Balzhiser Attempts To End Rent Strike

An appeal to parties in the student rent strike to sit down and work out their differences was issued today by Richard E. Balzhiser, the Republican candidate for mayor of Ann Arbor. "It is regrettable that inaction by a few campus landlords in recognizing and correcting legitímate grievances has resulted in a rent strike involving over 1,000 tenants," the candidate said. "While certain of the participants may have legal grounds for their actions, it appears that many are acting illegally in an attempt to bring sufficient pressure to get action by the owners. "The consequences of such a confrontation can be serious for both participants and the community and I feel it is in the best interests of all citizens to bring the two parties to the conference table at once. "Therefore, I am taking this first step in trying to bring the striking tenants and landlords together in an atmosphere of constructive confrontation." Balzhiser was critical of his Democratie opponent's "expressed reluctance" to get involved. He is opposing Robert J. Harris. "Community leadership requires a willingness to take the initiative when normal processes break down. I do not view my role as a mediator nor as chairman of the meeting, but simply as a catalyst to overeóme the present block between these parties. Over the weekend I have talked to the Rent Strike Steering Committee and a representative of the University Housing Office. Both have indicated a willingness to attend such a meeting. I'm hopeful that a positive response will be received from the property management firms involved. "I will recommend to the City Council that an ordinance be passed making it a misdemeanor for a landlord to withhold fraudently a damage deposit. This provides some leverage to the tenant while not penalizing the many honest and conscientious landlords. "Furthermore, I will ask council to streamline its building inspection program to insure more id service throughout the city. Violators, particularly repeated violators, must be dealt with more realisticly by our courts. I urge that council and the courts re-examine the penalties assessable for multiple violations of our building code. "Adequate and proper storage for trash is a must for all rental complexes," Balzhiser continued. "I initiated corrective action while on council. If that ordinance has been adopted, it needs to be enforced. If not, I urge prompt reconsideration. Prompt action by council on these items, in combination with the recently enacted tenants' rights fcgislation, can improve living conditions for ten■ïts of all socio-ecoomic and ethnic groups in our ■mmunity, not just the students."