With only a day left before city elections, Ann Arbor City
Council candidates from the 2nd, 3rd and 5th wards continue to
address student concerns.

The candidates continue to focus on Proposal B, the major issue
on tomorrow's ballot. The Greenbelt proposal, if passed, would use
money raised from an extended 30-year, .5-mil property tax to
preserve parklands and other open spaces, inside and outside the
city.

But opponents of Proposal B say it could increase housing and
rental costs in Ann Arbor, potentially harming students.

A candidate in the 2nd Ward, Democrat Amy Seetoo, said she
supports the Greenbelt.

Seetoo said students have "an invested interest" in the
Greenbelt.

She said past students, including actress Lucy Liu, have
commented on how the city's greenery and multitude of trees have
made an impression on them.

"Nature can have a positive effect on a well-rounded person,"
Seetoo said.

Her opponent, incumbent Republican Michael Reid, was unavailable
for comment.

Donna Rose, who is running as an independent in the 3rd Ward,
said she opposes Proposal B because she would like to see the City
Council present residents with a detailed plan for the millage
funds before the tax is extended for 30 years.

"We really need to look to the state to enforce regulations on
green space," Rose added.

Rich Birkett, the Libertarian candidate in the 3rd Ward, said he
also opposes the Greenbelt.

"I want to minimize any negative impact of Proposal B, should it
pass, on property taxes, housing costs and housing availability,"
he said. Birkett is the vice chair of the Ann Arbor Libertarian
Party.

The third candidate, Democrat Leigh Greden, was unavailable for
comment.

In the 5th Ward, incumbent Democrat Wendy Woods, who also
supports the Greenbelt, said, "(Proposal B) will keep Ann Arbor
from looking and feeling like a cookie-cutter community."

Libertarian contender Jason Kantz was unavailable for
comment.

In addition to expressing their views on Proposal B, the
candidates spoke on other issues of concern to students.

Some of the candidates said they support more building density
in Ann Arbor.

Increasing density would add more housing units and higher
buildings to the city's downtown area.

Seetoo compared the city to her birthplace, Taipei, Taiwan. Land
is limited in both cities, she said, and Ann Arbor and Taipei have
to build their cities upwards instead of building out.

Birkett said the wider a building is, the less impact its height
will have on its neighbors.

"The density issue is mostly a height issue. Restrictions on
building height should be relative to the impact of (the
building's) surrounding neighbors," he said.

He added that the city should be receptive to private housing
projects that increase affordable housing options.

In regards to parking in Ann Arbor, Birkett said he would like
to see a short grace period before a parking violation is
issued.

Rose is a strong advocate of public transportation, which she
said would eliminate parking problems.

"Ann Arbor is a very safe city and I think people, both
residents and students, should feel very comfortable taking the
bus," said Rose, a member of the Ann Arbor Transportation
Authority's Local Advisory Board.

Both Seetoo and Rose said they would be interested in extending
bus services further than the city's boundaries.

The candidates had differing views on the relationship between
students and the Ann Arbor Police Department.

Some of the candidates minimized the importance of this
relationship, noting that the University has its own law
enforcement agency, the Department of Public Safety.

"I think it's desirable to have a better working relationship
between the DPS and the AAPD," Seetoo said.

She said there have been communication problems between the two
organizations in the past.

Woods said she believes the relationship between the AAPD and
students is better today than in the past few decades.

"While the University does maintain its own separate police
force, the AAPD is working hard to keep open lines of communication
with students," she said.