Eighty-four years of editorial freedo n
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan
Primary candidate statements
Saturday, February 15, 1975
News Phone: 764-0552
420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Mi. 48104
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First ward
Democrats
Tfhid ward
RepublicanS
Taylor: Experienced, tougli
Monday's Democratic primary elec-
tion for the First Ward City Council
seat pits former Washtenaw County
Commissioner Elizabeth T a y 1 o r
against party dark horse Robert El-
ton.
Both candidates offer liberal to ra-
dical political views but on the basis
of experience, if nothing else, Taylor
emerges as the superior choice.
Taylor has a long history of acti-
vism including organizing United
Farm Workers support both here and
in Southern California. Similarly,
her opposition to American involve-
ment in South East Asia has been
loud and genuine.
But more im-ortantly, Taylor has
a solid grasp of local government and
how it operates. As a county com-
missioner for the previous two years,
she has been a competent spokeswo-
man for her constituents.
That 'experience has given Taylor
a thorough understanding of bud-
gets, the relationship of local govern-
ment to both state and federal ag-
encies, and how to deal with the bu-
reaucracy - all very necessary
skills for an effective City Council
member.
For these reasons, the Daily en-
dorses Taylor in the upcoming pri-
mary.
However, her opponent - Elton
-has also presented well thought out
and workable stands on some of the
pressing city problems. But he has
neither the experience nor the broad-
based backing to expediently imple-
ment his proposals.
At a time when Ann Arbor faces
tough decisions in many areas par-
ticularly budget allocations for so-
cial services versus more traditional
-though probably less necessary -
operations, the First Ward residents
need a representative well-grounded
in government operation.
Thus, although Elton shows defi-
nite potential for becoming an effec-
tive council member, the voters must
have someone who needs little on-
the-job training before getting down
to business.
Voteless vote
THE SECOND WARD pairoff between
HRP hopefuls Frank Shoichet
and Richard Ankli has dissolved into
no race at all, with Ankli dropping
out of contention.
Even so, Ankli's name will remain
on the ballot despite his final-hour
withdrawal and he is still technically
eligible for the election.
The Daily chooses to endorse neith-
er candidate in the Second, though
we recognize that it is, in effect, a
one-candidate race.
Robert Elton
Bob Elton has been active in Ann
Arbor politics for four years. He has
been a member of the Mayor's Com-
mission on the Energy Crisis, the Citi-
zens Council Commission on the Waste
Water Treatment Plant, and the Citi-
zens Association for Area Planning. He
has lived in Ann Arbor continuously
since 1968, and is an automobile me-
chanic by profession . .
ATY INTEREST and concern about
environmental problems led me to
the inescapable conclusion that the
problems were political more than any-
thing else, and they were very muc
at the city level. Many problem area.,
like sewers, zoning, and building codes,
are not very glamorous issues, and
they are not too well understood by
very many people. It isn't until you in-
vestigate all the facts of these prob-
lems that you begin to understand the
interaction between city politics and
the social and physical environment of
our lives.
I am concerned about the looming
problems of energy. Shortly after lie
was elected, Mayor Stephenson imple-
mented my suggestion of an official
Energy Committee, charged with find-
ing ways of minimizing the city's im-
pact on the energy supply. The first
mission of this committee was to find
fuel oil for desperate home-owners. A
system of allocation was set up to help
people needing oil to find dealers that
still had some. In the winter of '73-'71,
we helped keep a lot of people warm.
I AM CONCERNED about the 2.4
million dollars the city is getting from
the Federal government through the
Community Development Revenue
Sharing program. This is only about a
third of the money we used to receive
through programs like Model Cities and
Code Enforcement. I am on the Demo-
cratic task force, charged with draw-
ing up a proposal to reflect Democratic
priorities for the use of this money.
Our plan, in contrast to the one pass-
ed by the Republicans, stresses code
enforcement and human services, put-
ting a high priority on day care and
health needs.
There are many areas of concern
that I would like to do more about. One
of them is the problem of planning and
urban sorawl. One way of working on
the problem is through the expansion
of city utilities, such as sewer and
water. But a far more important way
is to establish a long-range vision of
council, collectively and individually,
of just what we really want this city
to become.
Intimately linked with the problems
of growth are the problems of energy.
I would amend the zoning ordinaces
to require an Energy Impact State-
ment, similar to the present traffic im-
pact tsatement.
I support the Day Care Charter
Amendment. But it will be up to the
next city council to implement it, and
to make sure that the money that is
supposed to go to day care centers
does not, in fact, wind up supporting a
city hall bureaucracy or paving the
streets.
I have a proven record of being able
to work with others, of all parties and
political persuasions, to get positive re-
sults in both identifying and implement-
ing solutions to problems, and I would
like to be able to continue to do just
that on city council.
Elizabeth Taylor
LIZ TAYLOR has just completed a
two-year term of office as Wash-
etnaw County Commissioner from the
15th district. She served as chair-
woman of the Ways and Means Com-
mittee, Budget Committee, the Grants
Subcommittee, and the Education and
Social Services Committee. She has a
masters degree in social work and is
currently employed as a research as-
sociate at the Institute for Social Re-
search...
One of the major issues that faces
Ann Arbor voters this year is the city's
financial situation. If I am given the
opportunity to serve the people of Ann
Arbor, I will work to set the city's
financial house in order without sacri-
ficing vital human services.
In the past year, the Republican-
dominated City Council has approved a
number of site plans for construction
that benefitted the few at the expense
of the many, and which the people who
live in the affected neighborhoods did
not want Council must stop this dis-
regard of neighborhood values and
must revise its planing process to pro-
vide for more fairness to all concern-
ed.
I SUPPORT planning and implemen-
tation of a transportation system for
the city that will give bicycle users
and pedestrians equal rights with mo-
torists. When it comes to bicycle trans-
portation in this town, in spite of voter
approval of money for bike paths,
there has been a lot of talk but not
very much action. I favor using weight
and gas money to repair existing
streets before new ones are built. The
present condition of our streets is ap-
palling - and unsafe.
On a per capita basis, Ann Arbor pro-
bably has more economically aware
citizens than most cities its size. Coun-
cil has approved a county-wide solid
waste dispoal plan. But we do not have
to wait until new facilities are built to
handle the county's trash. Many com-
munities provide solid waste recycling
services for their citizens. Ann Arbor
does not. I propose that the city provide
secial recycling pickups which might
well pay for themselves. But recycling
is not enough. I also think that banning
non-returnable bottles and cans should
be brought up again and fought for in
the courts if necessary.
THE FACT that city council is a
non-paying position is ridiculous. Most
people who have to work for a living
are automatically denied the opportun-
itv to become part of the City's de-
cision making process. I favor estab-
lishment of a City Compensation Com-
mission which would recommend sal-
ary levels for elected city officials.
I support the voter registration char-
ter amendment and worked collecting
signatures to put the issue on the April
ballot. Without door-to-door registra-
tion, most newcomers to the city are ef-
fectively disenfranchised. Newcomers
tend to congregate in selected areas of
the city. When infrequent fixed-s i t e
registration is permitted, the lines
which form discourage all but the most
persistent. I favor the most extensive
voter registration possible, and struc-
turing the system to encourage, rather
than limit, wide participation in the
electoral process.
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1
Robert Henry
Robert Henry is an attorney and a
member of the law firm of Conlin,
O'Hagan, Henry, Hurbis and Graf. He
is a member of the State Bar of
Michigan, the Washtenaw County Bar
Association, The American Bar Asso-
ciation, and the Association of Trial
Lawyers of America. He was elected
to council in April, 1973 and was
also elected Mayor Pro-tem in April
1974 -
THE QUESTION that I have been
asked most frequently during this
campaign is "What have you done?"
or "Why are we better off today than
we were when you were elected?" The
most direct answer that I can give to
that question is that today we are well
on the road to being financially solvent.
When I was elected in 1973, the city
had spent itself into a debt of over
$1.2 million. Now I don't care what
kind of magic you carry around in your
bag, you cannot keep on spending more
money than you have. Pretty soon
someone is going to make you stop.
And that is where we were.
Today that situation has been chang-
ed. We are still in the hole, but not
nearly as deep. We have paid back
about half of the debt and we have
cut our spending so that we can live
within the money we receive. Along the
way we have also managed to do some
things to help solve the worst of our
problems. We are working on the
sewer plant, we are improving our
water system, we are building safety
sidewalks and trying to ease the ac-
cess problems of the handicapped.
BUT WE HAVE also had to sacri-
fice. We have cut back on social serv-
ices, and some people will say we
shouldn't have touched that. By the
same token we do not have enough
police or enough firefighters or enough
fire equipment, or enough park main-
tenance. We have pot holes in the
roads that damage my car, too. Some
people say we shouldn't have touched
those areas, but we.did.
My opponent hasn't talked about this
kind of thing. He has based his cam-
paign so far on personal invective.
Well, I don't care who it is, Democrat,
IiRP, or my opponent, personal invec-
tive isn't going to fix the pot holes or
repair the sewers. Neither screaming,
shouting, nor accusations, are going
to put out a fire. If the water is going
to come out of the tap when you turn
the handle, and if housing conditions
are going to be improved, it will take
cost-conscious, tough and experienced
leadership. That is what I offer the
people in the Third Ward and I invite
a comparison between that and what
my opponent has to offer.
Paul Wensel
Paul Wensel describes himself as an
amateur in politics. He was a leader
of Residents Against Packard-Platt
Plaza (RAP3). He claims to have be-
come involved in city politics solely
because he saw no candidate present-
ed whom he considered qualified.
Wensel is currently an instructor at
SYCOR which is a manufacturer of
computer terminals .
j AM A candidate for City Council
because I believe that the power
structure within the local Republican
organization is alienating the people
who have traditionally been supporters
of the Republican Party. The over-
taxed, middle-income citizen has sup-
ported the Republicans because he
felt that they shared the same objec-
tive - a respect for law, a desire for
a safe environment in which to raise a
family, good schools and recreation
areas, a skepticism toward federal gov-
ernment "cure-alls" for every prob-
lem, and finally the importance of
electing representatives who shared
these goals.
However, many Ann Arbor residents,
including myself, have become disen-
chanted with the lawyer-banker inter-
est which seems to be in control of the
local Republican Party. These residents
no longer feel that they are being ade-
quately represented on City Council, for
the Democrats seem most concerned
with student-oriented problems, and the
Republicans with business interests.
THE INCUMBENT'S lack of concern
of many of his constituents was clear-
ly shown in the Packard-Platt contro-
versy, an issue which was important to
all of Southeast Ann Arbor. During the
controversy, the incumbent and the
Republican caucus ignored the recom-
mendations of the city's Planning De-
partment and Planning Commission, ig-
nored a petition signed by almost one
thousand area residents, and approved
a site plan for Packard-Platt Plaza, in
soite of their written promise to voters
that they wouldn't take this action.
There were many problems in the
City and the Third Ward that should
have received our council representa-
tive's time, but failed to get it. There
are serious problems with Ann Arbor's
planing process and the zoning me-
chanism presently in use. The statutes
now in existence are often ignored.
Strip commercialization along Packard
and Plymouth Roads can still be pre-
vented, but not without some effort by
the citizens and their council represent-
ative.
THE SWIFT RUN and Pittsfield-Ann
Arbor Drains are in extremely poor
condition, from years of gross neglect.
Flood plains need to be ilentified, and
zoning requirements written for pre-
sent and future developments in flood-
prone areas. At present a study by a
local drain consultant firm has predict-
ed that the Pittsfield-Ann Arbor Drain
will have flooding every one to two
years if no action is taken.
I believe that I am better qualified to
represent the Third Ward on C it y
Coincil because I care about the is-
sues that concern the residents here. I
have devoted many hours to studying
ordinances, talking to people and find-
ing out their concerns. I would like to
be in the position to bring to Council
my efforts to work with citizens, to
solve their problems, and make the
Republicans more aware of citizen con-
cerns.
Wensel: It could be worse
THE MICHIGAN DAILY cannot ac-
cept incumbent Robert Henry's
candidacy in the Third Ward Repub-
lican primary. Attorney Henry's ac-
tions during his two years on City
Council smell of Watergate and force
us to support his opponent, Paul
Wensel.
Zlenry has misled constituents in
the Third Ward and cheated citizens
throughout the city by breaking cam-
paign promises of two years ago and,
more recently, supporting a GOP pro-
posal allocating $250,000 of a federal
grant, intended to benefit low and
moderate income residents, to street
repair.
While Wensel, an instructor at a
computer plant, is hardly an ideal
councilman, he at least recognizes
the basic problems of Republican
Mayor James Stephenson's adminis-
tration of the past two years.
Wensel has blasted city Republicans
for "running this town like a dictator-
ship" as exemplified by their con-
Editorial positions represent
consensus of the Daily staff.
TODAY'S STAFF:
News: Rob Meachum, Cheryle Morti-
ciq, Sara Rimer, Jeff Sorenson
Editorial Page: Pete Blaisdell, Barb
Cornell, Paul Haskins
Arts Page: Dave Blomauist
Photo Technician: Stu Hollander
stant ramrodding proposals through
council by utilizing the GOP one-vote
majority and unwillingness to com-
promise.
Henry vowed he would rezone and
thereby prevent the building of a
controversial proposed shopping cen-
ter in the Third Ward. However with-
in a year Mayor Pro Tem Henry,
along with his Republican cohorts,
approved the shopping center site.
Finally GOP councilmen reversed
themselves once again-after facing
tremendous citizen uproar-and ful-
filled the campaign promise by voting
Packard-Platt down.
Wensel has attacked Henry for be-
ing a "flagrant liar," and, indeed, the
charge appears true. We have reason
to believe that Wensel would be a
more responsible and responsive legis-
lator than Henry. Even the Mayor
seems to believe that Wensel would
be more responsible to the voters than
Henry, as evidenced by Stephenson's
quiet support of the incumbent.
M Ai
Editorial Staff
GORDON ATCHESON CHERYL PILATE
Co-Editors-in-Chief
LAURA BERMAN ...... Sunday Magazine Editor
DAVID BLOMQUIST .. Arts Editor
DAN BORUS ...........Sunday Magazine Editor
BARBARA CORNELL ... Special Projects Editor
PAUL HASKINS .... ..........Editorial Director
JOSEPHINE MARCOTTY .... Features Editor
SARA RIMER .................Executive Editor
STEPHEN SELBST...................City Editor
JEFF SORENSEN.............. Managing Editor
I
Letters
to
The
Daily
tenants
To The Daily:
THERE HAS been an in-
crease in the amount of mili-
tancy on the part of tenants in
Ann Arbor recently. One ob-
vious manifestation of this is
the current drive to make Rent
Control a reality in Ann Ar-
bor, another is the resurgence
of the Ann Arbor Tenant's Un-
inn attar nn .'. .nI- nrc f in-
ploy the following means: 1)
organizing tenants into locals
for collective action against
their landlords, and 2) tenant
counseling, which is already
available every weekday from
2-5 and Mondays from 7-9 at
the Tenant's Union office, 4110
Michigan Union.
The spirit of this new tenant
militancy and of the Ann Arb>r
Tenant's Union can nrobablv
ish the landlord-tenant system."
The struggle mentioned in this
passage is being carried on by
the Ann Arbor Tenant's Union,
it is being carried on in the in-
terests of all tenants, therere
it needs the active support of
all tenants, come to tue An i Ar-
bor Tenant's Union.
The Tenant's Union meets
every Thursday night at 7:30 in
the Tenant's Union offi~e, 4110
ty, and the public.
For years the University rf
Michigan administration t o o k
advantage of the lack of organi-
zation among teaching graduate
students to place them at the
bottom of the priority list. The
demands of the GEO, including
adequate wages, reduced class
size, and guarantees of nondis-
crimination, are the minimum
necessary for the survival of -he
survive in the face of the cot-
porations - including educa-
tional corporations - w h i c h
still largely control our coun-
try.
THE GEO must win its strike.
If it does not, the power of the
graduate students will be brok-
en, and an opportunity to t-pen
the University up to pluralism
and democratic decision-maling
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