THE 1v11CHtGAN t AI'
e Three
IH IFHA DIY~ he
Council: How it affects
and votes with
By LANI JORDAN line, which often leads to the 6-5 KEN LATTA (D-First Ward)
On the surface, Ann Arbor defeat of controversial resolu- -Latta, a Council newcomer,
City Council appears to be a tions submitted by the Demo- has yet to develop his own style
body far removed from the con- crats and, conversely, the pass- of dealing with city matters. At
cerns of University students. Af- age of Republican motions. this point in his inaugural year
ter all, the city is the city and on Council, he appears to dwell'
the University is the University THE MAYOR has the power to long and hard about the issues--
and never the twain shall meet, veto any resolution, but rarely a fact-oriented person.
right? does so. Vetoes may be over-
Wrong LESLIE MORRIS (D-Second
In some way or another, al- Ward)-Morris, a housewife in
most every decision City Coun- her late 30's, is another Council
cil makes affects students. The firnewcomer. She is very people-
University, while appearing to oriented and in her first few
be a completely separate en- months has cast most of her
tity, is nonetheless a part of the votes on principle rather than,
city and although it's not subject political philosophy.
to paying city taxes (educational EARL GREENE (D - Second
property is tax-free under Mich- Ward) - A q u i e t, soft-spoken
igan law) it is subject to all city man, Greene is now in the final
ordiances and decisions - r months-of his first Council term.
The ten councilmembers - '.,+He often adds a bit of hominess
two .elected from each of the to Council meetings with his
city's five geographic wards-- drawled "you folks" beginnings
and the mayor meet almost o g
every week to make decisions of arguments.
on everything from whether .LOU S E N U N A S (R - Third'
Joe Smith can expand his res- Ward) - Senunas is the third
taurant to what type of build- newcomer on Council. While
ing code should be enforced . tending to side with other Re-
throughout the city. publicans on most issues, he has
While many Council decisions Beicher pulled several surprises, voting
affect students directly-for ex- with Democrats Morris and Lat-
science"
Democrats.
l'
k
{ii{
t
s
3
i
J A M I E KENWORTHY
Fourth Ward) - Kenworthy
been called by both Republic
and Democrats the h a r de
working member of Council.
is also the best informed
most independent voter. F
worthy, a doctoral candidate
American studies at the 1
versity,ahas a strong rapt
with the student population
is always available to dis
the issues with anyone wh4
interested.
Legislators span wide spectrum
By LORI CARRUTHERS tokes away once in awhile, he years. He said he is "anxious to
the From the white marble of: doesn't do it on the Diag. Inj see these programs expand."
Capitol Hill to the grassy flat- fact, Bullard has emerged as a
(D- lands surrounding Lansing, the respected and effective legisla-teeat to aie Mich-
has men who represent Ann Arbor k th ige State Senate to raise Mich-
ans in state and national government tr' scoring high mars wi igan's drinking age from its cur-
e s t are a mixed lot--as diverse as colleagues who have hinted that rent 18 to upwards of 21. Bursley
He their radical, red-neck and mod- he has set his sights on loftier favors increasing the age to 19
and erate constituents. levels of governments-the State to "take abuse of alcohol out of
zen. But despite this vast continu. iSenate or, perhaps, the U.S. the high schools" but does not
um of political philosophy, Uni- I House of Representatives. support a return to a 21-year-old
eni- versity s t u d e n t s as well as A recent feather in Bullard's limit. He calls that possibility
port voters in the city's rural fringe cap was the passage of the "Sun- an infringement on college-age
and share an equal ear with their shine Law"-which he is named persons and "their adult right
cuss elected representatives. the bill's principal sponsor. The to an occasional drink."
) is "Sunshine Law" is designed to Representing the Second Con-
SPEAKING FOR the com- offer individuals access to pub- gressional District in Washing-
munity in Lansing are State lic documents. ton national politics.
f t h Bullard is currently at work a newcmerbt] natiCal Prls.r
Bursley
GERALD BELL (R - F i
Ward) - Bell can only be
scribed as a follower. A con
tent party-line voter, he
during the past election that
enjoys the campaign as muc
serving on Council. Bell is,1
haps, one of the less note
figures on Council.
de-
Isis-
said
t he
h as
per-
able
LOUIS BELCHER (R -Fifth
Ward)-Next to Mayor Wheeler,
and sometimes even more so,
Belcher holds the controls on
Council. Undaunted following his
narrow loss to Wheeler, he con-
U
h
s
E
A
li
b
t
v
a
f.
s
r
c
b
fl
s
t.
turned by
Council.
a two-thirds vote of
Wheeler
ample, the placing of a referen-
dum on the 1972 ballot which
allowed voters to approve a five
dollar marijuana law for the
7city-other council verdicts take
a while longer, but eventually hit
students in their already-drained
wallets.
Council does not set out to
purposely take moneyfrom stu-
dents, but as in most other
cities, improvements and change
cost money. While students, un-
like city property owners, are
not assessed directly for im-
provements on city roads, ex-
pansion of the sewage treatment
plant and other local necessities,
eventually they too end up pay-
ing.
Many landlords find any in-
crease in city taxes or special
assessment a fine excuse to
raise rents 10 to 15 dollars.
This type of increase eventual-
ly hits even dorm dwellers.
Tfie University, as a landlord
who subscribes to city serv-
ices, must also pay its share
of increased costs, passing the
increases on to its tenants-the
students.
C o u n c il has only recently
emerged from several years of
circus-like meetings to return to
a "let's-g e t-d o w n-to-business-
and-do-something" attitude.
With the retirement in 1976 of
the last HRP councilmember,
city politics have returned to,
the two party system. The six
Republicans and five Democrats
(including Mayor Albert Wheel-
er) generally vote their party
Party politics and straight
party-line voting increase and
decrease in relation to the near-
ness of a city election. City elec-
tions are held annually with half-'
of the ten council seats up for
grabs. The mayoral -election is-
held o n 1 y in odd-numberedt
years.
The nearer an election draws,,
the more difficult it is to push
any resolution through council.
During the "political season,"
all but the essential Council bus-;
iness stalls as members argue,
every point of even seemingly
unimportant resolutions, careful
to insure that they will not say
or do anything which will offend
their constituents.
Following the election, how-
ever, the pendulum swings in
opposite directions. Members
vote exactly the way they feel
on a given issue, resulting n
what one council member calls
"the return to 11 party poli-
tics."
What exactly are these local
politicos like?
ALBERT WHEELER-Demo-
crat Wheeler has served as
mayor since 1975. A professor of
microbiology at the University,
Wheeler still devotes consider-
able time to his mayoral duties
-an unpaid, supposedly part-
time job. He tends to be stub-
born on issues at times, voting
'no' even when his fellow Demo-
crats vote 'yes.' Wheeler hash
strong ties with Democratic leg-
islators on the state and federal'
level, which he feels are impor-
tant for bringing outside, funds
into the city.
* WENDELL ALLEN (R-First'
Ward)-The first Republican to
be elected to Council from the
predominantly Democratic First
Ward, Allen tends to stay in the
sidelines, voting with his fellow
Republicans. He rarely intro-
duces resolutions, but" when he
does speak during Council meet-
ings, he tends to go on and on
about small, rhetorical points.
ta on occasion. tinues to speak his mind on
every issue. He is careful, how-
ROGER BERTOIA (R - Third ever, to avoid stepping on too
Ward) - Bertoia is all Republi- many local toes when casting,
can and all business. He makes his votes, insurance perhaps for
sure he knows the facts and the time he may seek the may-.
sticks to them. Since the depar- or's office again.
ture of Republican Robert Henry Several faces dominate city
-the most tenured member of affairs behind the scenes. City
Council - Bertbia has emerged Administrator Sylvester Murray
as oneof his party's leaders. makes most of the decisions re-
on a tenants rights bill, and
hopes for enaction later this fall.
THE 18TH DISTRICT'S State,
S e n a t o r, Republican Gilbert
Bursley, maintains a low profile.
A self-described "moderate to
liberal" Republican, Bursley of-
ten points to his early pro-abor-
tion stand and activity in en-
vironmental issues to substanti-
ate his image.
Bursley's. biggest claim to
fame is the appropriately named
"Bursley Bill." This bill would
require state universities and'
colleges, currently tax-exempt,
to pay property taxes and fees
for services-such as water and
sewer-to the cities in which
they are located. The proposal
is favored by Ann Arbor City
Council, whose members feel
the University of Michigan has
long been a free-loading drain on
city resources.
A well-known friend of higher
education, Bursley has pushed
the Scholarship and Tuition
Grant program for over ten
trsell, a tormer sate senator,
defeated Ann Arbor physician
Edward Pierce in .a contest last
November where the'winner was
determined only after a recount.
The final tally left Pursell with J
95,393 votes to Pierce's 95,046-
the thinnest margin last year in
a Congressional race.
Pursell sought his seat on the
standard Republican platform,
calling for a balanced budget
and a strong defense. He oppos-
es abortion except in cases of
rape and incest. On the energy
crisis issue, he advocates na-
tional priority for development
of solar and other non-polluting
power sources.
Bullard
RONALD TROWBRIDGE (R-
Fourth Ward)-Trowbridge con-
siders himself the Council intel-
lect. During debates on almost
any issue, he thoughtfully draws
on his pipe and presents several
reasons why he is "perplexed"
about making a decision. Al-
though he votes with his party
in most instances, Trowbridge
occasionally heeds his "con-
garding procedure, budgetng
and planning; City a t t o r n e y
Bruce Laidlaw oversees the le-
gal end of city business, and
City Clerk Jerome Weiss makes
certain that the technical opera-
tion is running smoothly. Al-I
though they are appointed and
salaried, all three are accessible
to interested citizdns, including
students, who have concerns
about the operation of the city.
Voting in A 2
About half of the University's 40,000 students have taken
advantage of a ruling which permits students to register to
vote in the district in which they attend school.
"It's much easier to vote right here in Ann Arbor," ex-
plained Deputy City Clerk5 Winnie Wheelock. "Students
don't have to worry about voting absentee.
"I GUESS the biggest disadvantage is if they're interest-
ed in what's going on in their hometown, they're left out,"
she added.
For those who want to cast their ballots in Ann Arbor,
all it takes is a short jaunt over to the Michigan Union to
fill out a registration form. Registration sites are also lo- -
cated at the City Clerk's office in City Hall, both branches
of the Ann Arbor Public Library, the Community Center,
the fire station, and Huron and Pioneer High Schools. If
you're currently a voter in your hometown, the clerk's of-
fice will cancel your previous registration.
If you're short on energy, you can always cross your
fingers and wait for a registrar to come to you. A resolution
passed by the Ann Arbor electorate last year permits the
door-to-door registration of voters.
Representative P e r r y Bullard1
and State Senator Gilbert Burs-
ley. Newly-elected Congressmant
Carl Purcell, fresh out of Ply-
mouth, represents the Ann Ar-
bor area and a portion of west-
ern Wayne County on Capitol
Hill.
Democrat Bullard handily'won
re-election in the 53rd District
last fall following a campaign
stressing controversial i s s u e s
other candidates shied away
from, including support of Pro-
posal A, a bill to ban throwaway
bottles in Michigan.
A University graduate and a
product of Harvard Law, the
stylish, young Bullard raised
eyebrows five years ago when,
as a novice politico, he demon-
strated his radical/liberal mien
by sporting a beard and lighting
up a joint on the University1
Diag during the annual Hash
Bash. And if that wasn't enough,
Bullard once raised campaign
funds by showing the skin-flick
"Deep Throat" on campus-a
campaign gimmick which cha-!
grined local women's groups.
BUT TIME has tempered Bul-
lard's outward image. The beard
is gone, making way for a new,
clean-cut look, and if he still!
I
I
i
a.
i
'}
7Ie
Chur ch
PLANNED
ARENTHOOD
912 N. Main St.
ANN ARBOR
" PREGNANCY TESTING
(Some Day Diaanosis)
* CONFIDENTIAL
ABORTION SERVICE
! PROBLEM PREGNANCY
COUNSELING
* COMPLETE
CONTRACEPTIVE
SERVICES
* VASECTOMY
SERVICE
SERVICES BY APPOINTMENT
313) 769-8530
311 N. RIVER
(YPSILANTI)
Purse!!
AND ITS
COLLEGE STUDENT UNION
Invite You To Worship With Us
ORDER OF SERVICES:
Sunday School ........10:00 A.M.
Sunday Morning Worship . 11:45 AM.
Sunday Evening Worship . . . 7:30 P.M.
FOR A RIDE TO CHURCH CALL
487-5515 OR 994-4910
- -I
I
I
OZONE HOUSE
runaway center
family/ongoing counseling
crisis intervention
1 662-2222
excellent training opportunity
for volunteer counselors
The Computing C e n t e r on
North Campus houses the Am-
dahl 470V/6 processor system,
which services as many as
100,000 batch jobs and terminal
sessions a month.
T A ?,'IV3JjuO YuS 3u1
isioTa a'NAa
we take care oF ALL6
V
YC
your need5
/000
-p
601 S.FOES
T
.YS m ade
over 2500 wines- KE
Lw
6001I iquors ".importtA cciyarei+es
moted BCMA CHECKS cashed
* "f;.murn i afI.*