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Vol. LXXXVIII, NO. 44 Ann Arbor, Michigan-Friday, October 28, 1977 Ten Cents 12 Pages
CITY, STATE CLAUSES DECEPTIVE: g
PIRGIM reveals
A2 lease violations
I
$
By RICHARD BERKE
Widespread examples of decep-
tion and abuse in housing leases used
by landlords have been found in Ann
Arbor and 18 other Michigan cities,
the Public Interest Group in Michi-
gan (PIRGIM) announced yester-
day.
Findings of the student-based re-
search and lobby group show "objec-
tionable {clauses" in all of the 46
leases examined in Ann Arbor and
Ypsilanti, with violations averaging
6.6 per lease. 'he 18-month study
revealed that of 200 leases investi-
gated state-wide, 99 per cent con-
tained "illegal, unenforceable, or
abusive clauses."
Violations in Ann Arbor and East.
Lansing are more common than in
any other of the cities studied, ac-
cording to PIRGIM program director
Bernard Shaefer. "In student areas,
landlords are especially careful to
hold students to everything they can
possibly imagine," he said.
SHAEFER CITED eight apart-
ments or management companies
which he called the "worst (lease)
offenders" in Ann Arbor: McKinley
Management Company, Huron Plaza
Apartments, Roseville Arms Apart-
ments, Pheasant Run Management
Company, Broadview Apartments,
Independence Apartments, 800 Ful-
ler Apartments and Slovik Manage-
ment, Inc.
"Most of the provisions we studied
had been rejected by courts and
House approves
sweeping Social
would not be enforceable if a landlord
took the tenant to court," Shaefer
said.
"Some are of questionable legality,
with varying or unclear court deci-
sions. Others have been found by the
courts not to be covered by existing
law, leaving tenants without legal
protection from these abuses," he
added.,
GLORIA FLEMING, legislative
assistant for the Michigan Landlord
Association in Lansing said she
hasn't read the study yet, but
questions the extent of the sampling.
"Two-hundred leases doesn't rep-
resent a true sampling," she said.
"In greater Lansing alone, there are
over 3,000 landlords . . and what
about abuse of landlords by
tenants?"
Lease terms PIRGIM called unfair
or illegal include:
- leases requiring tenants to pay
rent even if the'landlord reneges on
maintenance obligations (The study
cited Longshore Apartments as
among the 34 buildings in Ann Arbor
and Ypsilanti violating state law by
having tenants waive this right of
habitability);
" a requirement that tenants give
up their rights under a 1972 law which
provides that security deposits can
not be forfeited arbitrarily (Seven-
teen apartments in Ann Arbor and
Ypsilanti have such terms, according
to PIRGIM);
" a waiver of the right to redeem,
meaning a landlord can force the
tenant to move even if legal claims
are satisfied (This appeared only
twice in the state-wide study - one
violator being McKinley Associates,
Inc., of Ann Arbor);
* provisions excusing the landlord
from liability for injuries or damages
suffered by tenants or their guests
due to the landlord's negligence
(This violation surfaced 36 times in
Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti);
« requirementsthat tenants pay
all or some of the landlord's legal
costs arising from any suitinvolving
the landlord (Such requirements
were found in 21 of the apartments
investigated in Ann Arbor and Ypsi-
lanti);
TA' blindness
no curb on zeal
By STEVE MILLS
Blind TA Dorothea Martin instructs an Honors Great Books section in her Mason Hall classroom.
Blindness is considered a handicap by most people. But
don't tell Dorothea Martin that.
Despite the blindness that has trailed her since birth, Martin
is feverishly pursuing a doctorate in Comparative Literature as
<well as teaching Honors Great Books. And as any student of that!
English class can tell you, the reading and writing load is
nothing to sniff at.
STUDENTS COME TO ME and say they're having a
terrible time keeping up with-the readings," Martin says. She
answers them with an understanding, "So am I!" The time she
devotes to preparing for class is "absolutely parallel" to what
the students do, Martin contends.
Martin says it takes her longer to do her teaching and school
os by ANDY FREEBERG See HANDICAP, Page 5
WASHINGTON (AP) - The House
voted yesterdayrto increase Social
Security taxes for 104 million Ameri-
cans, including hikes of $239 next year
for many workers, as part of a plan to
keep the huge national pension plan
from going broke.
Older Americans got a break in the
bill when the House approved an amen-
dment that will phase out income limits
that reduce benefits for pensioners who
hold jobs.
Younger workers would find the
Social Security tax bite increasing
steadily over the next several years.
The biggest new burden would fall on
upper-income workers, some of whom
would find their Social Security taxes
more than tripled in 10 years.
WORKERS WHO make more than
$N,500 next year, which is the
tax hike
maximum tax bracket for the Social
Security levy, will pay an additional
$239. But in 10 years, taxes will be
levied on a worker's first $42,600 of-in-
come. Workers making that amount
would be paying $2,060 more in Social
Security taxes than they did in 1977.
The maximum tax is now $965 per
year for a worker earning $16,500 or
more. It would go to $1,204 next year on
incomes of $19,900 or above. In 1987, it
would be $3,025 for those earning $42,600
or more.
The bill was passed, 275 to 146, and
sent to the Senate, which has similar
legislation in committee.
Rep Al Ullman (D-Ore.), chairman
of the House Ways and Means Commit-
tee, which fashioned the bill, called the
legislation "a vital concern to virtually
every American.
AATA SAVES SUNDAY TRANSIT:
Evening bus- service cut
By DENNIS SABO '
In an attempt to quell mounting
public criticism while holding the line.
on operating costs the Ann Arbor Tran-
sit Authority (AATA) board voted
Wednesday to abbreviate evening ser-
vice, but keep buses rolling on Sundays.
The move, a reversal of the board's
earlier decision to eliminate Sunday
service, appeases some angry bus
patrons while saving AATA about
$103,000-somewhat less than the
$114,000 the elimination of Sunday ser-
vices would have saved.
BOARD MEMBERS said halting
Sunday transportation would have in-
convenienced nearly 1,000 riders as
compared to the . approximately 500
riders that will be effected by the
change in last-hour weekly service.
According to the approved cuts, Dial-
a-Ride services will end at 9:50 on week
nights ard 6:15 p.m. on Saturdays in-
stead of the present 11:00 p.m., starting
Nov. 28. The previous board decisions
to discontinue the Packard Avenue bus
route and raise fares from the present
25 cents to 35 cents will remain in effect.
Tdie fare hike was necessary to con-
trol increasing operating costs, AATA
board members said.
AATA is currently operating on a
balanced budget, although it has a
$206,000 operating deficit from last
year, largely the result of the three-
year contract it reached with the Trang
sportation Employees Union this sum-
mer.
AATA EXECUTIVE Director Karl
Guenther said the cuts were made with
the consideration of ensuring Briar-
wood shoppers and employees tran-
sportation availability after store
See EVENING, Page 9
See HOUSE, Pge 2
(*E See DECEPTIVE, Page 5
U.S., allies request
world arms embargo
k.*tssed
slum be'r
Shhhhh! You'll
wake him.
Doily Photo by ANDY fREEBERG
a ainst S(
UNITEDNATIONS, N.Y. (AP) -
The United States and its Western
partners agreed yesterday to request
a six-month renewable arms embar-
go against South Africa.'The propos-
al does not include stiff economic
sanctions' demanded by several
black-ruled African states.
U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young
and other Western diplomats met
with several key African delegates to.
present the plan. The 49-nation
African Group is meeting today to
decide whether to back it.
Western sources here also said the
plan calls on U.N. members to "re-
view" their economic relations with
South Africa.
THE AFRICAN group called for
strong sanctions against South Africa
because of the white-minority gov-
ernment's crackdown last week on
black dissidents and other opponents
outh Africa
of the national policy of apartheid, or
racial separation.
A vote in the Security Council;
which must approve any embargo, is
not 'expected until tomorrow or
Monday.
A f r i c a n sources immediately
voiced misgivings about the West-
For more details on Carter's televi-
sion broadcast see page 9.
ern proposal, citing its time limit and
the lack of binding economic sanc-
tions aimed at crippling the white-
minority Pretoria government.
Black African states have been
pushing for resolutions calling on
governments to halt new investment
in South Africa and measures tq
impose an oil embargo against the
country.
See U.S., Page 9
,. .. .. .....,.,.r...,
Mayoral issues lost in tube tangle
By KEITH RICHBURG
In a televised debate last night, Detroit
Mayor Coleman Young disclosed his personal
income, accused challenger Ernest Browne,
Jr. of mudslinging, and defended his charac-
terization of his opponent as "the first Black
White hope in the history of politics.".
Browne, in return, quoted the Scriptures,
accused Young of "cronyism" in making
deserve more than that."
"I will not engage in any name-calling.. .-
At the same time, I cannot in truth promise
you that I will take too many hard shots to the
head," Young declared.
Young was later asked about his earlier
characteriztion of Browne as "the first Black
White Hope in the history of politics" because
of the councilman's support from the White
t'nmmimnitfu
him "positively revolting" and called himself
"the hope of all people."
"Nothing originated out of my camp,"
Browne insisted. "We are political novices.
We don't know about such tactics-Watergate
type things."
Browne then challenged Young to disclose
his financial records. "I think that anyone
who wants to run for the responsible position
of mwf hr mint h iliato ff1 TI3I h tiCP,