Stephenson & Colburn Brought To Court

Stephenson & Colburn Brought to Court:

TRIBAL COUNCIL FILES SUIT

On Tuesday, Jan. 22, Circuit Court Judge Patrick Conlin ordered Mayor James Stephenson and his chief cohort, Clyde Colburn (3rd ward, Rep., City Council member) to appear in court February 6th to show why they cancelled a contract between the City and Tribal Funding Inc. (a Michigan non-profit corporation) to provide funds for a People's Ballroom.

Judge Conlin ordered the appearance after Tribal Funding filed a Complaint in Circuit Court charging the Mayor, Colburn, the City of Ann Arbor and six "John/Jane Does" with unlawful acts. The charges include two counts of "Breach of Contract", one count each of "Intentional Interference with Contractual Relations" and "Slander or Libel".

In a further startling move Conlin also issued a temporary restraining order to stop the City from spending any of the funds allocated under the contract.

Last December 3rd the Republican-controlled City Council revoked the contract with Tribal Funding that provided $17,000 in federal revenue sharing money to be used to promote a series of dances and secure adequate space for a permanent community center and People's Ballroom.

Tribal Funding, thru its attorney, Don Koster, filed a battery of legal motions seeking not only the $17,000 as called for in the contract, but also damages of $650,000 for "Interference with Contractual Relations" and "Libel or Slander".

The libel charge is being brought because as part of the Republican smear campaign, Clyde Colburn went on TV, radio and in the press and publicly slandered Tribal Funding and some of its members. He accused them of trying to rip off the 1 7 grand for their own purposes.

Before the Republican takeover of City Council last election, a Democratic/Human Rights Party coalition allocated federal revenue sharing money to various community groups. Thousands of dollars were given to groups like Drug Help, Ozone House, Corntree, the Free People's Clinic, the Children's Community Center and Tribal Funding.

Now that the Republicans are in the driver's seat they want to sabotage the effort to reestablish a People's Ballroom and Community Center which burned in December of '72. The Republicans led the rampage on City Council and voted to cancel the contract with Tribal Funding and stop payment of the money.

Since then, they've tried a variety of scams to cover up their illegal move. The first smoke screen sent up was that the contract had to be revoked because of "non-performance". But the fact that Tribal Funding had found an adequate space for a community center and Ballroom after scouring the city for a year, was performance. Tribal Funding had gone so far as to make a $1,000 "earnest payment" to the realtor and was ready to put $10,000 of its revenue-sharing money down on the building. In fact, it was "performance" which sent the Council reactionaries into a fit and made them see red, literally. The possible purchase of prime real estate in the business district of Ann Arbor by Tribal Funding and the community it represents was just too much of a threat.

Had Tribal Funding used its revenue sharing money up in salaries, rent, or "consultant and coordinator fees" as so many of the other recipients of revenue sharing do, there would be no problem today. However, Tribal Funding chose not to pay individuals thru salaries or "fees", and not to blow the money on rent, but rather to use the money to make a long-term investment in this community, to buy land that could be held in common for a community center and a large People's Ballroom to be used as a gathering place for great numbers of our people for years to come. A place to hear music and dance, to see films, plays, art shows, poetry readings, large community meetings...the possibilities are only as limited as our imaginations...once we get the space we can hold as our own.

With every oink out of Colburn's mouth another lie is born; in their rush to crush alternative programs the Republicans have let Colburn lead them down a stupid, dead-end street. He led them into court.

Now even more of Colburn's libel has been uncovered. From his seat on City Council Colburn reported that he knew that Tribal Funding could use university facilities to hold dances; the fact that they didn't do so was intentional non-performance. But the truth of the matter is that Tribal Funding did try, and in fact did hold one dance in East Quad. But after the E.Q. dance the university clamped down on Tribal Funding and refused to allow further such events.

Within the last two weeks Tribal Funding approached South Quad asking for permission to hold a People's Ballroom dance inside the dorm. Officials at S.Q. granted permission for the dance. But then word reached University Housing Director John Feldkamp, who immediately cancelled the dance for "security reasons".

John Feldkamp also happens to be Clyde Colburn's campaign manager in his upcoming race for City Council.

Tribal Council says, "tell it to da Judge..'

--Pun Plamondon