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 P~oAE TNeo irstper'~r Is (f AK'i i-~ _ l AMEAISi9/NsiMPu49a evaopu Mr 56 osrI r/ lr~I 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. * RUSSIA *5 IONW TO WAR ?f r/ sK** WNW4 NO "NUbW ZEALANID ' &E ssNOAI"iV CLEAIR! A *C 9k Vf l4. 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