al Page 2-C-Thursday, September 9, 1982-The Michigan Daily Local Democrats on the upswing By GEORGE ADAMS The rollercoaster of Ann Arbor politics may be climbing to a new apex for local liberals, as the Democrats won two of three city council races last spring and narrowly lost a third. The Democratic victories cut the Republican majority on the council to a 7-4 margin, which, while still significant, showed an improvement over recent years for the local left. THE SIGHT of dramatic and heated debates during the liberalism of the early 70s, Ann Arbor City Coun- cil meetings have evolved into more somber-and sparsely populated-gatherings of local residents. Regardless of one's political tastes, it's easy to agree that the conservativism of recent years has taken a lot of the fun out of council meetings. Ten years ago, council members unhappy with the proceedings showed their displeasure in more g raphic ways, such aas tossing their leftover chicken nes on the chamber floor or banging their feet on the desks. Those were the days when the Human Rights Party (HRP) held two council seats. The HRP was formed in 1972, shortly after students won the right to vote in Ann Arbor elections and hold local office, by a group of students and anti-Vietnam war activists. THE PARTY ushered in a period of liberalism not seen before or since, and the party has a number of "progressive" pieces of legislation to its credit, in- cluding the $5 fine for possession of marijuana. A rather lengthy 1974 debate resulted in the city breaking its diplomatic ties with the Soviet Union. The city sent Moscow a telegram to inform the Soviets of its move. Although these two were among HRP's successful efforts, the party also proposed a number of pieces of legislation that were interesting, even if they never received the approval of the full council. One such proposal was a 25 cent fine for marijuana possession, introduced two years before the $5 fine was put into effect. That move lost by a 2-9 vote. ANOTHER CAME in 1972 when the HRP faction proposed that the city deny all services to any in- dividual or organization which was engaged in the manufacture of products applicable to the war in Southeast Asia. The proposal would have denied police, fire, utility, and emergency services to these individuals and organizations. Again, it failed in a 2-9 vote. The early 70s were characterized in city politics by strong student activism, lengthy and spirited debates in council, and strong ties between University studen- ts and the city. Students often provided the margin for victory-or defeat-for politicians running for the Michigan legislature or Congress as represen- tatives from the area. Today's council is a far cry from the heady lef- tward stance of days past. ANN ARBOR operates on a system of five wards, with two council members elected from each ward for alternate two-year terms; one seat in each ward is contested each year. The city was redistricted in December, 1981, resulting in some changes in the political character of some of the wards. The First- Ward is heavily student-populated and predominately Democratic. It is represented by Democrats Lowell Peterson and Larry Hunter. Peterson's seat will be tested in 1983. The Second Ward, once strongly Democratic, now includes part of the affluent Burns Park area of the city and may now lean toward the Republicans. GOP candidate James Blow ran unopposed in the ward in the '82 elections, and now shares the responsibility with Democrat Leslie Morris. THE THIRD Ward, containing the other half of Burns Park, is now considered the city's swing ward. It is represented by Republican Virginia Johansen and newly-elected Democrat Raphael Ezekiel. Ezekiel is a professor of psychology at the Univer- sity. The Fourth Ward is solidly Republican now. It is represented by Republicans E. Edward Hood and newly elected Gerald Jernigan. The Fifth Ward, now represented by Republicans Joyce Chesbrough, also elected in '82, and Lou Velker, also could shift soon. THE ELECTION of council members Ezekiel and Hunter represents what many view as a swing back toward liberalism in local politics. "Yes, I definitely See LOCAL, Page 7 1st Liberty I - ' Ann Arbor's Ward Boundaries N. University a- A 0 w- w University Teri William L U 0, I I - I - U ~ 5th 0 0 Madison 1.7 e I L. G) DIAG i S. University I U-~4I 2nd Hill - I I -'I Monroe t' 1 _ __ I - . 4th 6. w R .. 4., per A) a0' 3rd .6 'Awareness' is the key to preventing crimes By GEORGE ADAMS The serene scenes of campus pic- tured in orientation guidebooks ignore the uglier side of Ann Arbor. Like any other city of 100,000 residents, Ann Ar- bor has its share of crime. Although not considered to be of overwhelming proportions, crime in the city is still "something that should be on everyone's mind," according to Detective Jerry Wright, head of the Ann Arbor Police Department's Crime Prevention bureau. "PEOPLE JUST have to realize that they are vulnerable to be a victim," Wright said. He pointed out that residents of the city, students in par- ticular, do not seem to believe that they can be victims of crimes. "They have to develop an awareness of their surroun- dings," he said. Students are faced with a variety of crimes near the campus area, though most of them are "property crimes"- thefts of books, purses, money, and other small items, according to Wright and Walter Stevens, director of the University's Department of Safety. Stevens said that back packs, books, bicycles, radios, -stereos, calculators, money, and football tickets are the most popular items that are stolen, though thieves will take anything that is small and easily resold or used. STEVENS SAID that dormitories and libraries are the two most common places for something to be taken. "In the dorms, people leave their ,doors open and in the libraries they leave their books and possessions out on a table," thereby inviting the thefts, Stevens said. Another major area of concern is bicycle thefts. Wright said that at their peak in the summer months, bicycle thefts in the city are in the neigh- borhood of $10,000 dollars per month. THE CITY has thousands of pedalers, which means thousands of bikes, and according to Wright the residents do not register and license their bikes, making it very easy for a thief to sell the stolen, bicycles. Wright thinks that either people have their bikes registered in their hometown, or they do not consider Ann Arbor to be "their home" and therefore don't register them. Whatever the explanation, bike thefts are a serious -problem, and agair Stevens and Wright agree on at least the two basic measures to protect your property: Register your bike and buy a good lock. LOCKING UP takes another place when it concerns dormitory residents. As the largest collection of possessions in any one place on campus, dorms can be a thief's paradise. Here, Stevens suggests, "just common sense" measures to practice. "Lock, your door, get to know your neighbors, and keep an eye on each other's things with your hallmates," Stevens advised, saying that dorms can be the safest place on campus to live if the residents are willing to "cooperate with one another." Violent crimes on campus are few and mostly take the form of simple assaults. "We don't have much of a problem with aggravated assaults, thankfully," Stevens said. Wright said that while sexual assaults receive a great deal of publicity, "the majority of the victims are outside of the University." He said the same holds true for the people who commit sexual assaults. The only crime in which students seem to be active is indecent exposure, Wright said. NEVERTHELESS, sexual assaults represent a major concern for everyone in the University community, deser- ving the attention of every resident. There were 29 reported rapes and 234 assaults in Ann Arbor in 1981, according to police statistics. Wright advises women not to walk alone at night and to avoid the more concealed areas of campus. Most dorms have a volunteer escort service, made up of students who will walk one or more women to their destinations, free of charge. The University also provides the Night Owl bus service, a free transportation system operating at night. "Again, just realize that you are vulnerable," Wright said. "Walk with authority, with someone else if possible, and let a friend know the route you're walking," he said. Crime overall, both in the city and on campus, has dropped off slightly in the past year, according to Stevens and Wright. Stevens stated that property crimes have "gone down consistently" in the past 12 to 14 months and that assaults have been reduced significan- tly in that period. "It's pretty sporadic all over, though," he said, curbing any unnecessary optimism. Both police and University Security officials stress that awareness is the key to crime prevention, along with common sense. Local law says $5 for pot; state stiffer By GEORGE ADAMS As does any college town, Ann Ar- bor has its share of marijuana smokers. Throughout the years, the city has gained a reputation as being extremely lenient in its penalties for possession of small amounts of the substance, but new students should be aware that if they want to smoke, there are penalties and they are en- forced. City ordinance provides for a $5 fine, usually payable on the spot to the arresting officer, for possession or use of marijuana. The arresting officer, however, may choose to have the case handled through the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office. Such cases-are subject to state law, which is much more strict. USE OF marijuana is a misdemeanor under state law and is subject to a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail and/or a $100 fine. Possession. carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail and/or a $1,000 fine. The same penalty applies for giving away marijuana. Sale or delivery of marijuana is a felony punishable by, at most, four years in jail and/or a $2,000 fine. Most cases are handled through the city attorney's office and are subject to only the $5 fine, according to Assistant City Attorney Stephanie Carter. The city usually handles everything except "very large" amounts, according to Assistant County Prosecutor David King, though he wouldn't say exactly what constitutes a large amount. PE I . O Fall and winter job market okay,. but summer work has been dry Only five more to go rA By GREG BRUSSTAR Living in Ann Arbor isn't cheap, as new University students soon discover. Luckily, however, finding a part-time job to help combat high costs is relatively easy. Students who start looking for jobs very early in the term have the best chances of finding one, according to of- ficials at the University's Student Em- ployment Office (SEO). It is helpful to have some experience or skills. SEVERAL thousand part-time tem- porary job opportunities are available within the University, according to Nancy Longmate, coordinator of SEO. All notices of job openings are posted with the department in which the job would be. SEO, located on the second floor of the Student Activities Building, also keeps both University and non- University job listings catalogued by department and position. Some 10,000 students work for the. University, in its libraries, dormitory cafeterias, and recreational buildings, to name a few, Longmate said. In ad- dition, she said, many research and other education-related jobs are available within a student's particular department. Ann Arbor city businesses are also good places to look for a job in the fall. The best bets-are establishments where business goes up in the fall due to the increase of student patronage. ---- - - I 1 -- .~-- - - and you'll have all your books. 0 \ Just a little more fighting through crowds, searching shelves, and 0 running around, and you'll be done. Of course, the people who went to Ulrich's are home drinking coffee. An Urlich's helper took their class lists, got their books, and handed them over. t didn't cost them ariy more, either. Maybe you should try Ulrich's, too. Restaurants, pizza delivery services, book stores, record stores and copying services near campus might be good places to visit. DURING BOOK rush, at the begin- ning of each term, the campus are bookstores usually hire extra personnel to help deal with the deluge of customers. Students who were awarded work/study financial aid should have no trouble finding a job. The University provides work for all of them because a federal government subsidy pays a large portion of the wages. IF YOU plan to stay in Ann Arbor during the summer, however, be aware that the situation becomes much dif ferent. Many people search fruitlessly for any sort of employment. "We've cut back application hours and we're still loaded with people," said Charlotte Schiller, a service representative for Manpower Tem- porary Service, an employment agen- cy. "Only about one in 15 applicants ac- tually gets a job," she added. Kelly Services, another temporary. employment service, also had mor people on their listing than they could place, said Sue Johnston, a Kelly representative. "I'm a self-supporting student, but because of the economy, people just aren't hiring this summer," said chemical engineering student Mark Hintz. "It doesn't look encouraging." m - -" 'zn4~e 01 'The