation throughout the country,
particularly by presenting the Ann Arbor experience in
the National Conference of Mayors and other national
and regional forums.
COMPREHENSIVE HIGH RISE ZONING ORDINANCE. Bal-
zhiser voted with a 10 to 1 majority on January 10, 1966,
to provide thorough safeguards against high rise building
developments without adequate setback, parking, and
other support facilities.
PARKS AND RECREATION BOND ISSUE. Balzhiser was
instrumental in putting together the recreation portion of
this comprehensive $2.5 million bond issue, and voted with
the 10-0 majority on February 14, 1966, to present it for.
public approval. After it became known that the federal
government would contribute $600,000 for parkland ac-
quisition, he suggested the amount of the bond issue be
reduced by $400,000 to still provide more than the agreed
upon $2.5 million and save local taxpayers some expense.
ROADS BOND ISSUE. Balzhiser voted with an 8 to 2 ma-
jority on February 14, 1966, to present the public with a
$5.4 million bond issue to complete the Huron Parkway,
widen Stadium and Packard, fix the Broadway Bridge,
and improve Forest.
SIGN ORDINANCE. Balzhiser was an important moving
force in formulating the comprehensive sign ordinance.
He voted with an 8 to 2 majority on December 12, 1966,
to adopt it.
In addition to his actions and votes on these specific issues,
Dick Balzhiser gained valuable executive experience as
Mayor Pro Tem. In this position he often presided at
Council meetings, organized Council agendas, and was
the city's representative to the National Conference of
Mayors and the Southeast Michigan Council of Govern-
ments. In short, he knows city government from first-hand
experience, and has proven his unique ability for progres-
sive leadership.
A Lifetime of Involvement
and Achievement
Though he's just 36, Dick Balzhiser has compiled a re-
markable record of accomplishment.
His service to the community has not been confined to his
activities as Councilman and Mayor Pro Tem. He has also
been a member of the Human Relations Commission, Citi-
zens Youth Commission, Recreation Advisory Board, Peo-
ple-to-People program, and the Board of Elders of St.
Luke's Lutheran Church.
He has also served his country. In the fall of 1967 he was
one of only 16 men chosen from thousands of applicants
for the White House Fellows Program.
As a White House Fellow, he served as a top-level aide
to the Secretary of Defense. In that position he helped
organize the Alliance for Civic Action, a group concerned
with peaceful application of military resources to society's
problems. He was a member of the Civil Disturbance Steer-
ing Committee. And he serves the nation today as a
member of the Civil Defense Task Force of the Defense
Science Board.
Dick Balzhiser earned his Ph.D. in engineering at the
University of Michigan in 1961, after taking both his ba-
chelor's and master's degrees there. Today he is a U-M
professor of chemical engineering, and has supervised
millions of dollars of scientific research. He is also a mem-
ber of the board of directors of the Michigan Union Acti-
vities Center, and recently chaired a special planning
group on the role and direction of the U-M Dearborn
Campus.
As an undergraduate at Michigan he was a varsity athlete
and was named to the All Scholastic-All American Football
Team. He was also an Angell Scholar, president of Michi-
gamau senior men's honorary society, and , first student
representative to the U-M Development Council.
In recognition of these achievements, he was named the
Outstanding Young Man of Ann Arbor by the Ann Arbor
Junior Chamber of Commerce in 1966. A few months
later, the statewide Jaycees chose him one of the five
Outstanding Young Men in Michigan.
Dick and his wife Christine have two sons, Gary and Ro-
bert, and two daughters, Patricia and Cheryl, ranging in
age from nine to sixteen. The Balzhiser family lives at
2800 Brandywine.
A Program for Progress
Valuable as Dick Balzhiser's record of leadership and
achievement is, it's no substitute for an action plan for
Ann Arbor's future. And nobody knows this better than
the candidate himself.
As your Mayor, Dick Balzhiser will:
" Present the voters a detailed program for a city income
tax with a guaranteed property tax reduction and revised
city property tax ceiling in the 1970 Spring election.
* Meet the housing needs of low income families through
carefully coordinated public and private programs.
* Use innovative incentive features to stimulate private
construction of new homes in the moderate price range.
* Provide a reliable and economical public transportation
system capable of serving the total community.
* Alleviate tensions between generations in the commu-
nity by involving young people in the decision-making and
government process.
" Improve coordination between Council and School
Board on school locations, transportation needs, and recre-
ation programs.
* Increase economic oppor'tunity for the community's less
fortunate by cooperative efforts with business, labor, and
schools.
* Immediately concentrate on programs to stop drug
abuse and reverse the rising crime rate in Ann Arbor.
* Act to eliminate conditions that led to flooded base-
ments in the last year.
* Insist on a fair and equitable wage for all city em-
ployees.
FinishPackard Road!
Citizens for Balzhiser,
Ed Hucke and Dave Middleton,
Co-Chairmen
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