420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327
www.michigandaily.com
NISA KHAN
Editor in Chief
734-418-4115 ext. 1251
nisakhan@michigandaily.com
JUEUI HONG
Business Manager
734-418-4115 ext. 1241
jueuih@michigandaily.com
EDITORIAL STAFF
Dayton Hare
Managing Editor
haredayt@michigandaily.com
Jennifer Meer Managing News Editor
news@michigandaily.com
SENIOR NEWS EDITORS: Andrew
Hiyama, Kaela Theut
Sarah Khan Editorial Page Editor
tothedaily@michigandaily.com
Jacob Shames Managing Sports Editor
sportseditors@michigandaily.com
Will Stewart Managing Arts Editor
arts@michigandaily.com
SENIOR ARTS EDITOR: Dom Polsinelli
Alexis Rankin
and Max Kuang Managing Photo Editors
photo@michigandaily.com
Michelle Phillips Managing Design Editor
design@michigandaily.com
Emily Miiller Managing Copy Editor
copydesk@michigandaily.com
SENIOR COPY EDITOR: Ashley Woonton
Christian Paneda Managing MiC Editor
michiganincolor@michigandaily.com
Abe Lofy Managing Video Editor
video@michigandaily.com
Ishan Vashinta Managing Web Editor
ivashi@michigandaily.com
Ellie Homant Managing Social Media Editor
CONTACT INFORMATION
Newsroom Office hours:
Sun.-Thurs. 11 a.m. - 2 a.m.
734-763-2459 opt.3
News Tips news@michigandaily.com
Corrections
corrections@michigandaily.com
Letters to the Editor tothedaily@michigandaily.com
or visit michigandaily.com/letters
Photo Department photo@michigandaily.com
Arts Section arts@michigandaily.com
Editorial Page opinion@michigandaily.com
Sports Section sports@michigandaily.com
Magazine statement@michigandaily.com
Advertising Phone: 734-418-4115
Department dailydisplay@gmail.com
The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is
published every Thursday during the
spring and summer terms by students
at the University of Michigan. One copy
is available free of charge to all readers.
Additional copies may be picked up at the
Daily’s office for $2. Subscriptions for fall
term, starting in September, via U.S. mail
are $110. Winter term (January through
April) is $115, yearlong (September
through April) is $195. University affiliates
are subject to a reduced subscription rate.
On-campus subscriptions for fall term
are $35. Subscriptions must be prepaid.
The Michigan Daily is a member of The
Associated Press and The Associated
Collegiate Press.
2
Thursday, May 18, 2017
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
NEWS
Deer cull survives
City’s half-hearted
attempt to defund
Council considered
eliminating program
to fund pedestrian
safety and climate
action intiatives
By ANDREW HIYAMA
Summer Daily News Editor
City Council voted 8-3 Monday
night against an amendment to
the Ann Arbor’s proposed budget
for the 2018 fiscal year that
would have defunded the city’s
controversial deer management
program in order to fund climate
and pedestrian safety initiatives.
The program, initiated in
2015,
aimed
to
reduce
the
deer population in Ann Arbor
using lethal means, such as
sharpshooting, as well as non-
lethal means, such as female
sterilization. Its intent is to
prevent overbrowsing of local
vegetation and reduce deer-
vehicle collisions.
The cull has been the point of
contentious debate between city
government and residents. Some
have criticized the cull for its
violent and accused the council
of being less than transparent in
their public dealings regarding
it. Although the city recently
commissioneda
study
from
Michigan
State
University
on
local
attitudes
regarding
the cull, with the eventual
goal of achieving 75 percent
satisfaction across the city, the
city also conducted a survey in
2016 in which 54 percent of the
more than 2,000 respondents
indicated
they
approved
of
lethal methods of population
management
and
61
percent
approved of non-lethal methods.
Mayor
Christopher
Taylor,
a sponsor of the amendment,
offered little criticism of the
cull, but said the resources that
went toward it would be better
spent elsewhere.
“I think that we have come
forward with a deer management
program that, if we’re gonna have
one, in its entirety, is good,” he
said. “I think what we’re doing
is professional and is thoughtful.
For my part, I just don’t think
we should be doing it, I think we
have better things to do with that
money.”
Councilmembers
Jason
Frenzel (D–Ward 1) and Chip
Smith (D–Ward 5), sponsors of
the amendment and the other
two yes votes on the amendment,
said they thought it was the best
option for a budget cut in order to
fund climate action programs.
However, Ann Arbor resident
David
Silkworth,
who
is
currently
contesting
Smith’s
Ward 5 seat, spoke out against
the amendment during the public
comment portion of the meeting,
accusing its sponsors of using
the amendment to gain goodwill
rather than truly supporting it.
“I’m a longtime opponent of
using lethal deer management
methods
within
our
city,
and I’m a strong supporter of
pedestrian safety infrastructure
improvements,” Silkworth said.
“So you’re probably wondering why
I currently oppose Amendment 5. I
oppose it because I see it as nothing
more than a disingenuous and
irresponsible political maneuver
intended to endear its sponsors
to both anti-cull activists, ardent
cyclists, and anyone concerned
about pedestrian safety issues.”
Councilmember
Julie
Grand
(D–Ward 3), who voted against the
amendment, said if it passed, the
past two years of funding the cull
would have been a waste, and with
continued investment the program
would eventually require less and less
funding.
“I feel that it’s just fiscally
irresponsible to throw the funding
that we put in the last two years
toward deer management –– it would
just be throwing it away,” she said.
“I want us to get to the point where
we’re not spending a quarter of a
million dollars every year, and the
way that we do that is to just deal
with the fact that we need to spend
this money now, and invest it, and
hopefully go forward to the point
where we can sustain management
practices for a lot less money.”
Citing the ecological damage
deer do to the city’s wildlife via
overbrowsing, Councilmember Sumi
Kailasapathy (D–Ward 1) said she
agreed that climate action was a
worthy goal, but by voting against the
amendment she felt she was voting
in favor of the environment.
I think what
we’re doing is
professional and
is thoughtful.
CEREN BURCAK DAG/Daily
Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor at the city council meeting in Larcom City Hall
on Monday.