The Michigan Daily-Wednesday, September 13, 1978-Page
City Manager Murray selects,
Minnesotan for city clerk
City budget ruled void
BY DAN OBERDORFER
After a search lasting nearly four months, a City Clerk
from a small town in Minnesota has been selected by City
Administrator Sylvester Murray to fill the vacated City
Clerk post here.
The appointment of Eldor Vollbrecht, now the city clerk
in Albert Lea, Minnesota, must be approved by City
Council before he fills the post left open by Jerome Weiss;
who was demoted last July.
WEISS' REASSIGNMENT to a less important city hall
position came following repeated criticism of his handling
of the 1977 mayoral election which former Democratic
Mayor Albert Wheeler won by one vote over Republican
Mayor Louis Belcher.
It was discovered that due to the use of faulty street
guides by Weiss' staff, 20 Ann Arbor township residents
had voted illegally in that election. After a ten-month
court battle, a second election was held this spring in
which Belcher defeated Wheeler by 179 votes.
Murray said yesterday that he foresees no opposition
from Council to his recommendation of the 36-year-old,
former newspaper reporter.
"I AM CONFIDENT he will provide the leadership and
management needed in our Clerk's office. The City
Manager of Albert Lea has characterized him as being
very thorough, perceptive and knowledgeable of
governmental processes, including good judicial
sensitivity to the partisan political atmosphere," Murray
said.
Murray added that Vollbrecht is expected to take over
the reins on October 16, just three weeks before the
November election.
"I am looking forward to coming to Ann Arbor as soon
as possible," Vollbrecht said. "I understand that there
has been a history of close elections in Ann Arbor and I
feel it's a situation I can deal with properly."
VOLLBRECHT has five years experience as the city
clerk of the small town of 20,000.
However, he has no experience with punch card voting,
the computerized system of balloting which the city has
decided to switch to next year.
Vollbrecht said the process of conversion "is just a
matter of education and preparation" and that he foresees
"no difficulties making the change."
Democratic and Republican council members alike
seemed pleased by the selection of Vollbrecht.
"It had been narrowed to three very qualified
candidates, 'but he (Vollbrecht) seemed the best," said
Councilwoman Susan Greenberg (D-First Ward).
Mayor Pro-Tem Gerald Bell, (R-Fifth Ward) echoed
Greenberg. "None of the applicants had experience with
punch card voting, but Vollbrecht seemed competent to
make the switch," he said.
(Continued from Page 1),
in Murray's budget.
BUT ACCORDING to Murray no
changes in allocation will be made.
"We will revert to my budget," he said,
"but I don't plan to make any changes
in the'budget that the council passed."
Murray explained that a major portion
of the money that was reapportioned
has already been spent; specifically,
$225,000 for street repairs.
"The work has already been done and
the contractors have been paid," said
Murray.
Two of the other "Republican"
projects-$50,000 each for a fall leaf
pickup program and matching funds
for a tornado warning system-haven't
been implemented. He said he expects
the council to meet in October, and that
he'll "leave it status quo" until then.
Democratic Council member Leslie
Morris (2nd Ward), a plaintiff in the
case, felt that the ruling could have a
definite effect on the eventual budget
that is approved, even though the
Republican majority could conceivably
approve the same budget next time
around.
"BASED ON THE publicity that was
generated, I'm not certain that the
result would be the same," said Morris.
"The Republicans must follow the
procedures of the (Open Meetings) act,
and the public is guaranteed the right to
voice their opinions."
Mayor Louis Belcher could not be
reached for comment.
Mayor Pro Tem Gerald Bell (R-Fifth
Ward) said he believed the Republicans
would appeal the decision.
"There are still some Constitutional
questions such as freedom of assembly
and freedom of speech that haven't
been addressed by the ruling," Bell
said.
ATTORNEY JEROLD LAX, counsel
for the plaintiffs, said he was very hap-
py with the decision but pointed out that
legislation can't guarantee that the
public will take part in the decision
making process, or that the legislature
would listen. "It remains to be seen if
the legislators will be responsive (to the
public) or go off on their own," said Lax
of the budget negotiations.
City Attorney Bruce Laidlaw, who
represented the defendants, w
noticably annoyed by the decisic
"I'd be very surprised if it was not a
pealed," he said, adding that t
judge's budget invalidation "leaves
to the imagination" what steps mig
be taken.
Meanwhile, officials in Lansi
agreed that the ruling will not affect t
legislature unless it is sustained on a
peal.
"GENERALLY A COURT decision
only binding on somebody who is a p
ty to it," said Chief Assistant Attorn
General Stanley Steinborn.
"If the case goes up on appeal and c
get an appellate court decision, th
becomes a clear statement of the law
t rms of statewide application,"
said.
A spokesman for House Speak
Bobby Grim (D-Davison) said t
ruling will not affect Democral
meetins in the lower chamber, but
noted the House has approved a b
which would repeal the legislature
controversial exception. If the Sena
goes along, he said, the question wot
be moot.
White parents in L.A.
keep kt
LOS ANGELES (AP)-Thousands of,
white parents kept their children away
from city schools yesterday, as the first
day of a massive integration program
got rolling in the nation's second-
largest school district.
Early attendance reports showed
that many students assigned to travel
from the predominantly white San Fer-
nando Valley to inner-city schools
avoided clases.
LEADERS OF AN anti-busing
boycott, who staged a rally attended by
4,000 persons Monday night, hope to
force cancellation of mandatory parts
of the plan by stripping the district of
white students.
The otherwise smooth start of school
Eastern 's
staffgoes
on strike;
talks end
(Continued from Page 1)
week that "if it was just a matter of
money, we (the union) wouldn't be
headed for a strike."
Hawks said EMU "is going to try and
operate as normally as possible for as
long as possible," with the professors
who do report for classes. The
professors, whose contract expired on
Sept. 1, have held classes for the 19,000
EMU students for the last week.
McCracken said union and university
negotiators won't get back to the
bargaining table until at least
tomorrow.
"I think both sides have to adjust and
come to grips with the issues,"
McCracken said. At the same time,
however, she .insisted the union
wouldn't budge on the question of
codetermination.
"Both sides bend a little. But certain
issues are more important to one side
or the other, and those are the issues
you don't bend on," shesaid.
Hawks said the university will stand
strong behind their power of decision-
making: "I think we (EMU bargainers)
are going to be very firm," Hawks said.
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was marred by scattered picketing, a
bomb threat, four minor bus accidents
and a bus lost in traffic for four hours.
Early figures from schools receiving
youngsters from the inner city and East
Side indicated that black and Mexican-
American parents did not heavily par-
ticipate in a boycott of classes.
AT SEQUOIA Junior High School in
the Valley, for example, about 400 black
and Hispanic students arrived at
school. But of the 398 white students
scheduled to travel the other direction
from the Valley to Stevenson Junior
High School on the East Side, only 85
showed up.
Board of Education member Bobbi
Fiedler, a busing foe said 15 percent to
25 percent of the white pupils scheduled
for busing went to school Tuesday and
most of the no-shows will not return.
"I don't think what you're seeing is a
boycott," said Mrs. Fiedler. "It's a
withdrawal from the school system."
BUT SCHOOL officials stressed that
some schools had received phone calls
from parents who planned to' keep their
children home only the first day to see
how the busing plan worked out.
"WE WILL BE announcing that
school opened uneventfully, peacefully
and well," said school board president
Howard Miller.
Despite the high white absentee rate,
Miller and Mayor Tom Bradley said the
start of integration in the 711-square
mile district was a success.
"I'M MOST PLEASED by the
response of the people of Los Angeles,"
said Bradley. "I'm very pleased at the
way this has all come together, the way
the community has come together."
Asked about some buses running
near-empty, he said, "I don't anticipate
any significant boycott. I think the
overwhelming majority of people in
this city are going to obey the law
whether or not they like it."
Most of the partially filled buses were
those which left the predominantly
white San Fernando Valley for inner-
city minority schools. Attendance was
heavier for students going in the other
direction. Only 13 of 62 students
scheduled to ride one bus from the
Valley were aboard when the vehicle.
buses,
made its last stop and headed for the
freeway.
IN THE OUTER reaches of the San
Fernando Valley, youngsters and
parents had to wait for up to an hour at
assigned stops. Some parents just gave
up and took their children home.
Compounding the delays was heavy
rush-hour traffic on the freeways. Four
minor traffic accidents involving buses
were reported, but police said no one
was injured.
Of the district's 570,000 students, 35
percent are Hispanic, 34 percent white,
24 percent black and 7 percent Asian.
The busing plan cover 62,000 students in
the fourth through eighth
grades-30,000 of whom volunteered to
be bused.
WHILE THE district began its in-
tegration program, parents and
youngsters who were not on the buses
began classes at neighborhood tutoring
sessions and new private schools.
At Bonnie Shuben's home in Canoga
Park, a Valley community, six sixth-
graders were tested by a tutor to
determine their competency. In
another part of the house, parents
discussed the three-hour sessions, in
which more than 400 youngsters were
enrolled as a legal alternative to
busing.
Dorothy Swift, two of whose five
children were to be bused, kept all of
them home, hoping a boycott would for-
ce the board to reconsider its plan.
"WE'RE NOT JUST fighting for
education, we're fighting for our
freedom," said Swift, who plans to
teach her children at home. -
. The busing resulted from a suit filed
in 1963 by the American Civil Liberties
Union. Legal confusion surrounding the
case reached a peak during the last 10
days when a state appeals court issued
a stay of the plan but was overruled
later by the state Supreme Court.
Two appeals to U.S. Supreme Court
justices failed to stop the plan.
Ir~anian journalists and Moslem jailed
restrictions on the sale of alcoholic The shah has said "Islami
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - A hardline beverages and a relaxation of religious Marxists" have taken advantage of th
Moslem leader and several journalists censorship of movies and television. unrest and are organizing the riots.
were among scores of persons arrested
yesterday in the sweeping clampdown
on opposition groups ordered by Shah
Mohammed Reza Pahlavi.
They were seized under provisions of Free-FILM SERIES-Free
the martial law decreed after more
than 100 persons were killed during new
anti-government protests that erupted Tuesday 4:15 pm- MLB Aud 3
Friday in Tehran and other cities.
The Moslem leader picked up in the
latest wave of arrests was identified as
Sheik Yahya Nasiri Noorim. Police WdRe gin
sources said agents found documents in -a series of BBC Documentaries
his home advocating the burning of
theaters, banks and liquor stores.
Journalists arrested included three Wednesday 4:15 pm- MLB Aud 3
reporters for a local newspaper.
Friends said they were not charged but t9R01
were accused of writing "provocative" ROOTS
articles. h T
An estimated 1,000 persons have been -the TV Documentary series
killed in eight months of disturbances These two series of hour long films will be shown
led by conservative Moslems opposed
to reform programs ordered by the every Tues. and Wed. during the fall term.
shah. They include transfer of land Sponsored by the
formerly owned by religious groups to Office of Ethics and Religion
peasants, more freedom for women -
including an end to segregation in
universities - removing some
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