GOVERNMENT The Michigan Daily - Friday, October 11, 2002 - 5A Erie accident Council veterans Hieftje, Higgins tango in biennial race for mayor By Christopher Johnson Daily Staff Reporter "What happens in the city can more powerful- ly affect students' lives than actions at the national level," said Democratic Mayor John Hieftje, who is seeking a second two-year term this year. "It's a sense of local action to make life better for students, not only those that are here now, but those who will follow." Since Hieftje and his opponent, Republican City Councilwoman Marcia Higgins, are vying for the position as mayor in a college city, the outcome of the race may hinge on whom more students favor. "Students are a viable part of the community because their youth, passion and creativity con- tribute to the vitality of Ann Arbor," Higgins said. The mayor of Ann Arbor serves a two-year term as president and spokesperson for the City Council. The mayor can also veto any action of the council, unless eight council members sup- port an override. Hieftje is emphasizing the programs he initiat- ed in his past term as mayor in his bid to retain his seat. Hieftje has overseen the implementation of bus engines for the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority that run on super-low-sulfur fuel and plans to bring in bio-diesel engines that combust vegetable matter. "We are transforming the bus system into one of the cleanest in the country," he said. He also began the city's Clean Communities Program, which holds owners of campus hous- ing financially responsible for trash removal on their property. He said he intended the system to clear both the streets and the storm drains of garbage. Hieftje said, "I want Ann Arbor to be a clean- looking city, and the biggest beneficiaries will be students, who are most affected by trash-rid- den neighborhoods." To provide more affordable housing in Ann Arbor, Hieftje has pushed the University to follow through with building more modern residence halls to relieve rent pressure. He has also worked with the Avalon non-profit organization on plans to build apartments for moderate-income families. A resi- dence designed for a family of three would cost $200 to $300 per month. Students whose families meet the income requirement would qualify for this housing. Hieftje's opponent Higgins has served on the council for three years. In her past term on the council, Higgins has organized a Smart Zone for Ann Arbor and Ypsi- lanti, which provides money and new technology for starting businesses in the area to insure their stability. Higgins said the increase in business would provide students with greater opportuni- ties both as consumers and workers. Higgins said her main concern in running for mayor is a lack of public discourse in local gov- ernment that she claims threatens our democra- cy. She cited the recent organization of a parks millage proposal that she said was put together by Hieftje and special interest groups without the consultation of the council. "I don't feel that those groups don't have a seat at the table, but to set policy without policy makers there is unconscionable," Higgins said. AP PHOTO Twenty people were injured in a crash yesterday involving a school bus and a steel-hauling truck in Monroe County's Erie Township. Proposed amendment gives state workers binding arbitration right heMiCh~igan Daily Display Team V~'Ir o ~c~Ie ~aa~aSascu~llECtive6 of the V e6I ~I~'ronsored by 'Amato's Italian Restaurant By Jordan Schrader Daily Staff Reporter While most Michigan state employees have been able to bargain with the state through unions for more than 20 years, some say the state still ultimately con- trols the shape of their contracts. They see an alternative in the status of state police officers, who can take their disagreements with man- agement to a neutral arbitrator with whose ruling the state must comply. A proposal on the Nov. 5 election ballot will ask vot- ers if classified state employees - nearly all of the government's workforce - should have similar rights. Its advocates and opponents differ on whether Pro- posal 02-3 would deplete the state budget and if the wording leaves a window open for employees to strike. By amending the Michigan Constitution, the propos- al would allow state classified employees to submit a contract issue to binding arbitration after 30 days of unfruitful negotiations. The initiative also gives all of the about 60,000, classified employees the right to collectively bar- gain. That includes nearly all of Michigan's gov- ernment workforce, many of whom are now prohibited from doing so. Alan Kilar, president of the pro-proposal Michigan Employee Rights Initiative, said it will prevent the board that oversees the civil service from altering nego- tiated contracts. "We don't have a level playing field," he said. "The Civil Service Commission unilaterally changed our last contract over 100 times." "We're basically seeking the same thing the troopers have. It's worked very well for them and we think it will work well for state employees." The Office of the State Employer, a MICHIGAN division of the Department of Manage- ELECTIO ment and Budget, negotiates with gov- 200 ernment employees in the contract process. DMB spokeswoman Kelly Chesney said employees should be pleased about the generous pay and benefits in their current and past con- tracts. Michigan State Police troopers, who have been able to take their concerns to binding arbitration since 1978, "don't offer the same types of services," she said. "They're in a higher risk category." Arbitration would also be too costly for the state, because an arbitrator does not have an obligation to take the state's budget into account, Chesney said. Arbitrators are "unaccountable to the public, yet they can institute awards and salary ranges that the state simply can't afford," she said. "It could wreak havoc on the state budget and it could force us to cut other areas." Kilar said the costs of arbitration would not be pro- hibitive. "Look at the state troopers who have had this for 20 years. They have not busted the budget," he said. "In fact, their overall pay increase has only been one tenth of a percent more than state employees." The proposal would actually save money by cutting wasteful government practices, Kilar said. By adding a neutral party to the process, he said, state employees could appeal their grievances when they think the gov- ernment is spending too much. Kilar said the state often contracts with private com- panies that cost more than state employees for the same work. The ballot language does not allow for a strike and state employees are not looking for the power to strike, Kilar said. But Chesney said the proposal leaves open that possibility. Corner of I" and Huron St. Downtown AA (734) 623-7400 wwwdamnatos corn I City voters to evaluate parks millage By Christopher Johnson Daily Staff Reporter Although city residents could see a slight increase in taxes' if voters pass a parks millage ballot proposal on election day, they would also benefit from the plan, which includes the removal of invasive species on park land and the replacement of heating systems for city pools. Several officials who work with the city's park system favor the referendum, which if passed, would renew the prop- erty tax already in place for non-routine maintenance in Ann Arbor's parks Mike Garfield, director of the Ecolo- gy Center of Ann Arbor, said, "It's absolutely necessary that this proposal passes for the parks to be maintained." Although a portion of'property taxes is already allocated for this upkeep, this proposal would raise the millage rate from .4632 to .4725, meaning a person owning a home assessed at $100,000 would pay $47.25 if the millage is approved. The proposal would renew the tax to its level before 1997, when it was reduced pursuant to state law. Both mayoral candidates support the proposal. "This millage originated because vot- ers wanted us to buy parks," Democratic Mayor John Hieftje said. "We need a bit extra (funding) to take care of them." Republican City Councilwoman and mayoral candidate Marcia Higgins said she supports the proposal because pro- vides immediate funding, but expects the council will find alternative support and later abolish the tax. "Right now we don't have the money to do it, but I don't believe parks should deteriorate because we don't have money now,"she said. SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13TH2002 12 PM ON THE DIAG 1:30 CONFERENCE ON TERRORISM AT THE MICHIGAN UNION .....:.._ , r__ _..