OPINION
Page 4 Sunday, February 17, 1985 The Michigan Daily
te atanichig ant
Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan
PIRGIMrequest denied
Vol. XCV, No. 115
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Editorials represent a majority opinion of the Daily's Editorial Board
MA YORAL PRIMARIES
Pierce over Bryant
N THE DEMOCRATIC mayoral
primary, the choice is between long-
time politician Ed Pierce, and Univer-
sity Prof. Bunyan Bryant. Although
Bryant has gained the support of many
respected community members, Pierce
ce is the more acceptable candidate for
the party's nomination.
Bryant suffers from a predominance
on national and international issues
which, while they are important on the
local level, should not be the chief in-
terests of one who wishes to be mayor.
Bryant's campaign slogan, "Think
globally, act locally, "translates into the
desire to start a peaeci mmission and
develop relationships with "sister
cities" in other coiwtries. Unfor-
tunately, Bryant's cocrentration on
global issues has resulted in a failure
to flush out many of the important
local issues necessary to determine his
probable effectiveness as mayor.
Pierce appears more ready to attack
issues that directly affect the com-
munity than is his opponent. His plat-
form, while more realistic than his op-
ponent's, is not flawless. his proposed
"entertainment tax," supposedly
directed at tourists who come to Ann
Arbor for concerts and other events,
appears to be merely another-
rationalization for the city to further
cash in on the lucrative student
market. His plan for parking would
cause more frustration and
congestion downtown than the current
method. Pierce's stance on parking
although it is creative, is unrealistic.
He suggests removing all parking
meters and institutions a system in
which citizens would purchase a
sticker to park anywhere in the city.
Not only would this system not alleviate
the city's parking problems, it would
contribute to them. Residents could
park their cars on busy inner-city
streets for months on end, making it
virtually impossible to find convenient
parking on a daily basis.
. .
Bryant has a more realistic
approach to parking in the
city than does Pierce. He
proposes keeping the same situation
that currently exists. As for parking
meters, Bryant said that merchants
rely on the constant flow of consumers
in and out of the city - a constant
mobility he says parking meters
facilitate.
Pierce's program for alleviating the
housing problem in Ann Arbor, is far
more viable than what his opponent
proposes. Pierce calls for a "three-
pronged" approach to providing effec-
tive housing. First he would review
current zoning laws to determine
which ones are "inhibiting high-
density land use." He would then set
up a system to sell housing bonds on
the open market. Money generated
from sale of these bonds would be put
into a fund to assist residents with
housing.
Bryant, on the other hand, wishes to
set up what he calls a "land trust." In
essence, he would institute a non-profit
organization with a board composed
of community members. This organiz-
ation would acquire property and keep
it off the open market, thus enforcing
lower property values and cheaper
housing on city owned land. The plan
is poorly thought out, however, with
very little consideration given to
methods of acquiring land, funding for
land purchase, or the effect of such a
method on the overall housing market.
In this race, however, Pierce's at-
tributes outweigh his flaws. Bryant
has yet to make his approach to local
issues clear. Pierce is the best choice
for the Democratic ticket.
The University's Board of Regents Friday
voted to end PIRGIM's special funding con-
tract with the University, which had allowed
them a checkoff box for student donations on
class registration forms since 1972.
The board passed Regent Thomas Roach's
(D - Saline) ammended version 'of the
Public Interest Research Group In
Michigan's original proposals, which called
for a one-year extension of its current funding
contract. The group also asked for a commit-
tee to be established that would study alter-
native funding procedures.
The Week
in Revi.,ew
Under the bylaws of 1972, any organization
that had the original support of 50 percent of
the student population and one-third support
subsequently was eligible for the special fun-
ding mechanism. PIRGIM had gathered the
necessary number of petition signatures in
1972, proving broad campus support and
qualified for the special funding.
Due to changes in the registration process,
in subsequent contracts with PIRGIM, the
regents lowered the margin of support
needed to 25 percent, 20 percent, and finally
waived the requirement.
After March, the group will again have to
show that half the student body at the Univer-
sity backs its policies if it hopes to qualify for
the special funding.
Regent Deanne Baker (R-Ann Arbor)
called the vote "a victory for students" and
estimated that over the years PIRGIM "has
Week in Review was compiled by Daily
staffers Tom Hrach, Jerry Markon, Amy
Mindell, and Arona Perlstein.
taken some $734,000 from this campus."
Kristin Haas, PIRGIM's campus coor-
dinator, said that the group would return with
a new proposal. She also felt that the group
would be able to garner the 50 percent student
support needed.
Said the LSA sophomores, "We're going to
keep going. We'll get student support and
come back with a new proposal."
The fires continue
In what seems to be becoming a pattern,
another trash can fire struck a men's
bathroom in the Union last week, and a
similar blaze was narrowly averted in a trash
closet in South Quad.
An employee at the Union's Computer Cen-
ter noticed smoke in the bathroom trash can
at about 6:45 a.m. Wednesday morning, and
promptly extinguished the small fire with
water from a bathroom sink.
Union officials reported no serious damage
- other than having to clean up the area -
although center employees could still smell
the fire's odor when they reported for work at
8 a.m.
The next morning, someone tossed a lighted
cigarette into a trash barrel in South Quad's
Kelsey House which burnt itself out by the
time University security officials arrived on
the scene.
No fire alarm was pulled, officials said,
because the cigarette did not produce enough
smoke to cause danger to residents.
The latest fires followed on the heels of a
series of similar fires that struck South and
West Quads within the past two weeks. On
Feb. 4, four different fires - three in trash
closets and one on a first floor bulletin board
- forced South Quad residents into bitter cold
for over an hour. Five days later, a similar
fire in a trash can in West Quad's Adams
House brought fire inspectors over in a hurry.
Officials suspect arson as the cause of all of
these fires, and they are investigating to
determine whether the incidents are related.
Sources close to the investigation confir
med three leading suspects; a former Wes
Quad resident who was evicted from the Quad
last year for assaulting another resident and
was a prime suspect in a series of trash car
fires in Adams House last year, a varsity
athlete who was suspect in several trash can
fires in South Quad last spring, and a formei
South Quad resident who no longer lives in the
Quad.
MSA's Consideration
In response to unauthorized 'stuffing' of Cor
sider magazine, the Michigan Studer
Assembly urged Consider to devote an issue
of the magazine to examine their format.
Consider said that they would think abou
doing such an issue, but it probably would no
happen in the near future.
Consider then made its own proposal asking
MSA to condemn the stuffing, by LSA senio
Andrew Boyd. The proposal was discussed b!
the assembly and two representatives frog
Consider, but when the Assembly called for,
vote, a roll-call revealed there was no longe
a quorum. Without one-half the active mem
bership, the meeting was adjourned.
Consider said that the stuffing "com
promised Consider's name, violated ou:
freedom, and harmed our integrity."
MSA member Eric Schnaufer disagreed.
He said the insert did not compromise thei
name, and that it was demeaning to the in
telligence of University students to say th
they could not distinguish between ConsidA
and the insert. Schnaufer also said that the
removal of the insert was violating Boyd',
freedom.
The proposal to condemn the stuffing wil
be reintroduced as the first item under ok
business at Tuesday's meeting.
Wasserman
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11
14
Hadler over Jensen
R ICHARD HADLER is more
qualified to be the Republican
nominee for mayor than his opponent
Paul Jensen.
Hadler is a retired businessman
whose politics are similar to departing
mayor Lou Belcher's. He wishes to en-
courage economic growth throughout
the city by holding down taxes. He also
wants to continue development of "en-
vironmentally sound" industries.
He considers the computer software
industry environmentally sound, and
pointed to the University as a possible
source for spinning-off other high tech
industry.
Jensen is a self-proclaimed "non-
elected official" who claims to have a
great deal of experience in dealing
with affairs at city hall. For the last
two years he has quixotically pursued
public office without support from any
organized political bodies. He has run
for mayor and state representative
with limited success. This summer, he
beat college Republicans 'president
Gretchen Morris in the primary for
state representative, but the
Republican party subsequently
disavowed him.
Hadler's experience in the business
world has given him many of the skills
necessary to serve as a public official.
Jensen on the other hand, has yet to
demonstrate any such ability.
Jensen has many goals for the city, but
he has yet to fully formulate his
methods for attaining them. He seeks
increased housing for low and
moderate income residents, yet
beyond calling for decreased property
taxes he has not indicated any means
to achieve it.
In spite of his competency for the
post, Hadler does not have answers for
many of the problems facing the city.
He says he is pleased at the rapid
development in Ann Arbor and con-
fesses to having no solution to the
problem of housing for low and
moderate income residents.
He told the Daily, "I don't think city
government should be in the housing
business." He overlooks, however,
that the city is already very much a
part of the housing business with its ex-
tensive list of tenant's rights and its
setting of zoning laws.
In light of his competence, if not his
ideas, Hadler is the obvious choice in
the Republican mayoral primary.
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Letters
Gorillas aren 't monkeys aren't apes
To the Daily:
Perhaps the simian trio who
invaded Introduction to An-
thropology (Anthropology 101)
should have registered for that
class back in January; perhaps
the author of "' Gorillas' En-
courage Students to Go Ape"
(Daily, Feb. 9), should have paid
more attention when he was a
student in 101.
For the record, a) gorillas are
not monkeys, they are apes -
therefore they do not 'monkey'
around; b) there is no "missing
link": the evolutionary processes
which lead to the presence of our
species was gradual and is fairly
well docuhmenltd - inl anv case-
I have always hoped that a
primate as complex as our-
selves would have found a better
response to rising "conser-
vatism" than meaningless
histrionics and acrobatics, and
that the Daily could think of bet-
ter use of their news space than
the glorification of truly soph-
moric drama.
- Walter D. Di Manto
Februar
Di Mantova is the He
Teaching Assistant for A
thropology 101.
Jensen should be the next mayor
4
To the Daily:
This letter pertains to a Mr. Paul
Jensen, who is running for mayor
of this city. Paul is my best
friend. I met Paul a year ago. He
asked me to help out with his
handbills, so I did.
I hope that the people of Ann
Arbor will consider voting for
Paul. He is a godd man. Paul has
h ~an wnrino ~,vi, hartd at his run
" He wants better tenant rights
I think this man has already
struggled much. So Ann Arbor,
next time the voting polls are
open, the next mayor should
Paul Jensen.
- Ronald J. Pie
February
Boycott non-union theater
To the Daily:
Over Christmas vacation, the
Campus Theater (on South
condition that they also work
projectionists, for no extra pa)
Since then, projectionists
I