4jbF Ann Arbor, Michigan Wednesday, March 18, 2009 michigandaily.com Elizabeth Jones has dinner with her son Harrison at Tios Mexican Cafi yesterday afternoon. After the city purchased the building that currently houses Tios, the restaurant's owners were forced to find a new home for their eatery. But financial troubles have left restaurant management scrambling months before they will be forced to move out. City to ios: Get out by June Restaurant forced Ann Arbor purchased the building one's name engraved on a stool in to the space formerly occupied by next to city hall, where Tios Mexi- the restaurant. Salsarita's Fresh Cantina on East to find new location can Caf6 has been located since Seaver said Tios' owners were Liberty, or the former location of 1985. The restaurant will have to surprised by the purchase since The Metro Cafe in Kerrytown. after city buys spot vacate the building by June 30, they were not aware that their Seaver said he's confident that y ;t >f it By MALLORY JONES DailyStaffReporter The lingering scent of refried beans and hot salsa will soon clear the air of East Huron Street when Tios Mexican Caf6 moves out of the building it has occupied for over 20 years. In July of last year the City of when its current lease is up. After the city bought the build- ing, Tios launched a campaign to raise the $50,000 it needs to finance its move. So far, it has about $20,000, according to owner Tim Seaver. As a part of the cam- paign, customers can make dona- tions ranging from $50 to $5,000, each paired with benefits includ- ing monthly discounts to getting building was up for sale. The busi- ness learned that the building had been purchased and that they would have to move from custom- ers and from the Ann Arbor News, longtime employee Pauline Slate said. Dean Zahn Properties LLC, the restaurant's landlord, was unavail- able for comment. Therestaurantishopingtomove his business will raise enough money for the move. "It's going to be touch-and-go but I think we're going to make it," he said. "We're optimistic." Seaver said his major complaint with the situation is that the city is not helping the restaurant with the move. He said that he would not mind moving if it wasn't such See TIOS, Page 3A Picking an MSA president Abhishek Mahanti Gibran Baydoun By JENNA SKOLLER Daily StaffReporter Abhishek Mahanti, an Engi- neering junior from Okemos, Mich., is the Michigan Vision Party's presidential candidate. Mahanti joined the Michigan Student Assembly last year as an Engineering representative and currently serves as its Commu- nications Chair. If elected, Mahanti said his main goal is to increase the transparency and visibility of MSA. He said he wants to ensure that the assembly has a positive impact on as many students as possible "whether that's with student organization funding, whether that's with the fresh- man who comes in with no idea what to do and finds resources on our website, or if somepody goes to a concert that we put on or an event that we put on and is positively affected." Mahanti also emphasized that he thinks it's important for MSA to focus only on University-cen- tric goals like helping students get jobs and obtain financial aid. He said he would work toward this goal by implement- ing a weeklong event before the career fair in which students can find help with resumes, take part in mock interviews and attend career workshops. The Michigan Vision Party is different from other parties because of its emphasis on find- ing the best candidates pos- sible rather than simply trying to fill the slate, Mahanti said. He said the party only chose See MAHANTI, Page 7A By LINDY STEVENS Daily News Editor An LSA junior from Las Vegas, Nev., Gibran Baydoun is running as the presidential can- didate for the reMichigan Cam- paign. Now in his third year on the Michigan Student Assembly, Baydoun said if elected he plans to refocus student government and advocate for the student body. Baydoun said his primary focus as president would be to make the University affordable for students of all backgrounds. Muv coLLIs/Daly "No. 1 is tuition and financial rates us is we're not just talking aid," Baydoun said. "We need to about lofty goals and ideas and advocate for a tuition freeze in visions," he said. "We're more the short-term, and in the long- than that." term think about some creative Baydoun said he also plans to options for the way that we engage in more extensive out- make the Michigan experience reach to student organizations, affordable." provide students with more Though tuition costs are a academic guidance and increase concern for both parties, Bay- access to internship and job doun said his party plans to take opportunities through the Uni- a more proactive approach than versity. the opposing party in solving He added that his plans for campus problems. MSA also include efforts to cre- "The one thing that sepa- See BAYDOUN, Page 7A Stenvig said DAAP is unique administration," she said. "We because of its persistence in sup- recognize that there are going porting its to be differences, that we're not members' always going to agree." opinions, DAAP supports increasing emphasizing opportunities for minority and student opin- lower income students to attend ions rather the University through increas- than the ing financial aid and freezing administra- tuition among other things, Sten- tors' views. vig said. "I think "We want affordable educa- what's dif- tion," she said. "We want the ferent about DAAP is that we're money that's coming for public not afraid to disagree with the See STENVIG, Page 7A Kate Stenvig By JENNA SKOLLER Daily StaffReporter Kate Stenvig, a Rackham graduate student from Royal Oak, Mich., is the Defend Affir- mative Action Party's candidate for president of the Michigan Student Assembly. She has been a member of DAAP since 1999. Stenvigsaid DAAP emphasizes the importance of maintaining a "diverse, integrated, affordable" campus. "That means opening up U of M to really make it what a public university should be, a univer- sity that is accessible to everyone and is not exclusive," she said. "We want an increase in minor- ity student enrollment. We want the campus to be a sanctuary for immigrants. We want affordable education." WEATHER HI:46 GOTA NEWSTIP? Call 734-763-2459 or e-mail TOMORROW LO n 23 news@michigandaily.comand let us know. NEWONMICHIGANDAILY.COM INDEX NEWS............................2A CLASSIFIEDS.....................6A Never heard of the Collegeinsider.com tournament? Vol. CXIX, No. 111 O P I N I O N .............,....4A SPORTS........8A. ..........8A THEGAME.BLOGS.MICHIGANDAILY.COM (12009TheMichigan Daily ARTS......... 5A THE STATEMENT. ..1B michigondaily.com