The Race Is On

Yesterday both of Madison's mayoral candidates had columns in The Cap Times in which they explained why they thought they should be the city's executive. I've been undecided but now I think I'm going to vote for Paul Soglin.

Both he and Cieslewicz are very similar. It's not like one is a progressive and the other is a libertarian agonist. At worst, Madison will be decent hands. But Cieslewicz's handling of the Edgewater really turned me off. I don't think I've ever seen a city official spend so much time, energy, and political capital on a fucking hotel. His excoriation of the Landmark Commission at his blog was reprehensible. Still, he deserves credit for things such as transforming Halloween on State Street from pandemonium to a structured event.

Reading his column we find:

I worked to create the city’s first economic development plan in 30 years, which promotes clean, green industries and high-tech jobs.

Sure, high-tech and green jobs are great but his use of buzzwords here irks me. That, to me, really symbolizes Cieslewicz – always out for the big, high-profile, name brand things. How about just moving to create jobs whether they're in emerging industries or age-old blue collar trades? There's no shame in opening a good old fashioned widget factory.

One thing at Soglin wrote really appealed to me:

The single most important issue facing the city next to our financial solvency is the escalating poverty in our schools. Over half (51 percent) of children in our public schools come from homes below the poverty level; it was 32 percent just three years ago. We need to focus on six critical areas: housing, job training and education, child care, transportation, health care, and financial literacy.

His recognition that Madison has an underclass that doesn't buy lattes, shop at the Willy Street Co-op, and is just simply trying to get by is refreshing to hear and something that Cieslewicz seems not to share. Plus, the folks I know who live on the north side of town seem to agree that the city as a whole ignores them. One couple is seriously looking at leaving the north side for Sun Prairie. Soglin seems like he'd be more responsive to the needs of northsiders than Cieslewicz. Our current mayor loves to tout major civic projects but comes across as unwilling to address the nitty gritty problems facing our city.

I was rather surprised a few weeks ago to get a handbill asking me to vote for Twink Jan-McMahon to unseat my current alder Marsha Rummel. Rummel, to my mind, isn't a bad alder but I tend to think of her as being rather ineffectual. Her webpage lists her accomplishments as mostly being supporting this or advocating for that rather than leading the charge for some change or other. She "Expanded chicken-keeping ordinance to permit renters in 1-3 flats to raise chickens." Isn't' that just swell.

The websites of both candidates are littanies feel-good lefty buzzword crap. Chicken-keeping, a solar energy co-op, bicycles, tree inventories, rain gardens, blah blah blah. The next thing you know the League of Women Voters candidate guide will be listing their respective carbon footprints. Why can't everyone lead a pastoral existence became trees and flowers don't deliberately cool you out? Quality of life issues are important for alders – I get that – but tell me about what you can do for the families of kids at Marquette School who get free or reduced lunches besides making sure they have rain gardens.

But unless I can find a good reason not to, I'll be voting for Marsha Rummel. I really got rubbed the wrong way when I learned that Jan-McMahon was part of a group who want to close Eastwood Drive and turn it into a park. I'm sick of the Marquette Neighborhood Association and its Traffic Committee that feels their 'hood is just too good and exclusive for non-local traffic – that's for the little people, doncha know. Rummel may be in favor of the Eastwood Drive thing as well but she at least comes across as someone willing to hear all sides and weigh the interests of all parties.