THE
Summer Daily
Vol. LXXXll, No. 36-S
Ann Arbor, Michigan-Tuesday, July 10, 1973
Tern Cents
Twelve Pages
Council voids city pot
law in stormy session
Pie splatters Stephenson in melee
By GORDON ATCHESON
In a circus-like atmosphere fea-
turing pie throwing and extensive
*marijuana smoking, City Council
last night repealed Ann Arbor's con-
troversial five dollar marijuana or-
dinance.
Over 200 people jammed the coun-
cil chambers to protest the move to
repeal the year-old law. Many mem-
bers of the audience passed joints
back and forth, while vocally derid-
ing the Republican council mem-
bers.
SHORTLY AFTER the vote two per-
sons hurled several pies at Mayor James
Stephenson.
Voting on the issue broke along partisan
lines as the Republicans cast all the votes
in favor of repeal. The move to rescind
the present law passed by a 7-4 tally.
Stephenson called a recess during
which the audience took over the council
chambers causing a 40 minute delay in
the meeting.
During the often heated debate on the
marijuana issue, Stephenson claimed the
city laws must be the same as state sta-
tutes to be effective. "Pot dealers are a
social blight and must be put out of busi-
ness," he said.
MUCH OF STEPHENSON'S speech
was drowned out by the crowd which
cheered the Democratic and Human
Rights Party council members with equal
vigor.
"The Republicans apparently see no
difference between a harmless enjoyable
weed and dangerous hard drugs," coun-
cil member Jerry De Grieck (HRP-First
Ward) said.
"If Stephenson and his six lackeys had
an ounoce of guts they would put the is-
sue on the ballot next April and let the
people decide the law's fate," he added.
COUNCIL MEMBER Carol Jones (D-
Second Ward) offered an amendment to
the ordinance which would have placed
the law on the ballot. The amendment
was defeated as all the Republicans voted
against it.
Last night Stephenson also announced
that Sylvester Murray will be named to
the post of city administrator. Currently
the 30 year-old Murray is the city mana-
ger of Inkster, Mich.
Council must approve the appointment
but confirmation should be automatic.
Murray will assume his duties beginning
August 20.
FOLLOWING COUNCIL action last
night state laws governing the use and
sale of marijuana will go into effect in
the city. Under state law. marijuana use
can bring a jail sentence of up to 90 days
and a $110'fine.
Possession of more than two ounces of
the drug is punishable by up to a year in
jail and sale by up to four years.
Daily Photo by TERRY McCARTHY
PART OF THE LARGE crowd at last night's City Council meeting chants "smoke that dope" as several Republican council
members look on stoically. Council repealed the city's five dollar marijuana fine. (For more dope on dope, See Page 3.)
itch eln
closed
WASHINGTON EAP-Former Atty. Gen.
John Mitchell, in a private session with
the Senate Watergate committee yester-
day, reportedly kept up his denials of any
personal wrongdoing in the affair.
According to reliable sources Mitchell
claimed he had not discussed the wire-
tapping or cover-up with President Nixon
and implicated top presidential aides John
Ehrlichman and H. R. Haldeman in the
cover-up.
MITCHELL, ACCUSED by former aides
of approving the Watergate wiretapping
Senate hearing
and covering it up, was questioned behind ing from the affair, not the cover-up.
closed doors for nearly four hours. He is
scheduled to begin public testimony at. IT WASN'T immediately clear how much
10 a.m. EDT on the ABC television net- Mitchell's reported account might conflict
work, with testimony by John Dean that Nixon
Mitchell's secret testimony yesterday apparently knew of the cover-up as early
was "all denials," one source reported as Sept. 15, 1972. This was after Mitchell
later. quit as Nixon's campaign chairman.
Mitchell reportedly confirmed that he But Mitchell's reported testimony about
had numerous meetings with Nixon during his .own role runs head-on into that of
the 1972 presidential campaign, but said former aides Dean and Jeb Stuart Ma-
only one- concerned Watergate. - Mitchell gruder.
reportedly said he and Nixon discussed Dean, who had worked for Mitchell at
only the political embarrassment stemm- See MITCHELL, Page 10.
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