2B - The Michigan Daily -Election '98 -Thursday, October , 1998 9 9 9 0 S S The Michigan Daily - Ele Votes counted quickly using modem technology Sheldon, Kolb vie for By H heaCer Wgo For the ly Have you ever wondered what happens to your vote after the elections are over? Who sees it? Who tallies all of the votes? In Ann Arbor, votes are added at the end of the election day by an optical scan system, Ann Arbor Deputy City Clerk Yvonne Carl said. At the end of election night, it's as easy as press- ing the "totals button," Carl said, and the votes are automatically tallied. They cannot be changed and no further votes can be placed. Then, "each precinct reports back to the county clerk" with the totals, Carl said. Self-service voting is easy for those who can make the trip to the polls. But is voting more complicated for absentee ballots? Not according to Carl. "Absentee (ballots) are transported and set into the machine by poll workers," Carl said. And although some jurisdictions count absentee votes separately, in Ann Arbor, "there's no way of distinguishing between absentee votes," Carl said. The polls are usually operated by veterans, who often work from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Gina Vollano, who retired from the University of Michigan in 1995, has been working the polls forthe last three years. "My responsibility is just to verify the person who's there to vote," Vollano said. Her duties include checking each voter's name, address, and birthdate. Vollano said she had "friends who did it and they enjoyed it" so she decided to try working the polls herself. Plus, the polling site is close to her house, she said. The poll workers have a long day starting at 6 a.m. and sometimes lasting until 10 p.m. "We don't talk about the election and we're very careful about secrecy as far as the voters are con- cerned,"bolling said. The polling expenence has been "truly a very nice experience," Vollano said. "I've (made) friends ... it's really a congenial group." Although candidates are not allowed to cam- paign in the polling site in any way, they can print totals tapes at the end of the day because these tapes are available to the general public. mayor'Is offic =Repoter The 1998 Ann Arbor mayoral race will bring together two candidates with seemingly similar goals for the city of Ann Arbor. And this isn't the first time Republican Mayor Ingrid Sheldon and Democratic candidate Christopher Kolb have done battle for the city's highest office. The two faced off in the last mayoral election in 1996, when Sheldon won by a small margin. "I am more willing to look at issues more broadly and try to be the mayor of all the people," Sheldon said. "I have worked in the community for a long time. The community views me as someone who will listen and figure out a ratio- nal solution to help them." But Kolb says he is a more proactive candidate. "The main difference between my opponent and me is that she is willing to wait for things to happen, and I am not," Kolb said. One of the main issues of the campaign focuses on Ann Arbor's downtown area. The recent closing of Main Street News, Marty's Menswear and Schoolkid's Records, Kolb said, has caused him concern. "We need to make some good decisions about the busi- nesses in downtown Ann Arbor," he said. Kolb said specialty shops such as these are an essential part of the downtown's atmosphere. National chain stores are forcing out stores that have a history and popularity in downtown, he said. The chain stores "take advantage of what's on the streets of our town, but do nothing to contribute to the uniqueness of it," Kolb said. One program Kolb has proposed would remove some economic pressure for small businesses. A real estate investment trust would allow Ann Arbor res- idents to purchase shares in downtown real estate. Essentially, the citizens would own the building, and could then rent not to the highest bidder, but to the business who "would most enhance the downtown," Kolb said. Sheldon is also concerned with the downtown area and more specifically with the high concentration of traffic moving in and out of the area. The city needs to better control the feeling of increased -again pressure from traffic and speeding, Sheldon said. "We need to get (traffic) through town in an efficient way and encourage alternate forms of transportation," she said. Another issue of importance to students is the city's rela- tionship to the University. "The relationship is improving, but people must remem- ber that we are two different institutions with different mis- sions and different types of funding," Sheldon said. "There is definitely a willingness to have sincere conversations (about the relationship). (University President Lee) Bollinger has been good about inviting the city to University discussions." At one time, these discussions were held in the context of a University and City Committee. The committee was designed to be a forum for issues affecting both institutions, but it included only some of the city council members. Sheldon decided to let the committee gradually dissolve. "The University and City Committee was very superfi- cial and a waste of everyone's time," Sheldon said. "All of the council is concerned about these issues and should be present." But Kolb criticized his opponent for not supporting the committee. We need to "reconstitute the University and City Committee. The mayor has allowed that to disappear," Kolb said. "We need to realize how- important the city is to the University and the University to the city." Both candidates said that improving safety for University students is an ever-present issue. The most effective way is to renovate the city's infra- structure to accommodate additional safety precautions, such as dependable sources of lighting, Sheldon said. But the financial implications of such a project could be overwhelming, she said. "Carrying out a special assessment for lighting improve- ment would be a high expense that many residents would have to pay," she said. "We must try to establish at least a minimal level of safety." The Ann Arbor police department and the University's Department of Public Safety must combine efforts to ade- quately serve both jurisdictions, Kolb said. "It is important that DPS and Ann Arbor police to work together," he said. "There is always room for improvement" ALLSON CANTER/Da y John Hochstetier, a Manchester School Board member, is challenging state Sen. Alma Wheeler Smith (D-Salem Twp.) this year. Smith efends her state Senate seat Ann Arbor'q Finest Mexican Style Food! Michigan's Largest Selection of Gourmet Hot 5auces & Salsas! " " " +6 t ,,ot, ff ; _ --.., .. " s.- .. WItE DELIVER! 'tMi a.m. 5un. -Tues. 'til 3 a.m. Wed. - Sat. can 741-4450 333 E Huron Happy Birthday! Cbarle's uldlike to be the first to congratu- late you, with a free meal. Just bring along a friend and proper ID, and select yeur favorite entree from our famous menu. It's just our wy of saying Congratula- tions and thanks for celebrating witbus. 1140 S. University at Cche 668-8411 By Nikita Easley Daily Staff Reporter State Sen. Alma Wheeler Smith and Republican candidate John Hochstetler will fight to the finish when it comes to the Michigan Senate seat. Running for a second term, Smith (D-Salem Twp.) has stressed through- out the campaign that she wants to focus her efforts more on funding for schools that are considered underprivi- leged. "We need more after-school pro- grams and need to improve state fund- ing for urban and rural areas," Smith said. She added that more school coun- selors also are needed in schools for children who may come from broken homes. Her challenger, John Hochstetler, has served on the Manchester School Board for four years. Hochstetler said his primary goal is also education. He said he wants to implement a plan so "all kids get a fair chance at school funding." He said he disagrees with the tuition hikes of colleges that do not correspond with the inflation rates of the state. "It's a big mistake," he said. Hochstetler also says he wants col- leges to be held accountable for the amount of money they spend. Smith, another higher education advocate, disagrees with Hochstetler view of getting involved with University funding andspending. There are certain rules legislators have to follow, Wheeler said. "Universities have to abide by the same rules and when they don't, we should step in." Smith said she too wants to provide better funding for higher education, cit- ing Governor John Engler's budget for correction facilities and education was the same amount. Although she is an advocate of affirmative action, Smith said she thinks the admission policies of Universities are "not the role" of legis- latures. Her father is Albert Wheeler, the first black mayor of Ann Arbor, founder of the Ann Arbor chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and one of the first black faculty members of the University during the 1940's helped to make changes for minority professors students. Smith's support for affirmative action stems in part from the hard work her father and mother devoted to make equal strides for minorities. See SENATE, Page 4B w M ~ *i % 9' ( Two experienced lawyers race to rep Mayor Ingrld Sheldon and Ma offce In the city for the seci FaSt Ilnteret Access Famous Shawaria Fresh Juice & Sao die Bar Word-class Cffee 995-5977 S QUersiw - bbuW) Granholm, Smietanka launch mudslinging advertising campaigns "y Jas nStoWff Daily Staff Reporter The state attorney general is responsible for preventing consumer fraud and ensuring the criminal justice system is honest and fair. So it's ironic that this year's attorney gener- al race has degenerated into a mudslinging campaign marked by misleading half-truths and slanted attack ads. Democrat Jennifer Granholm and Republican John Smietanka have spent a great number of years trying to put criminals behind bars. Granholm, a Harvard Law School graduate, attained a 98-percent conviction rate as a fed- eral prosecutor in the Eastern District of Michigan. Smietanka was the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Michigan and his accomplishments include winning a case before the Supreme Court. The campaign began when the Michigan Republican Party ran an advertisement asso- ciating Granholm with Democratic guberna- torial candidate Geoffrey Fieger's crime pro- gram, said Granholm campaign manager Chris DeWitt. A Democratic counterattack questioned Smietanka's honesty and integrity. "He's been saying she would favor releas- ing 17,000 prisoners," DeWitt said. "That's false. She does not support the Fieger crime program." The ad campaign spurred retiring Democratic Attorney General Frank Kelley, a popular 10-term incumbent, to join the fray on Granholm's behalf. He has spoken on sev- eral commercials criticizing Republican attack ads. "It's a real shame they've lowered this cam- paign in the mud and they've lied about her," DeWitt said. "The public is seeing through this." Bad blood aside, both candidates agree the attorney general's office - comprised of 40 separate divisions - should be changed. "The crime division, in charge of gangs, organized crime ... has only seven to nine people assigned to it," Smietanka said. "For a state of 9.2 million people that doesn't cut it." Granholm said she too would increase the crime division and added that the entire attor- ney general's office must become better equipped to deal with technology-related crimes. "With the advent of the Internet, there is an enormous potential for wrongdoing," Granholm said. Although Smietanka and Granholm have similar plans to transform the office, the cleavages between the candidates are well pronounced. Granholm is pro-choice, while Smietanka is pro-life. He supports a proposed bill in the state Legislature that would give all Michigan citizens without a criminal record or a histo- ry of mental illness access to a concealed weapon permit. Granholm opposes this mea- sure. Smietanka and his campaign staff were unavailable to comment on the advertising campaigns. Ann Arbor www.webchateau.com