Lansing State Journal from Lansing, Michigan • Page 19

City Hall Profile Government Complex oca What goes on la city hall? Is Lansing getting the most for its tax dollar? The State Journal's Gene Hashley reports sonw of the proMems in the first of oar articles. By GENE HASHLEY State Journal Writer City Hall is a 10-story building. And unfortunately, that's all most Lansing residents biow about their city government BUT THE concrete-glass-steel building at Michigan and Capitol contains what could be termed one of the uost complex systems of local government ever devised. Several city officers have called the system unique, adding that they know of no other city in the nation with a system like it Unique or not, the big question is, does it work? THOSE CLOSELY involved in it say it does, although some marvel it does as good a job as it has in the past trm i nrn uiM CD ji3dZ2ZZnl 2 ment has administrative powers over the entire government. Many city officials believe the mayor's office should be made responsible for central administration.

But the charter doesn't allow it and, in fact, does not give the mayor's office much power at all. One councilman commented that he has more power than the mayor, while most have the false impression the mayor runs city halL THE MAYOR'S strongest weapon is his veto power, but he only has 48 hours after council acts to invoke his veto. This power is somewhat reduced if the council is unanimous in its decision the first time, because it only takes six council votes to override the mayor's veto. The city charter also gives the mayor power to appoint several city department heads, but after he appoints them, with confirmation from the council, he has no control over them nor power to remove them from office without six council votes. Other department heads are appointed by city boards made up of citizens appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the council.

SO THE city's mayor is put in the difficult situation of being expected to perform certain administrative duties-but having no legal power to be the chief administrator. Some feel the city board system, while being somewhat cumbersome and at times slowing down the democratic process, is a good system of checks and balances and is an effective way to obtain citizen help. Elected city officials did praise city boards noting the dedication of members, but they feel again that charter limitations many times hamper the efficiency of city government. SOME OUTSIDERS feel the efficiency of city govern-, See LANSING, Page B-2, CoL 5 fall festival Need HELP with a problem? Someone to cut the red tape of government? An answer to a question you can't get for yourself? If you've tried to solve your own problems but not succeeded, then HELP is for you! Write to HELP, The State Journal, Lansing. Michigan 48919.

Be sure to include all pertinent information names, addresses, and phone numbers but please do not send your val- -uable records. Sorry, we cannot answer all letters sent to us. ip llff i i i i fl i cf features The biggest roadblack cited is the city charter the law under which city officials must abide-r-they have no choice. For the record, Lansing has a council-mayor system of government with a weak mayor, phis a sometimes mind-boggling system of citizen boards. ANOTHER BIG problem, some believe is the lack of central administration.

In other words, no single depart My husband was scheduled for sur- gery at St. Lawrence Hospital. When Youth's Death Baffles Police Tests Fail to Provide Definite Answer Laboratory he checked into the hospital, they told Mm there were no semi-private rooms available, as his insurance coverage calls for. Instead, he was offered either a private room or a ward. Because he is a non-smoker, he took the private room.

Now the hospital is billing us for the difference between the private room and the semi-private. Why? It's not our fault they did not have a semi-private available. Mrs. C.B., Holt. It is your fault that your husband turned down three semi-private rooms offered to him when he entered the hospital because his roommate would have been a smoker.

"We're not a hotel," a spokesman for St. Lawrence said, "we can't guarantee we will" have a non-smoking room open when a patient enters our hospital." SECTION CAPITOL AFFAIRS MID MICHIGAN The State Journal, Sunday, November 19, 1972 By NORMAN SINCLAIR Stat Journal Writer Timothy Magyari lay dead under the bright overhead light in St. Lawrence Hospital's emergency room. He had $415 in his wallet. In his left front pants pocket was a little bag half-full of marijuana.

On the back of his right hand was a fresh puncture wound. THE 23-year-old was not a derelict or bum on the bare stretcher in the cold, sterile tile and stainless steel emergency room. He was one of two sons of a wealthy Detroit The family owned a tool and die factory. The boys had generous trust funds established for them. Magyari was a former all-city tennis player in high school in Detroit, and his girl -friend is the daughter of a Detroit psychiatrist.

Magyari came to East Lansing and Michigan State University in 1967 and enrolled in business the Magyari case continue to baffle Holmes and Lansing Police. FOLLOWING HIS death, an autopsy was performed and samples for analysis were sent to the Michigan State crime laboratory to determine the type of drug he had taken. Although the man had a history of drug abuse, and although he told friends hours before he died that he had taken heroin while tripping on LSD, no trace of drugs was found in his system. In his lungs, however, toxicolo-gists noticed some strange particles, Homes said, and the evidence indicated the man died of suffocation. The coroner said there is no evidence to show what caused the death.

The man could have drowned or had respiratoryfailure from something injected into his system. TIMOTHY MARK Magyari came to Michigan State University See POLICE, Page B-2, Col. 3 soles of his feet were shriveled like a prune, indicating he had been in water for some time. THE DEAD man on that hospital stretcher no longer resembled the tennis athlete from Detroit. He had ballooned to around 260 pounds, and his eyes were barley visible beneath a heavy mane of hair and beard.

At that time doctors and Coroner Jack Holmes thought Magyari was another ON FRIDAY morning, Sept. 1, Magyari's limp body was dumped off at the hospital's emergency entrance by three friends who told hospital attendants their friend was suffering from an overdose of drugs. -Ivi 'k Then they jumped into their car and roared away into the night. When doctors wheeled him into the emergency room he was dead, the victim of an apparent overdose. He war fully clothed in blue jeans, white wool socks, and the QWhen is Federal's in Frandor going to' fix the clock above their building? It was always so handy to look up there and find out what time it is.

F.S., Lansing. You'll, have to wear a watch for at least, a few more days. A Federal's spokesman said fixing the clock is high on the' li st of chores ready for the traveling maintenance crew which will be in town this week. If they can fix it, clock will be ticking again immediately. Today, however, loose ends in 000 Lansing Skier Tackles Frigid Feat Isn't there a law against keeping 9 junk cars in front and back yards in Lansing? Our neighbors are spoiling the appearance of the block with their wheel-less, fender-less junkers.

Lansing. A Send a letter to the Lansing Building Department stating the addresses and, if possible, make of cars involved. If a city inspector verifies that the cars are not operable, the property owners may be required to remove them under a nuisance ordinance. antics, but son Chris seemed a bit mystified. "I could water ski today; if I wanted to," the 4-; year-old said casually.

"But I don't want to," he added with a shiver. SODERMAN, PRESIDENT and trophy-winner of the Capital City Water Ski Club, wore a knee-length wet suti and a life jacket for his dulling experience. And he plunged in opposite the Oldsmobile plant where he said the water was 15 degrees warmer. He made a couple of circles by the Logan Street Bridge before zooming away toward the Lansing Boat Club. Actually, aside from the chills, it was a fine day for water skiing little wind, no sun in the eyes and absolutely no other river traffic.

IT WASNT as nice for watching a water skier too darn cold. Soderman seemed unbothered though and afterward, instead of heading for a hot shower, he spent 15 minutes taking his iced-up boat out of the water for the season. He said he wasn't certain what unique thing he would do next, and he even considered for a second a suggestion that he should go ice fishing next summer. By CHARLIE HASS State Journal Writer Chris Soderman of Lansing is way ahead of slope hounds hoping to use their skis. He went skiing Saturday in Lansing, yet AT ABOUT 1:15 there he was making waves like crazy on the Grand River on his skis, water skis, of course.

He needed some snow "always wanted to water ski when there was snow on the ground" but what he didn't need was the ice over the shallow parts of the Grand "It was very cold, but said Soderman, the 28-year-old administrative assistant of the Community Mental Health Center. FOR THE record, the Lansing temperature at the time was 35 degrees, which was slightly warmer than the water temperature. At any rate, it was too cold for Soderman'? boat, which had frozen-up, causing him to ask a friend, year-old Craig Deehan, for a tow in the hitter's boat. "You're out of your mind you've flipped out, Deehan said before consenting to turning Soderman into a human ice-breaker. "NO, JUST like to do unique things," Soderman answered, mentioning that he and his wife, Barbara, had hitcnhiked to Key West, in two days last spring.

Barbara was supposed to be the pilot for her husband's frigid feat Saturday until his boat copped out "Maybe it's just as well," she said, adding that perhaps she could have done something unusual Saturday on the Grand like having a baby. MRS. SODERMAN Is Vx months pregnant and recalled that she had driven a boat for her water skiing husband two days before their first child, Chris (now 4), was born. She was not surprised by her husband's off-season By JIM HOUGH When a blind man goes pheasant hunting and finds 20 large balloons in a cornfield well, that perks up a reporter's news sense. 1 Mrs.

Arnold Armbrustmacher of Fowler wrote the Onlooker to report that Bruce Grubaugh, totally blind, was hunting with two friends recently when they found "a cornfield full of balloons" which were labeled: Homecoming '72 Communiversity Parade Rock Around the Fifties. "If you could find out, Mr. Hough, where those balloons came from, it would make a truly wonderful person very happy," Mrs. Armbrustmacher wrote. She explained that Bruce often goes hunting with his friends.

He walks, along with his hand on a friend's shoulder. He enjoys the thrill of walking in the woods and fields and the fun of bringing home game for the supper table. Grubaugh, now in his early 30s became blind about 10 years ago when he was in an auto accident. Full Time Job "Bruce is an inspiration to others. He works at a factory in Elsie and he supports his wife and two small children," Armbrustmacher said.

He enjoys working in the garden (especially digging potatoes), boating and water skiing with his family, playing shuffleboard and playing cards with decks he has brailled himself, He likes to fish and often goes on charter boats with his coho fishing friends. He sounds the "fish on" warning first. He says he can feel the vibrations of the fish quicker than his friends. mmm Can You HELP? We're a committee trying to get the 9 City of Lansing to add an amend ment to aid the handicapped into Lansing's Board Asked to Speed Anti-Pollution Plan Not Apparent building code. Before it will agree to do this, though, the city has requested some information from us, and we need HELP from your readers to obtain ft.

Will your readers who are handicapped, please answer in the following questions: v. How many timesweekly, monthly and yearly do they use City HalL" i What offices in City ftey visit. What routes do they take when in wheels chairs. How many wheelchair-bound persons Hve in the Lansing area, and what places do they, frequently travel to and from. Randy Watkms, Council of Student Government, Lansing Com--munity College.

A requires such be a part of legally enforceable documents by that time. EARLIER THIS year the Board of Water and Light announced plans to install control equipment on the first of six boilers at the Eckert Plant in mid-1974, and on one additional boiler per year thereafter untd the job is done. 1 State officials have asked the utility to "tighten up" the program to get it completed "Most people do not know Bruce is blind when they are first introduced to him. He remembers names and voices and the positions of persons in the room. He al-.

ways seems to be able to look at you when he is talking to you," Mrs. Armbrustmacher said. At our cottage, he baits bis hook and fishes without assistance. He enjoys television. He is pleasant, witty and really, enjoys life.

Last summer, he had a water fight with his two sons and it was uncanny how often he nit the mark. All our neighbors at Lake George thought he coold see," she wrote. Sounds like Bruce Grubaugh is quite a guy. OK, readers, what do you know about those balloons Bruce found? Officials of the Lansing Board of Water and Light will meet Tuesday with the Michigan Air Pollution Control Commission to discuss a proposed schedule for an anti-pollution program at the Eckert Power Plant The commission wants the local utility to have compliance schedules spelled out in voluntary agreements or final orders of determination by the end of the year. Federal law State Journal Photo by JIM MARTI NSEN Soderman Skims Along Grand River.