Eighty-Five Years of Editorial Freedom
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan
Friday, April 4, 1975
News Phone: 764-0552
420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Mi. 48104
Broughton realist's choice
JN THE UPCOMING Third Ward
City Council election, none of
the three candidates boasts outstand-
ing credentials, yet it is overwhelm-
ingly important that incumbent Re-
publican Robert Henry be defeated.
Henry's record on council has been
an extremely disappointing one,
demonstrating little concern for hu-
man services versus other budget
priorities, students versus "long-
term" residents, and needed innova-
tion versus the status quo.
Of the two challengers, Michael
Broughton, the Democrat, stands the
better, albeit slim, chance of unseat-
ing Henry on Monday. Primarily for
that reason he receives The Daily's
endorsement over Human Rights
Party member Everett Guy.
Reaching such a decision required
taking a tough, pragmatic stance be-
cause in many respects Guy's expresL
sed political positions are much
more atuned to ours. However he has
absolutely no chance of beating
Henry in the conservative Third
Ward.
BUY CALLS FOR extensive re-or-
dering of city hall priorities to
benefit those who often have been
denied by the current council. But he
lacks any experience in the area of
government.
While never having held elective
office, Broughton, as an accountant
at U-M Dearborn, should bring a
good deal of know-how to council
on crucial budget matters.
Still, in this race the overriding
concern remains the political exter-
mination of Henry - one of Mayor
James Stephenson's right-hand men
and prime supporters of his reaction-
ary philosophy.
Serving as mayor pro-tempore on
council, Henry can be viewed as
Stephenson's logical successor for the
city's top elective office, but if he is
defeated now, that possibility may
well never become a reality - much
to the relief of local progressive ele-
ments.
THUS IT IS WITH mixed blessings
and a big dose of practicality
that The Daily asks voters in the
Third Ward to cast their ballots for
Broughton.
Council
Th
Carol
Ernst:
HRP
Carol Ernst, 30, has worked as a bus driver and dis-
patcher for the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority
during the past three and one half years. She has been
active in AFSCME Local 693 on various committees,
as a steward, and is now Chief Steward. Since 1968
she has worked on many Feminist projects and has
been active in Ann Arbor's Gay Movement for two
years.
NOW THAT preferential voting has made vote split-
ting a dead issue, the HRP mayoral candidate
can campaign as a valid alternative to the outworn pol-
itics of a Democrat or Republican. I want people to
know I am serious about this campaign and will be
trying to break the silence the two other parties main-
tain on certain crucial issues. I would also like people
to consider what it would mean to have an HRP
mayor.
Our present system of government, supported by two
major parties, has brought us to near economic disast-
er. No matter how liberal or conservative a Democrat
or Republican is, they remain tied to this system and
continue to use archaic system methods. It should
be clear by now that this system cannot cure itself.
It is dependent on continually expanding markets and
making huge profits at the expense of powerless groups.
We need different methods, ones based on concepts such
as cooperative ownership, community control, worker
control, and sensitivity to minority concerns.
SOLUTIONS must begin at the local level. For in-
stance, the police department must come under com-
munity control and their budget, now over one-fourth of
the total city budget, has to be cut. Rent control
would be a first step in correcting the absurdly expen-
sive and continually rising real estate market. The
entire labor relations practices of city administration
should be changed. Affirmative action in hiring and pro-
motions would mean women and minorities in all the
places they aren't now, like the administrative staff
as well as on construction projects. The city should
initiate low and moderate income cooperative housing
projects and should encourage minority and coopera-
tive businesses.
These kinds of changes are not enough by them-
selves even though they provide concrete benefits.
Only when they are implemented as part of an on-going
effort to radically change our economic, political, and
cultural systems from profit-orientation to worker, con-
sumer, and community orientation will human needs be
really met in our society.
Especially during economic crises, the interests of
workers, minorities, and women historically are swept
under the rug. A vote for a radical feminist blue collar
unionist for mayor at this time would show that you
want those interests to be heard when decisions that
affect all of us are made.
candidate
e mayor's
James
Stephenson:
Republican
Republican incumbent James
tent attorney, was first elected
was elected Mayor in 1975.
Stephenson, a local pa-
to Council in 1968 and
OVER THE past two years we have made the city
safer and improved police-citizenship relations.
It has been especially gratifying to observe the sharp
drop in the rate of violent crimes in the city.
The Anti-Rape Advisory Board and the expanded
Community-Service Officer Program to handle non-
criminal calls have done much to improve police-citizen
relations. Morale in the Police Department has also
improved measurably over the past two years. Neither
of my opponents has demonstrated the skill or ability
to lead the Police Department nor to have harmonious
relations between the Department and City Hall.
One of the worst messes in city government left by
the inept Democratic-HRP coalition was public hous-
ing. We had to rescue the Public Housing Commissiod)
from the brink of bankruptcy. The Commission had
failed to collect untold amounts of rent from the ten-
ants and had allowed the projects to deteriorate badly.
Today the Housing Commission is solvent and is able
to provide the tenants with the services they need.
WITH RISING unemployment, two digit inflatibn, and
a serious energy crisis, the next two years will be very
dificult for city government. A large part of our ef-
forts over the past two years have been directed
toward cleaning the mess in City Hall, eliminating in-
efficiency and waste, and insuring the city didn't spend
more than its income. We have made excellent pro-
gress; however, the dismal general economic situation
makes it imperative that these efforts be continued.
This is no time to turn city government over to inex-
perienced persons.
A great deal of effort also has gone into reorganizing
City Hall and improving efficiency. Our new city ad-
ministrator, Sylvester Murray, has done a splendid
job.
We have also made great progress In increasing
citizen input into major decision processes. The spend-
ing of Federal Revenue Sharing funds is an excellent
example. During the last days of the Democrati;-HRP
coalitions control over the city, they met and divided up
the Federal Revenue Sharing funds for political patron-
age. You have paid for this waste through poorer City
services.
IN CONTRAST, our procedures for deciding on how
to spend the Revenue Sharing funds have been open and
under citizen control with city-wide hearings: Our pro-
cedures have been set forth as a model for other cities
to follow by the Federal government.
We have also passed a broad comprehensive Cam-
paign Reform Ordinance to better regulate elections
and political fund raising. We were one of the naton's
leaders in campaign reform at the local level.
osi tions
ace
Al ~ ...
Wheeler:
Democrat
Al Wheeler came to Ann Arbor thirty-five years ago.
He recived his master's and Doctorate degrees in
Public Health. He is now an Associate Professor
of Microbiology in the Medical School.
[N THE YEARS since I arived in Ann Arbor, I
have ben deeply involved in working for social jus-
tice tin Ann Arbor and Michigan. I served on the city's
first Human Relations Commission, chaired the coun-
ty's first Citizens' OEO Committee, and chaired the
Planning Committee that developed the local Model
Cities Program.
On the state level, Governors Williams, Romney, and
Milliken have appointed me to committees for juvenile
delinquency, the aged, financing public schools, and
educational reform. For four years, I was president
of the NAACP in Michigan. I've seen Ann Arbor
change into a fairer, more open-minded town than it
used to be when prejudice against blacks, the poor,
and students was sometimes blatant. I am proud
to have played an active role in bringing about this
improved climate - although I acknowledged the mil-
lenium hasn't arrived.
THE VOTERS will have before them next week
charter amendments on rent control and day care.
Each of these, in my judgment, represents the wrong
way to reach desirable goals. They have been so poor-
ly prepared, from a legal viewpoint, that even the
drafters disagree from time to time on the, exact
meaning or implications of various sections. I will
not support incorporating such inadequate stateients
in the City Charter.
I favor a fair rental practices ordinance that would
effectively cover a variety of abuses, including exces-
sive rents. As mayor, I promise to introduce such
an ordinance.
I will use the $400,000 in CDRS monies for day care
while planning for another official method for sustain-
ed support. We need long-range planning for human
srvice needs; therefore, I will support enactment of a
long range plan for Human Services similar to the
City's long range Capital Improvement Plan.
I SUPPORT the voter registration charter amend-
ment which would^ encourage and facilitate maximum
citizen participation in the electoral process. The mayor
of a city should be deeply committed to working toward
the realization of the best hopes of the majority
of the citizens. Time and again, the majority of Ann
Arbor citizens have shown that they want to right
things that are wrong and to eliminate unfairness. I
would be proud to lead the city in that effort.
Bronson in Fourth Ward
EMOCRAT BILL BRONSON re-
ceives the Daily's support in the
Fourth Ward City Council race. Bron-
son has steadily exhibited a much-
needed exuberance and candor that
we find sadly lacking in the present
Republican - dominated council.
Though some of his views are less
than palatable, taken as a whole
Bronson's positions far surpass those
of his opponents, Republican Ronald
Trowbridge and Judy Gibson of the
HRP. English Professor Trowbridge's
tendency to glaze over issues with
intellectual rhetoric belies an under-
lying loyalty to the Stephenson re-
gime and a lack of progressive vision
regarding city affairs. Likewise, Gib-
son's noncommital and often unin-
formed approach to city politics elim-
inates her from serious consideration
as a candidate.
RONSON'S STRONG SUPPORT of
the voter registration proposal
is in keeping with our own. His ap-
proval of the day care amendment
reflects sensitivity to the needs of his
constituency, if not a full under-
standing of the present proposal's
deficiencies.
Furthermore, although the Daily's
support of the rent control amend-
ment clashes with Bronson's stance,
he has promised to advocate viable
rent control legislation should he
land a council seat.
The reasoning behind Trow-
bridge's opposition to all three char-
ter amendment proposals is both
faulty and insidious. Speaking to the
issue of voter registration, Trow-
bridge conjurs up images of 600 HRP
members lining up at the city clerk's
office to receive all the deputy regis-
trar appointments, and then register-
ing only HRP supporters. Such bogus
musings reflect either an unchecked
willingness to exploit unfounded
fears for purely political purposes or
an unrivaled standard of ignorance,
neither of which should be allowed
a place on the Council floor.
TTRP'S JUDY GIBSON tends to talk
around most issues, without ever
getting down to specifics. Her preoc-
cupation with human suppression of
the plant world and feminist social-
ism, though certainly not in itself to
her discredit, leads us to believe that
she wouldi avoid issues immediate to
her Fourth Ward constituency.
Bronson, while not the ideal can-
didate, would be a valuable addition
to city government. He proposes ac-
ceptable alternatives to misguided
CDRS allocations. An advocate of in-
novative revenue sources for the city,
he is also willing to approach less
attractive issues, including the city's
dog problem, which his Republican
opponent chooses to lightly dismiss.
We feel Fourth Ward voters should
act in their own and the city's best
interests by voting for Bill Bronson
April 7.
Fifth
Ward
Gerald
Bell:
Republican
Lauirrie
Ross:
HRP
Douglas
white:
Democrat
Nowhere to turn in Fif tl-i
THOUGH THE THREE CANDI-
DATES ;for City Council In. the
Fifth Ward span the spectrum of
political ideologies in the city, we see
none of them as combining the com-
petence, philosophy, and commitment
necessary for an effective council
member. The Human Rights Party's
Laurrie Ross is concerned about the
areas of human and welfare service
needs, but she seems to lack the ad-
ministrative and leadership qualities
required for an effective legislator.
She admits she is not running to win
in the GOP stronghold Fifth, but to
"educate the Fifth Ward about the
issues and HRP."
Moderate Doug White's frequent
shading toward entrenched conser-'
vative positions gives the lie to his
Democratic colors. White himself has
voiced his intention to regularly toe
the GOP line on many city issues.
IW7HITE HAS REFUSED to endorse
a badly needed tightening of
community control over the police
denartment. He opposes a police re-
view board, favoring instead a re-
newed effort to monitor police ac-
tivities through the city administra-
tion. His opnosition to the five dollar
mariinmla w btem h soone f "nossible.
abuse by early teens" points up a
misguided and untenable attitude.
The Republican candidate, Ger-
ald Bell, is a closed-mind reaction-
ary who would prove to be one of the
most dangerous additions to the city's
ruling body in years. Asked how he
would handle the administration of
a proposed city income tax, Bell re-
sponded: "Why tax the rich more
than the poor?" This man is clearly
not interested in the plight of the
unprivileged segments in this city.
Discussing public transportation in
the city, Bell reasserted his commit-
ment to power politics by flatly op-
posing issuance of 'bus passes for
minimum income families and those
on relief.
,ELL'S CONTEMPTUOUS DISRE-
GARD for the economically dis-
advantaged and his blatant apoeal
to the racial fears of the Fifth Ward
electorate have brought the seamier
side of politics to the fore in this
race. We find his attitudes deplor-
able and would view his election as
a major setback to progressive inter-
ests in Ann Arbor.
Gerald H. Bell, 35, is married and hastwo children.
He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Pharsn-
acy from Wayne State University and now works as a
Registered Pharmacist and Medical Sales Representa-
tive for Eli Lilly and Company. He served as Repub-
lican Sth Ward Chairman for two years and president
of the Ann Arbor Jaycees.
ANN ARBOR has been "home" to me, my wife Judy,
and our two children for the past seven years.
We do not want to flee to the "suburbs", as many of
our neighbors have. Now, I feel it is my responsibility
to step forward and lead the residents of the Fifth
Ward in helping our Mayor and City Council govern
the city.
It is my belief that the citizens of Ann Arbor have
selected as their number one priority "fiscal respon-
sibility in government". Basically, this means balanc-
ing the budget and getting our city out of the red,
while providing sound basic city services.
Our current administration, under the leadership of
Mayor Stephenson and the Republican majority on
Council, has shown a great deal of financial respon-
sibility. During the past year, through efficienthman-
agement at City Hall and major spending cutbacks,
over $700,000 was sliced from the $1.2 million general
fund deficit. If this trend can be continued, the general
fund deficit will be eliminated in 1975.
A second major concern of all of us, and, by no
means less important, is the quality and quantity of our
basic city services: street and road conditions, snow
and garbage removal, code enforcement, and fire and
police protection.
THE PRESENT Republican Administration has taken
great strides in improving all the basic city services.
The B and E Squad has reduced the number of breaking
and enterings 10 per cent in the past year, while
the Democrats and HRP have consistently v o t e d
against the funding for this squad. Rather than just
filling our streets' potholes with cold patch, as has
Laurie Ross, 19, attended Pioneer and Community
High Schools, graduating from the latter in 1973. She
now works at the University Cellar bookstore, has been
involved with a local young people's organization called
"Youth, Liberation" for the past three years, and is
currently active with a feminist theatre company in
town.
, T PRESENT, city government has accepted little
or no responsibility for needed social services. City
government is not sensitive to the needs of the people
who must rely on these services. It funnels Community
Development Revenue Sharing Funds into street repairs
instead of human services such as day care and
housing.
At times like this, low and middle income people are
threatened by rising prices, higher taxes, and lay-
offs. When these families are forced to cut costs
for basic necessities, the city has a t esponsibility to
help make ends meet.
A good example is day care services, a proposal for
which will appear on the April ballot. It would com-
mit 1.7 per cent of the city budget to existing non-
profit day care facilities. But the significance of this
issue is more far reaching than the issue of money.
Quality day care facilities offer more than merely
a place for young people to go while their parent(s)
work. It is a step towards giving young people, as well
as their parents, an alternative to the strictly confin-
ing nuclear family.
THE OTHER important issue on the ballot is rent
control. The front group for landlords, Citizens for
Good Housing, has tried to distort this issue through the
use of huge sums of money in a scare campaign pre-
pared by a professional advertising agency.
To the homeowners of the Fifth Ward, whom CGH
has told will face higher property taxes under rent
cnntro1 I can only refer von to the single imnartial re-
Douglas J. White is married and has three children.
He received an MBA degree from the University of
Michigan Graduate School of Business Administration.
He is Director of Marketing Services for Sycor, Inc.,
a locally based manufacturer of data communications
terminals.
tePRIMARY reason that I am running for Council is
to help arrest the steady .erosion in the quality
of life in Ann Arbor. I feel strongly, as do so many
others, that ineach succeeding year Ann Arbor
becomes a less desirable place in which to live.
I want to bring to the Council table 15 years of diver-
sified experince in budgeting, financial analysis, organ-
ization planning and manpower development. This
type of expertise, tempered by an awareness of the
needs and concerns of all of our citizens, will be
critical in the next three years in insuring that the
$7.3 million of Community Development Revenue Shar-
ing funds are delivered with maximum effectiveness,
without creating an accompanying City Hall admin-
istrative bureaucracy.
Jus tas every Ann Arbor household is having to
practice sound personal finance during this present
highly inflationary period, citizens should expect no
less from their City government. It seems preposterous
to learn that the City continues to insist on widening
State Road at a cost of $1.2 million, when it has been'
so obviously incapable this winter of keeping the pot-
holes filled in the present street system. We also now
have learned of an alarming consequence of our un-
restrained growth in the 1960s in the City's intention
to build by 1980 a new multi-million dollar City-County
Building, even though the present City Hall is only
12 years old.
GOOD PROGRESS has been made in eradicating rac-
ial discrimination in City government, but as a citizen-
ry, we have a long way to go in implementing the
provisions of the Equal Rights Amendment.
As a Council represntative, I would insist that an
aggressive and effective devlopment program be de-
signed to place women in administrative positions in
City departments.
In regard to our blighted downtown area, we must