Fridoy, April 1', 1977
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Page Elva
Frid0y, April ~I, 1977 THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Pt~e Five
And
Mayor's race: Wheeler
WITH CONSIDERABLE reluctance, The Daily en-
dorses incumbent Albert Wheeler for a second
term as mayor of Ann Arbor.
We have been dissatisfied with Wheeler's two-year
tenure in the mayor's chair, and we find commend-
able features in the campaigns of both of his op-
ponents - Republican Louis Belcher and Socialist
Human Rights Party (SHRP) candidate Diana Slaugh-
ter. But we find Slaughter ill-informed and imprac-
tical, and the prospect of a Council dominated by
both a Republican mayor and a Republican majority
{s not in the long-range interests of the city.
Ann Arbor is facing critical problems - shoddy
and scarce housing, an inadequate transit system, de-
teriorating streets, and a wounded downtown area
badly in need of revitalization. Wheeler has been too
cautious, and has doire very little to meet the chal-
lenge.
THROUGHOUT HIS CAMPAIGN, Wheeler has claim-
ed that the Republican majority on Council have
hampered .achievement of°-his goals. But where are
those goals 4n the first place? In two years as mayor,
Wheeler has brought only six proposals before Coun-
cil, and four of those came in the last two months.
Regardless of the strong opposition he faces, how can
he hope to solve problems without at least setting
a worthwhile agenda?
But we do find ourselves in agreement with Wheel-
er's attitudes on the general philosophy of running
this city. A 40-year resident of Ann Arbor, he has
shown admirable concern for the quality of lives of
city residents during his term as mayor. He is an
outspoken advocate of human services, and has at-
tempted to channel city and federal funds into parks
and int6 making the lives of Ann Arbor's needy citi-
zens better. If he has not always translated his con-
cerns into policy, he at least has used his mayoral
veto wisely.
SHRP CANDIDATE Diana Slaughter has waged her
campaign against "the two capitalist parties" and
has called for a powerful emphasis on social services.
She opposes construction of additional off-street park-
ing structures, saying people should use more "buses,
bicycles, and feet." That's a good idea. She also be-
lieves that housing should be based on a cooperative
system because "no one should be making a profit on
something that is a basic human need." That may be
a hard argument to quarrel with theoretically, but it
would make for a hopelessly impractical policy pro-
posal. While Wheeler has promised to create a de-
partment of Human gervices, Slaughter says she would
prefer to let voters themselves name the services they
want. She would also guarantee funding to food co-
operatives and other "people oriented" organizations.
But for all her ideas, Slaughter is poorly inform-
ed on many of the issues which will bear down an the
next mayor. The office demands a sophisticated under-
standing of all city matters, not just an idealistic com-
mitment to some.
LOUIS BELCHER, Fifth Ward Councilman and Mayor
Pro Tem, is not dismissed so easily. Belcher is
smart, well-informed, and energetic. He has outlined
several proposals which address the city's problems
forthrightly.
Among his ideas are the construction of downtown
high-rises to. ease Ann Arbor's housing crunch, at least
in that part of the city; the elimination of much of
the city's neglected Dial-A-Ride system apd a conver-
sion to an expanded fixed-line bus system; the con-
strection of additional, off-street parking structures to
relieve congestion and promote the downtown business
district.
We think some of Belcher's ideas may be what the
city needs. But in the past he has opposed preferential
voting, opposed the $6 pot fine until recently. He has
appeared uncannily moderate in this campaign, when
we always knew him as a staunch conservative. We're
just not sure we can trust him.
The city may be able to benefit from some of.Lou
Belcher's ideas. But let's keep Al Wheeler in charge.
the
envelope,
please ...
First Ward: Wilcox,
N THE FIRST WARD The Daily endorses Socialist
Human Rights Party (SHRP) candidate William
Wilcox.
While we disagree with his stand in favor of rent
control and have some reservations about the immedi-
ate feasibility of his more visionary policies - such
as ripping up the downtown and turning it into a
car-free mall - we feel he has addressed the major
isues of the campaign more squarely than either
Democrat Kenneth Latta or Republican Val Jaskie-
wicz.
Both Latta and Wilcox put first priority on hu-
man services - day care, community improvement,
health facilities - but Wilcox stresses the "human"
half of the concept rather than the "services" aspect.
He favors aid to coops and coop housing, all night
public transportation, trash recycling on a large scale,
citizen control Hof the police, and guaranteed fund-
ing for legal and day care facilities.
WILCOX WOULD ALSO put pressure on the Univer-
sity - through the state legislature - to remedy
the housing situation, and advocates a "hands-off poli-
cy for city police in labor disputes such as the re-
cent AFSCME strike.
Admittedly, many of Wilcox's ideas are long-range
plans and grand schemes, but we feel he is ready to
work with other members of council in putting them
into action rather than merely acting petulant and
using Council as a forum fo debate as some previous
SHRP members have done.
Republican Val Jaskiewicz is a travesty of a can-
didate, pushed forward by city GOP with hopes of
not offending anyone, picking up a thousand votes,
and leaving SHRP and the Democrats to divide the
liveral vote. Jaskiewicz, though a student, is woefully
uninformed on issues like housing and University re-
lations - issues which directly affect the student com-
munity. Pressed for a detailed position, he frequentl
"hasn't thought it through yet," and when asked his
priorities, Jaskiewicz lists streets, garbage collection
and downtown development - in short, just what the
city Republican Party has told him to list.
DEMOCRAT KENNETH LATTA is a more attractive
candidate. He favors many of the same things
Wilcox does, but his approach is that of an admini-
strator rather than an ideologue. His solutions are
bureaucratic solutions - better administration of fed-
eral housing dollars, consolidation of some city depart-
ments, and revision of the city charter.
Latta also tends to waffle on some issues: asked
about parking, he says the city needs to use mass
transit better; asked about the police he says only
that citizen control is "important" and advocates the
consolidation of the police and fire departments.
Latta is by no means a bad candidate, and in the
Democratic First Ward will probably win handily. But
we feel that William Wilcox will best serve the stu-
dents' needs, and he deserves our votes.
Second W ard: Morris
THE DAILY ENDORSES Democrat Leslie Morris for
City Council in the Second Ward.
Because she appears to be more concerned with
human interests, and student issues facing the ward
than her opponents, Republican Allen Reiner and Lib-
ertarian James Greenshields, we believe she is the
most qualified candidate for the council seat.
The second ward is a heavily tennant populated
ward, and if elected, Morris has promised to be a
"tenant advocate, not an impartial judge between ten-
ants and landlords." This is the kind of representa-
tion the ward needs.
She wants to see housing codes made more string-
ent, while her opponents suggest that regulations be
relaxed.
REINER SUGGESTS THAT set-back, parking and
basement codes be eased, and Greenshields wants
all zoning regulations completely phased out. Although
relaxing codes might make more units available, the
resulting lack of quality in housing, particularly from
an elimination of zoning, could be disasterous.
Morris is also more politically experienced than
her opponents. Although she has never run for an
elected position before, she has been actively involved
in Ann Arbor city government for the past eight
years, attending most council meetings.
SHE HAS PARTICIPATED in numerous lobbying ef-
forts, and has been involved in such area groups
as the Citizen's Asociation for Area Planning and the
South University Merchants Association. She has also
worked for the Democrats on every campaign in the
Second Ward since 1971.
Neither Reiner nor Greenshields have been ac-
tively involved in the city's government prior to this
election.
Leslie Morris is knowledgable on the issues and
has expressed agenuine concern for the problems
facing the second ward. We are confident that she
will work towards solving these problems, and for these
reasons she deserves your vote.
Third Ward: You pick,
JN THE THIRD' WARD, we at The Daily find our-
selves unable to endorse any of the three candi-
dates. None show the capability or insight to bring
about the real change so badly needed in this com-
munity. In fact they aren't even aware, let alone sen-
sitive of the problems we students face in this city.
Democrat Les Seeligson not only can't distinguish
himself on the issues, he can't distinguish himself
from his Republican.o p p o n e n t Louis Senunas. In
fact, when asked to explain their idealogical differ-
ences, Senunas replied that there were none, and See-
ligson offered no response.
Though Seeligson and Senunas take almost identi-
cal stands on the issues, neither seem to have any
concrete or feasible solutions to the problems.
THEY SUGGEST THAT the state reimburse the city
for revenue lost from the University not paying
taxes, but in the meantime propose few other alter-
natives to easing the city's financial woes.
Both agree that the student housing problem is
"not the city's problem" but should be handled sole-
ly by the University. And running in a ward with
few students, they seem relatively unconcerned with
this vital issue.
While Senunas has proposed some high rise build-
ings to ease the elderly and middle income housing
shortage, he concedes he doesn't know where they
would go."
The two candidates concurred that many of Ann
Arbor's difficulties are due to "too much growth, too
fast," and that a careful look should be taken in the
future. But beyond this "careful look," they again
leave concrete solutions unmentioned.
LIBERTARIAN BARBARA McKENNA is probably the
best informed, most aware, and brightest of the
three candidates. Unfortunately, her long-range goals
- elimination of all taation, and the reduction of
government's duties to protection of the borders, and
maintaining a strong court system - are not just un-
realistic, they are frightening. Her solution to the prob-
lem 6f the nation's underprivilige. is not to support
them with federal money, but to rely on altruists
who will voluntarily support the needy. The naivete
of this position is indicative of the limited scope of
her entire party. Even in the. short term, she is a
risk that none of us can afford to take.
The only suggestion we can offer to Third Ward
voters is 'wait'll next year.'
Fourth 'a rd: Hemeryck
STUDENTS, FOURTH WARD residents and the city
-as a whole will best be served by electing Demo-
crat Bob Hemeryck to City Council. Hemeryck's com-
munity activities arid his campaign statements have
shown a real concern for the needs of Ann Arbor's
less affluent, less advantaged citizens.
Republican Incumbent Ronald Trowbridge, although
an articulate 'spokesman for his party, has not been
a notable innovator on the Council. And although he
has worked well with other Republicans, he has made
few contributions of his own to city government.
Hemeryck's long-time involvement in community
activities in the Bryant neighborhood - his efforts
to get better city services, improved housing, etc. -
has demonstrated a willingness to put in the long
hours and hard work to get something done.
THE HOUSING QUESTION shows the difference be-
tween Hemeryck and Trowbridge as clearly as any
issue. Hemryck says the city has got to hire enough
housing inspectors to see that landlords provide safe,
healthy conditions for their tenants. Trowbridge says
more inspectors would be nice, but isn't really practi-
cal because of city budget constraints.
Another issue separating the candidates is the
quality and responsiveness of city government and its
services. Hemeryck says city bureaucrats are often
unresponsive and uncooperative when dealing with
citizens' complaints and questions. Trowbridge is sat-
isfied with City Hall's performance.
THE FOURTH WARD is a swing ward, and it may
verywell be the student vote that swings it this
Monday. If student voters on Hill St., Forest and other
areas south of campus get out and vote in large num-
bers, their voice will be heard. If they don't, then the
suburbanites will choose who represents us on City
Council and our needs will continue to go unmet.
The choice in the Fourth is clear. We hope stu-
dent voters go out and exercise that choice.
Fifth Ward: Hanks
IN THE FIFTH WARD; The Daily endorses Democrat
Judith Hanks for City Council over incuibent Re-
publican Gerald Bell and Libertarian William Minaid.
We feel her political insight will lead to respon-
sible action and her personality will provide a city
government which is more responsive to the citizens
of Ann Arbor. Hanks will take the initiative to go to
the people and concentrate on listening to them and
bringing their thoughts to City Council meetings.
Although incumbent Bell is quite knowledgable
on the issues and the workings of the city, he is often
overshadowed by other Council Republicans, and con-
sequently has initiated no action in his two years on
council. He follows the trend of Republican thought
which emphasizes business deals and city services at
the expense of bettering the city's social service pro-
grams.
IN HIS TWO YEARS on Council Bell has admittedly
done nothing of importance and can't be expected
to change if re-elected. Many of the people in the
Fifth Ward don't even know that Bell is their elec-
ted official, reflecting not only a lack of interest in
city government by the citizens,' but also Bell's lack
of interest in his constituancy.
We believe Hanks will not let this happen, and
will initiate citizen input into the workings of Ann
Arbor.
Ffth Ward Libertarian William Minald is not ac-
tively campaigning for election and is not expected
to carry much weight with the\ voters in the Ward
The overall view of his party - abolition of taxes
and reduction of government - make him an unsavory
candidate.
SINCE MOVING to Ann Arbor seven years ago, Hanks
has been active in many local community organi-
zations and city appointed groups. She is veheiently
against the old tradition of relying solely on special-
ists and professionals to set and implement city poli-
cies. She believes elected officials should not have
their hands tied by -city administrators and can be
relied upon to combine residents and professionals
in future city policies.
Hanks' perspective is outside the tight knit group
of people that have run the city in -the past. She has
a concern for the people, not only for the Democratic
party. She is willing to go out and teach people about
the city and its gqvernment in an effort to better the
city for everyone living and working in it.
ISSUESPUniversity's
ISSUES Ciy City Commitment to Social Bud
Housing Transit Growth Parking Police Services the City Services Prior
WARD FOUR
Inspect each apart- Likes Dial-A-Ride, Many roads in Ward Opposes more down- Wants a tight policy Make bureacuracy Wants students on all More city money 1. Restruct
ment when a new hopes it could run need repair. Unde- town parking struc- on police firearms more responsive to city committees, in- should go into day departmr
B ) lease is signed. longer and be used cided between patch tures. improved pub- use. Citizens com- public,less arrogant. cluding Planning care, health care, save mo
Finance system more. Line buses need repairs and major re- lic transit key to mittee should review Commission. More legal services and 2. Make su
through steep fines on to be re-routed to construction. Build downtown revival, arms policy viola- University housing other social pro- enterpris
landlords who break serve more people pedestrian mall/park tions. would loosen up the grams. ing struc
housing code. better. "from one end of the Ann Arbor housing port, etc
downtown to the market. More Univer- supporti
other." sity support for city.. 3. Addition
Favors better housing Calls for more effi- Repair present roads Favors more down- Says problems with Combine engineering The University should Wants new fire station 1. Assessm
inspection, but city cient line bus system. before building new town parking. "When police arms use have departments in differ- pay more for police near south side of budget d
Ronald rwbrdge( may not be able to Switch some funds ones. Voted against that will be and in died. Current arms ent city agencies into and fire, should town for quicker assessm'
afford it. Federal from Dial-A-Ride to airport expansion. what form, I can't policy is "reason- one department. Road "promote housing," responses. Wants day rise.
funds needed to line buses. tell you." able." repair, not construc- and give money for care center near 2. Road re
finance low income tion. road repair. Forest Hills. 3. Conibina
housing. ing and I
terminal
town.
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ents to
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re city
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WARD FIVE
Judith Banks (D)
Gerald Bell (R)
Proposes more hous- Needs'to be better "The crying need is Says that parking "Generally, pople feel Proposes road im- "They have to help Says city needs 1. Sewage treatment.
ing, more inspectors "but it's a matter of housing." Doesn't structures downtown safe." Proposes no provements, but feels (the city) financially. "proper manage- 2. Roads.
and updated training time." Questions object to growth would be "a waste of major changes. most services are Their employes can't ment" of funds, and 3. Human services.
for inspectors. Favors Dial-A-Ride. "when it is well space." Prefers performed well. carry their burden." more federal money.
modified housing code done." "efficient, peripheral
for downtown. parking."
"We've made it dif- Wants to connect "We have to encoura- "The car is here for a Supports police as is. Suggests getting more "U should be more Low priority in his 1. Streets.
ficult for builders to downtown and State. age environmentally while so we have to federal money to keep concerned with hous- mind. 2. Sewage treatment.
build here, we have clean companies to accommodate it." ' it going. Encourages ing students." Sup- 3. Basic city services.
so many idealists." come to Ann Arbor." more youth employ- ports the state
Proposes changing Encourages "eco- ment. Bursley Bill.
building and housing nomic development