The Michigan Daily - Thursday, September 8, 1983 - Page C-3 ity politics swinging towards Democrats I -- I 1st Liberty Ann Arbor's Ward Boundaries .. V w L. .0 University Teri Wilim I N. University U -4 I - I - U kth 0 ---7 F Io L I R * C T 1R D)IAL y, L 2nd Madison S. University - U -4I~ -J - Now I Monroe Hill By HALLE CZECHOWSKI Liberal politics in Ann Arbor continued a comback this spring from a staunchly conservative spell in the late seventies with democrats winning three of the four city council races and taking one seat away from Republicans. Republican Mayor Louis Belcher, who grabbed 60 percent of the vote in the 1980 election, barely slipped by Democrat Leslie Morris to earn his third term in the city's top seat. THE CONSERVATIVE trend that swept the nation after 1975 and put Ronald Reagan into office in 1980 also had its effects on Ann Arbor city politics. In a city with a big liberal reputation, Republicans had held a 7-4 majority (including the mayor's vote) on city council since 1977. Democrats were worried in those years. There was even occasional talk of a Republican dynasty in city council. But since the city's voting districts were re- drawn in 1981, Democrats have taken five of seven council races, won the city's "swing" district both years, and eased the Republican majority back to 6-5. The swing will give Democrats more leverage to, moderate the Republicans, said Lowell -Peterson, (D-First Ward). "I THINK we're going to see the Republican Party not as unified as they seem," he said. Peterson attributed the rising liberalism to a wider, national movement. "There is a broader trend," he said, "It has to do with the reawakening of the left both locally and nationally." THE TREND has been long in coming, he said, with the national reaction to President Reagan and some students who have begun to shrug off their apathy. "This is basically a progressive city, but voters have had the perception that their vote doesn't make the difference," he said. But even if Democrats were to gain control of coun- cil, an unlikely prospect, they probably would not be able to match the colorful liberal politics played out in council chambers inthe early seventies. THOSE WERE days when students took a voice in city politics. Or at least they expressed their feelings about city issues. One time, in 1972, that meant tossing used chicken bones on the chamber floor, another time it meant banging their feet on the tables during a meeting. The liberal student perspective was represented by the Human Rights Party. Formed by a group of students and anti-Vietnam war activists, the party did its best to spice up city politics. Members tried, but failed, to push through a resolution asking President Nixon to end the Vietnam war. They were soundly defeated on a bill that would have set the fine for marijuana posession at only 25 cents. And council trounced them again when they tried to get funds to send representatives to an anti- war demonstration. BUT THEY WERE able to pass several significant pieces of legislation. The Human Rights Party, with Democratic support, helped pass the $5 fine for possession of marijuana that the -city currently operates under.I Long before women's and gay rights had become prominant issues, the party supported laws prohibiting sex or sexual preference discrimination. And they were a strong force in pressing for tenant and consumer protections. Members also helped pass a bill that broke off the city's diplomatic ties with the Soviet Union. AS THE eighties approached and student activism waned, liberal exploits on council grew less frequent. The Human Rights Party's last councilmember retired in 1976. Although they have to abide by all the laws council passes, live with all the housing ordinances, and probably pay higher rent when property taxes go up, students rarely show up for council meetings and debates are usually rather calm. But councilmember Raphael Ezekiel (D-Third Ward), a University psychology professor, said he sees a progressive spirit emerging in students today. "1 SEE in the student community, a real resurgence of progressive and radical thought and action," he said. The city's Republican mayor also sees a liberal trend but says it is part of a natural progression in Ann Arbor politics. "The pendulem tends to swing back and forth," Belcher said. He said the conservative wave in the last several years was partially the result of Democratic actions. "The democrats tried to out-liberal the radicals and they got a black eye from it." AT THE SAME time he says that any conservative trend in Ann Arbor is tempered by the community's moderate views. "When I go to a mayors convention, I'm a liberal," he says. See DEMOCRATS, Page 4 X 4 ~ I 4 I 4th d, w a,, aa AA ap 3rd I Voting in Ann Arbor* Ann Arbor pizza shops make it band to resist Gaining a vote in Ann Arbor's elec- tion is no longer the rigorous task it used to be.. Prior to 1971, University students .had to go to city hall and prove they were permanent residents of the city. Students could prove residency in several ways: showing they were free from parental control, or that they had no other place to go in case of sickness, or that they were married. TODAY, students only have to walk down toCity Hall, at 100 N. Fifth Ave.,. and tell the clerk they want to register to vote. It only takes a few minutes and requires no identification. Simply state that you are at least 18 years old and live in Ann Arbor while you attend school, then give your date and place of birth, zip code, and signature. One of the deputy city clerks will swear you in and you're off to the polls. To make registration even easier, several student groups sponsor voter registration drives in the dormitories. The Michigan Student Assembly, the Public Interest Group in Michigan, and the College Republicans set up their tables about a month before each election. After you register to vote, either at city hall or in the dorm, the city will mail you a voter card which about two weeks to arrive. The card can be used as proof of residency and U.S. citizen- ship. One word of warning, the city selec- tes prospective jurors from the list of registered voters. And Officials rarely exempt students from duty, so you could end up serving several weeks in court paying for your to vote. -HALLE CZECHOWSKI $5 marijuana law survives repeal effort By CHERYL BAACKE It's been a long night studying at the library and all you want is to go back to the dorm and sleep. But just as you get in the door, six people run down the hall waving little pieces of paper - pizza coupons! Two dollars off for a large, two small pizzas for the price of one, two items free, large cokes for only a dime with every pizza. HOW CAN YOU resist? With over 30 pizza stores in Ann Arbor offering free delivery there is not much to stop you from picking up the phone and sinking your teeth into a hot (most of the time, at least) pizza in less than an hour. In fact, there appears to be very little stopping anybody in town. Cottage Inn Pizza on Packard sometimes delivers 600 pizzas in one night, and there are three others in the chain that also deliver, says manager Rick :Simon. "We have the whole city covered," he says. "This is the highest volume pizza store in Ann Arbor," Simon adds. "We don't put out a lot of coupons but we keep up." OTHER PIZZA stores, however, put more stock in coupons. "There's not a single special we haven't tried," says Scott Fenton from Snappy's pizza. "Students are always looking for a deal. If they have a coupon and a menu in front of them that's what they're going to order. On campus coupons are a tremendous help, they're what keeps us going." On any given night in Ann Arbor, you can get pizza specials ranging from a "meal deal" to "Monday Madness" to "e.b.a." - "That's everything but an- chovies, which hardly anybody ever or- ders," says Domino's Pizza manager Mike Rigdon. Coupons help sell pizzas during the week, but business really picks up on the week-end. "SUNDAYS ARE the busiest nights because the students aren't fed in the dorms," says Suzie Huizenga from Domino's "but it's not too hectic because we have an assembly line system. The pizzas are made in about ten minutes and delivered within 30." "We make anywhere from 60 to 80 runs on a busy Sunday night," says Larry Mitchel, a driver for cot- tage Inn Pizza. He said he usually en- joys delivering to the campus but ad- ded, "It depends on whether people meet you at the door or if they're phone is busy when you call. Confirming the pizza order is the hardest part of all." Huizenga agrees. "Students are notorious for not showing up at the door when we call," she says "Every now and then we'll have an extra that we'll sell to someone else, but only if it was recently made. We won't sell an old. pizza." DOMINO'S AND Cottage Inn are two of the most popular pizza delivery stores among students. Both price and quality are factors that help decide which brand to order, and different people are influenced by different fac- tors. LSA junior Darryl Renaud says Cot- tage Inn has the best pizza, but usually orders from Domino's because the price is a little better. "Also, once you're in the habit you keep ordering from the same place." By GEORGE ADAMS ;,,,Ann Arbor laws are seldom the focus of national - or even local - media at- tention. Except in legal circles, they are usually referred to only when broken, and even then the attention shifts to the &persons involved; the laws themselves remain aloof. UNLESS, that is, the legislation in question is Ann Arbor's marijuana law. p Still among the most lenient of the nation's drug laws, the 11-year-old amendment has generated more news print than any other city action. And much of it, city officials say, is un- warranted. Possession or use of small quantities f marijuana in Ann Arbor is unishable by a $5 fine, which the of- fender pays like a parking ticket. FOR ARRESTS involving large quantities or sale of marijuana, city police have the option of prosecuting at the county level under the much stric- ter state laws. State law, which violators can also be prosecuted under, provides maximum penalties of 90 days imprisonment and/or $100 fine for use; 1-year imprisonment and/or a $1,000 for 'possession; and 4 years imprisonment and/or a $2,000 fine for distribution, regardless of amount. Though "smali quantities" has never been defined explicitly, Ann Arbor Police Chief William Corbett says the city will only send the county prosecutor cases involving more than one pound of marijuana. The law's history tells a story of both student interest and'student neglect. THE ORIGINAL $5 ordinance was Mpassed by Ann Arbor City Council on ,May 15,1972. Though Democrats say they were working towards decriminalization months before the law was passed, the ordinance was proposed by University students Jerry DeGrieck and Nancy Wechsler, city councilpersons representing the radical Human Rights Party. Council Democrats voted in favor of the nordinance and it nased by a 6-5 Voters in student-dominated wards provided the difference. ANN ARBOR operates under that 1974 amendment today. Despite allegations that the law sim- ply is simply not that important, decriminalization has affected Ann Ar- bor's political arena. A Republican push to repeal the law during the 1982 city elections touched off a slew of accusations aimed at both Democrats and Republicans. BUT THE sounds! of debate seldom left the city council chambers. And students, who more than any other group gave the law its margin of vic- tory nine years ago, sidestepped the issue and avoided the polls. Even without the student vote, the 1982 repeal effort failed, with voters even in the city's staunchly Republican Wards soundly defeating the measure. The election provided an opportunity for local political figures to air their op- inions on the law. SOME OF those opinions took the form of the rhetoric that surrounded the passing of the ordinance in 1972: The law is a black mark on the city, a sign of declining morality, and has turned Ann Arbor into the "Dope Capital of the Midwest." The last phrase, originally coined 11 years ago, to some people still represents the law's effects. Others lauded the amendment as a triumph of personal freedom. Some said the law actually caused pot use in the city to decline. REGARDLESS of political leanings, people saw the amendment as a rem- nant of the rebellious 1960s and '70s- a testament to the power of student liberalism. This widespread view towards the law made it a prime target for Republicans; by knocking down the pot law, they would be symbolically rescinding the liberal reforms of the '70s. At least that's what the Democrats charged. Daily Photo by ELIZABETH SCOTT A Cottage Inn pizza delivery car sits in front of the store waiting to escort hot pizza all over campus. The drivers sometimes make up to 80 runs a night..