Candidate Responses for Dane County Board 2016 Elections – TAA

This year’s presidential primary has received immense national coverage by media outlets. However, local elections can have a greater impact on your everyday life. In addition to voting for your preferred presidential candidate on April 5th,make your voice heard in local elections. If you haven’t been following the local races, don’t worry PEC has you covered!

This spring the Political Education Committee of the TAA sent questionnaires to the candidates running in our local elections. Although there are only four contested races this year, we contacted all candidates representing districts close to campus. We hope that their responses provide you the opportunity to get to know your elected official a bit more, even if they are running unopposed.

The TAA has not endorsed any candidates for the upcoming election. After reviewing candidate responses and discussing our vision as a group, the Political Education Committee recommends Rob Dz Franklin and Angelito Tenorio in the contested races. We feel that these candidates best support our aspirations for Dane County.

Remember to vote on April 5th!

Want to find out if your registered to vote? Do you want to see who is on your ballot? Visit My Vote Wisconsin to learn more.

This election will require certain forms of identification, so please bring your Wisconsin driver’s license, your state ID, or a voter ID card. Please visit this site to find more information about the accepted forms of identification and to learn where to vote on Tuesday!

Candidate Responses: Al Matano, District 11

Al Matano

Dane County Board, District 11

Many graduate students are transit dependent, and live in many parts of the city. What would you do to improve transit service, particularly in neighborhoods farther away from campus?

I am a long time advocate for increased transit services in Dane County. As chair of the regional Transportation Planning Board, I have sought opportunities to implement that vision.

The current hope for improved transit services is a bus rapid transit (BRT) system. BRT has aspects of rail transit, with limited stops, direct service, off-board ticketing, and other features to provide quick transit over greater distances. The trade-off is that BRT will not provide riders service from a point very close to their point of origin to a point very close to their destination. Existing or enhanced local bus service will continue to provide that element of service.

The current proposal is for two BRT lines. A north-south line will provide service from Warner Park to the South Transfer Point, with a possible extension to Fitchburg. An east-west line will provide service from West Towne Mall to East Towne Mall through downtown.

The BRT proposal seeks to serve the role that commuter rail was envisioned to serve. Commuter rail was the locally preferred alternative identified by the Transport 2020 commission, on which I served. That effort was stymied when Governor Walker signed into law legislation to repeal the authority of Dane County to have a regional transit authority (RTA). The RTA was created about two years prior to Governor Walker taking office.

The new housing being built near campus is not affordable for many graduate or undergraduate students. What would you do to improve housing affordability?

Dane County has created an affordable housing fund with $2 million of annual funding. At the most recent meeting of the County Board we authorized purchase of a 4 unit building that will be renovated and operated by Housing Initiatives.

I believe that part of the problem is that there has been too much of an emphasis of public expenditures for high end proposals such as the Judge Doyle Square initiative. In addition the City of Madison has used tax incremental financing (TIF) to subsidize the construction of a number of privately developed buildings. While these efforts are touted as ways to enhance the local economy and the strength of downtown Madison, I believe that they increase the cost of housing along with the value of downtown properties. I believe that TIF financing should be used for its intended purpose, which is to improve blighted areas.

As a County Supervisor, I have spoken out against plans to redevelop the grounds of the Alliant Energy Center. I believe that this proposal would be a misuse of public funds to engage Dane County in the advancement of the convention center industry. I believe that this displays a misplaced set of priorities and diverts public monies from accomplishing goals that are more traditionally governmental in nature, and contribute to the trend I identified in the previous paragraph of tax dollars subsidizing business interests.

The Race to Equity Report cites Dane County as one of the worst counties to live in for people of color. What would you do to specifically target systemic racial inequities in Madison and the County?

First of all, an issue not addressed in the Race to Equity report is the killing of unarmed people of color by police officers. All too often we read of a young, unarmed black man being killed by police, usually under suspicious circumstances. I attended the recent rally honoring the life of Tony Robinson on the recent one year anniversary of his death under circumstances I described in the previous sentence.

In reviewing the Race to Equity report, a few key goals stood out to me:

Recruiting people of color when hiring employees for positions with Dane County government.
Providing job supports to improve the readiness of individuals for employment.
Providing improved transportation to assist individuals in getting to their jobs.

Another thought I have is that jurisdictions which fragment territory within Dane County create pockets of poverty. Their dissolution cannot come about soon enough. The townships of Blooming Grove and Madison both represent lands that are not contiguous to each other and because they are not within the City of Madison their citizens do not receive the services available to City residents. The Town of Madison is due to be dissolved in 2022 and the Town of Blooming Grove is due to be dissolved on a similar timeline.

What would you do to address income inequality in Dane County?

As a Dane County supervisor, I voted to recommend a $15 minimum wage. I did so in advocating for an amendment to a Resolution before the County Board which recommended that a minimum wage of a lesser amount be recommended to the Wisconsin Legislature.

As a citizen, I am supporting Bernie Sanders for President. He is the only candidate who has spoken forcefully for reversing the trend for increasing income inequality that the United States has experienced over the past 50 years.

What would you do to ensure that communities have access to public health services?

This is a question which required a bit of research. I located a document from the Centers for Disease Control which describes “The 10 Essential Public Health Services.” It provides a graphic to describe the 10 essential public health services as spokes in a wheel. Essential services are then linked to the 3 core functions of public health: assessment, policy development and assurance.

Centers for Disease Control

http://www.cdc.gov/nphpsp/essentialservices.html

The 10 Essential Public Health Services describe the public health activities that all communities should undertake and serve as the framework for the NPHPS instruments. Public health systems should:

Monitor health status to identify and solve community health problems.
Diagnose and investigate health problems and health hazards in the community.
Inform, educate, and empower people about health issues.
Mobilize community partnerships and action to identify and solve health problems.
Develop policies and plans that support individual and community health efforts.
Enforce laws and regulations that protect health and ensure safety.
Link people to needed personal health services and assure the provision of health care when otherwise unavailable.
Assure competent public and personal health care workforce.
Evaluate effectiveness, accessibility, and quality of personal and population-based health services.
Research for new insights and innovative solutions to health problems.

As a County Supervisor, this function is provided by the agency Public Health Madison and Dane County (MDC). This agency was created through a merger of the health departments of the City of Madison and of Dane County. My role is to provide, through the budget process, adequate funding for the agency. I believe that the County has provided adequate funding, and I am confident in the abilities and intentions of the staff of the agency.

What are your views on the privatization and contracting out of public services, including school services and state and local government services?

I oppose privatization and contracting out of governmental services. I believe that when this occurs it is usually an effort of a governmental official to provide governmental revenues to cronies, and the usual result is that government services become more costly to provide. In addition, oftentimes public assets are sold at bargain-basement prices. A current example is Governor Walker’s initiative to sell off public lands.

A caveat to my previous paragraph is to note that the Dane County Department of Health Services provides services to individuals by funding purchase of service agencies. Agencies like Journey Mental Health provide services to individuals who need them. The agency is a private agency receives funding from Dane County but is a private agency. Agencies like this also receive funds from other sources, such as the Medicaid program. I believe this is appropriate as the alternative would be for Dane County to directly hire health care professionals to serve those who obtain services through the Dane County Department of Health Services. I believe that this model is a good one for all involved.

What do you see as the relationship between the Dane County Board and the campus community? What would you do to improve it?

I have an excellent relationship with the current representative of the student district on the County Board, Leland Pan. I read the Badger Herald and the Daily Cardinal, copies of which are provided in the City-County Building.

For students, “home” is often a divided concept between where they grew up and where they are now. Thus, election turnout is relatively low in districts whose populations are predominantly students. An interest in local government is not necessarily the highest priority of UW students.

Nevertheless, communications like this one serve to bridge that gap. I would be happy to meet with your organization to develop the relationship further.

What do you think this state’s/county’s/city’s priorities should be during the next decade? How would you advance those priorities?

Well again, I only have a direct say in the priorities of Dane County. Nevertheless, on the state level, I believe that the priorities should be the exact opposite of those of the current Governor. I was delighted that Senator Sanders called Governor Walker out on two occasions in his speech today. At the state level, I would restore the rights of workers, reinitiate efforts to establish passenger rail service between Madison and Chicago and, in the future, to the Twin Cities, re-establish the rights of localities to establish Regional Transit Authorities, provide adequate funding for education, initiate programs to eradicate poverty and homelessness, and restore the state’s ethic of environmental protection.

At the city level, I do serve on two transportation commissions which include representatives of both City of Madison and Dane County government. Thus I will be working with the City of Madison to advance transit improvements. The City and County need to work together to solve the problem of homelessness. Collaboration between the two levels of government will be needed to open and operate the property Dane County has purchased for a homeless day shelter.

At the County level, my priorities are to solve the problem of homelessness, provide adequate human services, advance transit alternatives, and advance land use planning to preserve our quality of life here in Dane County.

The last item is the one I did not mention earlier in this essay. I serve on the Zoning and Land Regulation Committee. I took a leadership role in seeking to impose a requirement for environmental liability insurance on the Enbridge Corporation, which operates a tar sands pipeline that crosses Dane County. The matter before us was a proposal to triple the capacity of the pipeline. Although we did pass the measure, the Wisconsin Legislature enacted legislation to reverse our action. The Legislature also enacted legislation restricting the ability of Dane County – and only Dane County – to regulate land use within its borders. In addition to being on the Zoning and Land Regulation Committee, I have friendly relationships with individuals in the governments of the Cities of Verona, Fitchburg, and Sun Prairie. I intend to further develop those relationships to advance the cause of positive developments in the areas of transportation and land use within Dane County.

Candidate Responses: Angelito Tenorio, District 5

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Angelito Tenorio

Dane County Board, District 5

Candidate’s Website

Many graduate students are transit dependent, and live in many parts of the city. What would you do to improve transit service, particularly in neighborhoods farther away from campus?

Transit in Madison is largely built around the needs of downtown and campus, which leads to underserved routes further away, especially outside of peak morning and afternoon times. While the state legislature has limited our ability to build a collaborative regional transit system, I will work with my city of Madison counterpoints, but also municipalities around the area, to invest more resources into local transit. I am intrigued by Madison’s discussions of Bus Rapid Transit, which would greatly improve travel times throughout the area, but I also would support a multimodal strategy that expands bike paths, reconfigures the outdated and inefficient transfer point system to the needs of distant neighborhoods, and supporting Madison in needed infrastructure improvements.

The new housing being built near campus is not affordable for many graduate or undergraduate students. What would you do to improve housing affordability?

From day one, I would partner with District 2 Supervisor Heidi Wegleitner, Dane County’s best elected voice on housing issues, to support her strategies on affordable housing, which includes $8 million dedicated to expanding affordable housing. I would also work with District 8 Alder Zach Wood to direct some of the City of Madison’s $25-million-dollar investment into affordable housing into housing projects aimed specifically at students. I personally would like to engage the city, county, and UW in developing a housing initiative for students, that factors in the needs of working class students, but also the quietly emerging population of students who are homeless. The best solution for make housing affordable is for public institutions and governments to invest significant funds into building, owning, and maintaining housing. I won’t support giving public dollars to housing projects that don’t expand access housing.

The Race to Equity Report cites Dane County as one of the worst counties to live in for people of color. What would you do to specifically target systemic racial inequities in Madison and the County?

As a student of color, I understand that representation matters, leadership matters, and having a genuine interest in ending racial disparities matters. I am not a recent arrival at these fights. I experience these issues of race everyday, especially here in Dane County. I promise that my term in office will focus on ensuring black lives matter, that communities of color receive equal access to county resources to empower their neighborhoods, and will make central in my work fighting systematic discrimination and policies that lack a rooting in racial justice. We create a more equitable and responsive Dane County by tackling the racial disparities within our criminal justice system and supporting grassroots, community-developed reforms, that is why I have earned the support of grassroots leaders like Leland Pan and Savion Castro.

What would you do to address income inequality in Dane County?

Although we are limited in what we can do by the state, I have been impressed by the work of District 4 County Supervisor John Hendrick and the Working Families Party, and their push for an $15 county living wage. When elected, I will seek out additional support from community organizations and labor to build momentum for these changes, as well develop partnerships that increase living wage, unionized work. For example, a public works project that builds affordable housing for working class communities of color, built by people making $15 dollars an hour would a huge achievement across a number of areas.

What would you do to ensure that communities have access to public health services?

I would seek out support from local non-profits as well as UW Medical School to build a program to provide free access to needed medical resources for working class people. No one should fall ill or be sick because they can not afford access to medical care, and with the number of hospitals in the Madison area, it should a given that we can provide these resources to all communities in Dane County.

What are your views on the privatization and contracting out of public services, including school services and state and local government services?

I am opposed to selling off and selling out the public interests by privatizing common goods that are shared and maintained by the public. I do have concerns with the proposed public investment in a private project for moneyed interests at the Alliant Energy Center because we must prioritize health and human services and serving our marginalized communities, so no matter where you come from or what your background, you can live and thrive here in Dane County. Throughout the budgeting process, I want to ensure that your voice is being heard, so we can work together to foster an equitable and inclusive environment.

What do you see as the relationship between the Dane County Board and the campus community? What would you do to improve it?

I would like to follow in and improve on the steps of incumbent District 5 Supervisor Leland Pan, who has created interest in county issues as our supervisor. He has dedicated himself to opening the door not only for students, but for workers, people of color, LGBTQ+ persons, women, and so many other folks who’s voices aren’t allows heard in the halls of power. I will continue to be engaged with the students and community members of District 5 by building a stronger dialogue. I will ensure that Dane County promotes and open and democratic government, so members of the campus community can fully participate in the process. I will facilitate the communication, so your voice will be heard. I want to be the type of supervisor that grassroots folks, folks in our marginalized communities can come to and advocate for better public policies. I know being elected to office is not about me, but how I can provide a path into reforming and changing our system to benefit everyone.

What do you think this state’s/county’s/city’s priorities should be during the next decade? How would you advance those priorities?

The three biggest priorities I see are ending homelessness, eliminating racial disparities, and sharply reducing inequality. Considering those priorities, I will champion:*Increases in affordable housing and a comprehensive day shelter program supported by local social service agencies*Increased public oversight and involvement in the criminal justice system, including community created reforms and solutions that fit the needs of communities of color, and alternatives to incarceration*Increasing the county living wage to $15 dollars an hour, will developing public works projects that empower communities to develop cooperative, worker owned businesses.

Candidate Responses: Hayley Young, District 5

Hayley Young

Dane County Board, District 5

Candidate’s Website

Many graduate students are transit dependent, and live in many parts of the city. What would you do to improve transit service, particularly in neighborhoods farther away from campus?

As a County Board supervisor, I wouldn’t have authority over bus and transit services. If elected, I hope to end up on the City-County liaison committee to be better able to work collaboratively with downtown alders on cross cutting issues that affect my constituents even though it falls under the City of Madison Transit Authority’s jurisdiction.

The new housing being built near campus is not affordable for many graduate or undergraduate students. What would you do to improve housing affordability?

As a current downtown renter, I am acutely aware of how expensive it is to live in the downtown/campus area. However, many of the issues discussed on campus looking at housing affordability are solely the jurisdiction of the Madison City Council, i.e. the construction of luxury apartments. If elected I hope to work with the city whenever possible. Because I am endorsed by alders who represent thousands of students, I am ready to hit the ground running from day one to work with the city.

An exciting new project the County recently passed is the Affordable Housing Development Fund. This fund allocates $2 million/year for the next four years and was passed at the end of the 2014 budget cycle. The first set of organizations to receive funding were the Nehemiah Community Development Corporation, which is expanding their network of transitional housing for persons released from custody from the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. The remaining 1.5 million dollars was awarded to three projects for affordable rental housing. I’m looking forward to seeing what organizations apply for grant funding in this next budget cycle.

The Race to Equity Report cites Dane County as one of the worst counties to live in for people of color. What would you do to specifically target systemic racial inequities in Madison and the County?

The issue that I’ve discussed most often when talking to my friends and neighbors in District 5 are Dane County’s inexcusable racial disparities. I support policies like expanding early childhood education resources and alternative sentencing programs so that we can address these complex problems with an upstream downstream model.

Looking specifically to criminal justice reform, the County Board unanimously passed jail reform measures in response to the Dane County jails deteriorating condition. These measures were passed along with the creation several criminal justice working groups. The current facility has solitary confinement, and to be frank that is a human rights abuse and is just not acceptable. I really glad to see that that is being addressed, as well as the safety and condition of the facility.

What needs to happen now, is the recommendations those working groups came up with need to be implemented. One of the key problems we are facing in implementing sound policy that actually creates meaningful change is data. All the working groups recommended better data collection because without robust data collection you can’t pass legislation that actually fixes the problem. As we move forward with this process, Dane County needs to fund a suite of restorative justice measures

What would you do to address income inequality in Dane County?

In Dane County, white women make about 90 cents on the dollar, where women of color make as little as 60 cents on the dollar in some sectors. I am thrilled that Dane County has been a leader in supporting a living wage (i.e. the living wage ordinance) and would support funding non-profit programming aimed at closing the wage gap (i.e. Big Step).

What would you do to ensure that communities have access to public health services?

As of November of 2015, around 25,000 Dane County residents were uninsured. The number of uninsured residents in Dane County has dropped over the last five years mostly due to increased enrollment in the Affordable Care Act. This increase in enrollment has had positive public health outcomes for many there are still cost deterrents to health care access, especially in ACA, Badger-Care and Medicaid health plans.

However social, economic and environmental factors make up just as significant portion of health outcomes as health behaviors and clinical care do. We need to provide services which help close the coverage gap to those who are currently ensured, direct uninsured community members to enrollment services (i.e. Healthcare Navigators) and promote programs which impact social, environmental and economic factors in addition to increasing access to healthcare.

What are your views on the privatization and contracting out of public services, including school services and state and local government services?

In general, I think that public services should be provided by public sector employees. Oftentimes, people who want to contract out to private sector groups cite lower costs as a reason to move away from public sector employees.. However, if costs are lower in general the reduced cost is achieved by providing lower quality services, or by paying workers less than a living wage.

What do you see as the relationship between the Dane County Board and the campus community? What would you do to improve it?

One of my favorite things about this entire race has been having in depth one on one conversations with my friends and neighbors about the Dane County Board. But one of the things that comes up most often on doors, is that folks just aren’t aware that they can be engaged in local government or even that they have a Dane County Board representative. One of my top priorities is to better engage the downtown and campus community. If elected, my plan for better campus engagement includes getting more undergraduate and graduate students on county committees, having regular offices hours, having listening sessions and doing regular blog or facebook updates.

What do you think this state’s/county’s/city’s priorities should be during the next decade? How would you advance those priorities?

The role of government is to provide a safe, equitable place to live, work and play in their community. For Dane County, this means that tackling racial disparities needs to be our top priority over the next decade. Addressing racial disparities in Dane County means looking at everything we do through an equity lens, whether we are talking about arrest rates, addressing mental health concerns or deciding how the county contracts for public services.

Candidate Responses: Heidi Wegleitner, District 2

Heidi Wegleitner

Dane County Board, District 2

Many graduate students are transit dependent, and live in many parts of the city. What would you do to improve transit service, particularly in neighborhoods farther away from campus?

The County should work with Madison Metro to pursue bus rapid transit. I am supportive of bus rapid transit planning and implementation and have also advocated for pursuing fare-free transit to increase ridership, access to transit, and economic development. The County could contribute to funding a new, bigger bus barn to enable Metro to expand its fleet sooner rather than later. The State took away our authority for a Regional Transit Authority, which would have been able to raise revenue for a more robust regional transit infrastructure and operation. I support a vehicle registration fee to raise revenue to increase transit service and access.

The new housing being built near campus is not affordable for many graduate or undergraduate students. What would you do to improve housing affordability?

Affordable housing grassroots activism was my introduction to local politics and is an issue on which I have been a leader in my first two terms. In July, 2012, we passed a resolution recognizing housing as a human right (which I helped draft prior to my election to the County Board) but we have yet to realize that right for far too many in Dane County. Following the resolution, I spoke with UW Urban and Regional Planning Professor Dr. Kurt Paulsen, who generously agreed to produce– with the help of his students– a Housing Needs Assessment for Dane County. The Needs Assessment includes detailed data sets on the significant low income housing shortage in communities throughout Dane County, identified targets for addressing the shortage, and some approaches for addressing them. I have introduced an amendment to develop an affordable housing plan for Dane County, but have been unable to get sufficient support from other county supervisors in the last few budgets. I did, however, succeed in getting the County to create an Affordable Housing Development Fund in the 2015 Budget, which committed $8M in capital funding to affordable housing over the next four years (2015-2018). This funding has already resulted in supporting permanent supportive housing projects for formerly homeless individuals, supported housing for families, affordable housing to be developed at Union Corners, re-entry housing for formerly incarcerated persons, and housing for persons with serious and persistent mental illness.

We really need additional staff capacity in County government to be an effective facilitator and collaborator of increasing affordable housing throughout the region. I have introduced budget amendments for an affordable housing development fund director to coordinate our various programs and projects and administer the new affordable housing development fund, but that not made it into the budget. We need to dedicate resources to development of a housing plan. While I was successful in getting many additional housing strategies incorporated into the recommended updates to Dane County’s Comprehensive Plan, we need a detailed, targeted strategy to aggressively address our affordable housing shortage as soon as possible. We also need to increase our commitments to the affordable housing fund and encourage more development proposals to come forward.

The Race to Equity Report cites Dane County as one of the worst counties to live in for people of color. What would you do to specifically target systemic racial inequities in Madison and the County?

Addressing our racial disparities has to be our top priority in County government. We need to implement our long overdue racial equity tool to enable us to better document the impact of legislation and budget decisions on racial disparities and facilitate the community’s effort to hold elected officials accountable for their complicity in the status quo of institutional racism. We need to greatly improve our record keeping and evaluation of disparities. This is true not just in our criminal justice system, but our approximately $290M of human services. I think we should implement a budget prioritization process that ensures we are dedicating resources to programs and services that are most effective in reversing racial disparities and enhancing equity.

We must put an end to our participation in the racist war on drugs. In my day job, as a housing attorney for low-income persons, I see innocent people and children constantly forced into homelessness because someone they know was accused of drug activity. Most of the time the majority of the people forced into homelessness had nothing to do with the drug activity and often had no knowledge of it. We need to work with funders and landlords (since the state legislature is not a good option) to change these practices, but we also need to stop accepting federal and state grants to fight the war on drugs. We need to deal with drugs as a health issue, not a criminal issue. The status quo reinforces the over policing, profiling, and surveillance of low-income communities which leads to disproportionate rates of arrest, conviction, and eviction due to drug related criminal activity.

Further, we need to be more aggressive in combating residential segregation. Unfortunately, your health and opportunity greatly depends on where you live and your access to nutrition, education, recreation, transit and jobs. Communities that do not cooperate with our efforts to increase affordable housing throughout Dane County should not be receiving Community Development Block Grant funding that gets passed through Dane County.

I think Dane County should support expansion of employment and training options for midwives and doulas who are people of color. There are some amazing examples of successful programs in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Support from a midwife and/or doula empowers women to make critical decisions for themselves, it improves birth outcomes, supports breastfeeding, and is an innovative and highly effective way to target systemic racism.

What would you do to address income inequality in Dane County?

I co-sponsored an amendment to raise the County living wage from $11.66 to $15 / hour. That ordinance amendment is still at the Personnel and Finance Committee, unfortunately, but we need to get it approved. I support efforts to expand the development of Union worker cooperatives in Madison. I support an increases to public transit service and pursuing fare-free transit to remove employment related costs of transportation and encourage economic development.

Our efforts to address racial disparities naturally have much overlap with strategies to address income inequality because of Dane County’s racialized poverty. We could be much more proactive in investing in programs to eliminate employment barriers. We currently fund driver’s license recovery and some driver’s education, but these programs need to be brought to scale to meet the huge need for them. There are many other professional or employment related license and certification programs, e.g. childcare provider licenses, that we could be supporting access to if we had a more robust role in reducing employment barriers.

What would you do to ensure that communities have access to public health services?

Our joint Madison and Dane County health department has been our lead agency on our racial equity and social justice initiative. I am very pleased that they have prioritized this and have staff dedicated to supporting City and County efforts to implement systems changes to reverse disparities. Now that the County has created a new office of equity and inclusion to implement the racial justice and equity initiative, there is an opportunity to review the role of public health in providing direct services to underserved populations. I think the public health care coordinator related to dental services access has been very successful, but there are still barriers to dental care. I’m not suggesting that public health hire dentists, necessarily, but that we should figure out ways we can expand existing, successful efforts to coordinate the expansion of access to care with the private sector. Working with the Health Council, made up of the major health care institutions, government bodies, and private funders, is key. We would have more funding to promote public health if we redirected resources away from drug war enforcement.

What are your views on the privatization and contracting out of public services, including school services and state and local government services?

I oppose privatization and would like to see the County Board review the practice of privatizing services. Often this is justified as a cost-saving measure, but I think additional review is needed to uncover all the costs associated with privatization (including the loss of quality and the impact of lower wages on the workers) and recommend alternatives for returning privatized work to county employees.

What do you see as the relationship between the Dane County Board and the campus community? What would you do to improve it?

Supervisor Pan has done an excellent job of bringing campus issues to the County Board. I hope to work with the next District 5 supervisor to support their efforts to do the same. I think we should see more campus representatives, students and faculty, in County government by participating in County Committees. We need to publish committee vacancies to facilitate recruitment and application by underrepresented populations, including voices from campus.

What do you think this state’s/county’s/city’s priorities should be during the next decade? How would you advance those priorities?

Achieving racial equity. See responses to questions 2-4.

Aggressively combating climate change. I was lead sponsor of a successful 2016 budget amendment to develop a strategic plan to address climate change and transform Dane County’s energy system to renewable energy by 2050. We should also earnestly implement our newly received Sustainability Plan across all County Departments. We should make bold, increased commitments to our SMART fund to enhance sustainable features in County facilities and departments and continue our commitments to conservation land purchases. We should also elevate the voices of our Native American residents, particularly the Ho-Chunk people, who have inhabited these lands long before us and have much to teach us. Of course, improving our public transit system is key. See response to question 1.

We need to figure out a way to increase revenue given the limits created by Act 10, which strictly limits our ability to raise taxes to expand programs and services. In addition to redirecting funding from law enforcement, incarceration, and other institutionalized care (high cost, downstream interventions) to preventative, low-cost programs and services, we should pass a vehicle registration fee to expand public transit in Dane County and we should pursue a ballot referendum to raise funding for critical human services programs and enable implementation of $15/hr living wage for human services providers.

Candidate Responses: Jeremy Levin, District 10

Jeremy Levin

Dane County Board, District 10

Many graduate students are transit dependent, and live in many parts of the city. What would you do to improve transit service, particularly in neighborhoods farther away from campus?

A few sessions ago I supported a resolution to formally create the Dane County Regional Transit Authority (RTA). This formally created the RTA and will allow for additional steps to secure federal funds and hold a referendum on implementing a dedicated sales tax as a source of revenue for the RTA. Unfortunately we were blocked by the State Legislature in implementing.

The new housing being built near campus is not affordable for many graduate or undergraduate students. What would you do to improve housing affordability?

The County doesn’t have a lot of ability to control housing affordability. We can use CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) funding to help private housing development, but mostly these funds have gone to homeless housing developments recently.

The Race to Equity Report cites Dane County as one of the worst counties to live in for people of color. What would you do to specifically target systemic racial inequities in Madison and the County?

I supported Resolution 556 in effort to address ongoing concerns of racial disparity and mental health in the criminal justice system. The resolution established three work groups of the Board’s Public Protection & Judiciary Committee: one workgroup to study inmates’ length of stay; one to study mental health issues facing inmates; and one to study alternatives to incarceration.

I also supported the County Executive’s “Access to Opportunity,” which included initiatives to begin to address some of the very real barriers to work. Providing County funds to fund a pilot with the Madison Metropolitan School District to help students afford to take driver’s education and funds to assist those who have lost their driver’s license to regain their licenses through the highly successful “Driver’s License Recovery Program” at the YWCA. Also providing funds to support an evidence-based, successful, transitional jobs program operating in Southwest Madison that has demonstrated effectiveness in finding jobs for residents with multiple barriers to employment. Collaborators on this initiative include the City of Madison, the County, local businesses, churches, and community volunteers.

What would you do to address income inequality in Dane County?

I do believe that the continued work that the County Board of Supervisors has made towards racial disparities and homeless services will help address income inequality as well. I’m not sure that imposing a $15 minimum wage will be a panacea to solving income inequality.

What would you do to ensure that communities have access to public health services?

The city-county have a combined public health department and our community benefits greatly with the good public health work that the UW does. Part of the racial disparities within Dane County also surround public health. There are private partners, like Access Health, but much of their funding come through state and federal funding.

What are your views on the privatization and contracting out of public services, including school services and state and local government services?

I have enjoyed strong support from labor through my years on the board and I support our workers’ right to collectively bargain. That said, I chair the Health and Human Needs committee for the board, and much of our human services are provided through Purchase of Service (POS) agencies, who have workers that are both represented and unrepresented.

What do you see as the relationship between the Dane County Board and the campus community?

What would you do to improve it? I think it has been a relatively collaborative relationship. The Board usually has a student supervisor and there are other of us that represent students, TAs, professors, researchers and others, besides representing or being alums ourselves.

What do you think this state’s/county’s/city’s priorities should be during the next decade? How would you advance those priorities?

I believe you’ve touched on many of them, combatting racial disparities and helping the homeless gain housing. I would also add providing long-term care services to our population though partnering with the state, redeveloping the Alliant Energy Center to have a strong future and work to maintain a vibrant economy for our community.

Candidate Responses: Mary Kolar, District 1

Mary Kolar

Dane County Board, District 1

Candidate’s Website

Many graduate students are transit dependent, and live in many parts of the city. What would you do to improve transit service, particularly in neighborhoods farther away from campus?

The Dane County Board is working with community leaders and advocates throughout the county to expand transportation options, including Bus Rapid Transit, alternate bus routes and times, expanded access throughout Dane County, and increased bike trails. Our goal is to expand affordable, accessible transit options throughout Dane County, while protecting our environment.

One of the major challenges to adding more capacity is limited bus storage. Pent up demand, particularly during the morning and evening commute could fill dozens of additional buses with riders in Madison and local communities. While Madison Metro is overseen by the city, the County is working to create partnerships to expand service, including additional park and ride destination for commuters and alternate routes to serve high need areas.

In Dane County, highway projects include dedicated bike lanes and we’ve made significant investments in expanding the bike and pedestrian trail infrastructure. Trails connect communities throughout the county for commuting, recreation, and sport

Having lived and traveled throughout the United States, I have seen and experienced cities with outstanding intermodal transportation systems. While the Governor and the legislators continue to limit our transportation options and funding, I believe that working together, city, county and state representatives, we can increase our transportation options and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. I will continue to work with county and other government and civic agencies to ensure we integrate transportation plans with urban and rural growth plans.

The new housing being built near campus is not affordable for many graduate or undergraduate students. What would you do to improve housing affordability?

As a member of the Dane County Housing Authority, I have worked with fellow Commissioners, the DCHA Executive Director and his employees to increase the number of affordable housing units in Dane County. The County Board made a $10 million commitment to support affordable housing, and we’ve recently approved funding to support three new affordable housing developments in

The DCHA is one of many agencies working to increase the amount of affordable housing units in our county. The County and the City of Madison have collaborated to identify key locations for additional affordable housing with convenient transportation access. I will continue to support affordable, sustain development that working people can afford.

The Race to Equity Report cites Dane County as one of the worst counties to live in for people of color. What would you do to specifically target systemic racial inequities in Madison and the County?

We can and must eliminate racial disparities. We must work together to ensure everyone has a chance to climb up the ladder of opportunity. We have and must continue to listen to, document, and implement the recommendations of the members of the Dane County Working Groups and other voices from our communities of color. We must eliminate the gap between access and achievement. Sharing the motivation of my fellow County Supervisors, I know that together we can achieve Racial Equity in Dane County. All of us, elected official or private citizen, should be a part of reducing racial disparities in Madison and Dane County. I support prioritizing vital early childhood programs. Trauma caused by hunger, violence, instability, and drug abuse prevents personal achievement. We must reach children early to ensure their success.

What would you do to address income inequality in Dane County?

Working with you, other union members, and community leaders, we can pay a $15 living wage. I support a $15 minimum wage for all county employees and service providers. It may take a referendum to raise the levy to include all county workers and contracts, but an inclusive approach is essential for addressing income inequality and racial disparities. We need to work together to ensure voters support the $15 living wage and inspire all employers to do so.

What would you do to ensure that communities have access to public health services?

What we can all do is ensure people know about the public health services that exist. There are a multitude of services that are provided throughout the county and case managers available to go where help is need. At a minimum, I recommend people see what is available at https://www.publichealthmdc.com/

What are your views on the privatization and contracting out of public services, including school services and state and local government services?

Whether it is our nation’s military, prison system, or our public schools, there are too many examples of when privatization or contracting out of public services has resulted in reduced service, more public expense and gross profits for the few at the top of corporations. I don’t believe privatization nor has contracting out of services met the expectations of those who bought it to this being a way to save taxpayers money.

What do you see as the relationship between the Dane County Board and the campus community? What would you do to improve it?

There is always room to improve relationships. I believe if more people, including those on campus, were aware of the services available through Dane County, there would be a greater appreciation of what Dane County does. It’s a constant education process I’m pleased to participate in. For example, people often confuse what an Alder and a Supervisor represent or do. I enjoy meeting and talking with students and others on campus who want to learn more. I have participated in numerous public forums and responded to any and all media inquiries about current issues and initiatives that I, a committee or commission I’m on, or the County Board is dealing with. Gaining knowledge through participation will help improve the relationship.

What do you think this state’s/county’s/city’s priorities should be during the next decade? How would you advance those priorities?

As a lifetime environmentalist, I especially appreciate that the borders of District 1 include two of Dane County’s largest bodies of water, Lakes Mendota and Monona. The county and many government agencies and other environment and water focused groups have been working together to improve the water quality of all Dane County lakes. All citizens are impacted by the pollutants that reduce the viability of our county’s natural assets. I look forward to continuing to work with other County Board Supervisors and County Executive Joe Parisi to continue to improve the water quality of Dane County Lakes. As a member of the Lakes and Watershed commission, I am honored to be working with citizens focused on ensuring we reduce the pollutants entering our lakes.

We must address global climate change that is beginning to impact our lives more every day. The Dane County Board, the County Executive, a multitude of commissions and committees, and numerous private organizations are focused on preparing for the increasing effects of climate change. We are also working to reduce our use of fossil fuels and doing so in a way that saves money, saves energy, and reduces our greenhouse gas production.

Candidate Responses: Rob Dz Franklin, District 1

Rob Dz Franklin

Dane County Board, District 1

Candidate’s Website

Many graduate students are transit dependent, and live in many parts of the city. What would you do to improve transit service, particularly in neighborhoods farther away from campus?

Well, as someone who depends on public transit, the first thing that I would do is see what areas furthest away from campus are the busiest. That would allow more understanding in seeing what routes need the most upgrades. Especially in cases that are further away from campus, it has to be feasible when it comes on decisions of making more routes or at least the number of transfers on routes to be the most effect way to get people downtown.

The new housing being built near campus is not affordable for many graduate or undergraduate students. What would you do to improve housing affordability?

I think with as many condos are going up downtown, the biggest thing we can do is build more living units slated to be affordable housing. Hopefully we can use some of the county funding to search for and target potential affordable housing areas and the create some of the living units in those areas.

The Race to Equity Report cites Dane County as one of the worst counties to live in for people of color. What would you do to specifically target systemic racial inequities in Madison and the County?

Specifically, I want to establish a Cultural Inclusion Plan to the Dane County Board. This is a plan that targets the economic, educational and social needs of those most affect by such disparities. I think the biggest issue is that most people affected by disparities is because they have a lack of options, which leads to the increase in crimes of poverty. And if you look at why it’s because there are not enough positive economic situations, there certainly needs to be improvements on the educational level, for both children and adults. And finally, there are lack of social outlets for people of color to feel as if they have a place here. If we can address those issues, we can level the playing field.

What would you do to address income inequality in Dane County?

I think the biggest thing that can be done to address income inequality is to establish the $15 living wage and the creation of more living wage jobs. Once again, it’s about leveling the playing field. And right now there are far too many people just surviving and not living. That’s why the living wage is so important.

What would you do to ensure that communities have access to public health services?

I think that we have a good core of programs already established, everything from BadgerCare to FoodShare. I would like to see more of the human services funding that the county has available to be directed to such programs so that they can reach more people. I also would like to figure out more programming dedicated to mental health.

What are your views on the privatization and contracting out of public services, including school services and state and local government services?

I think if a program has been a government based service or a publicly traded company, it should remain that way. I think where government has fallen short is it’s unwillingness to create different avenues to finance public programs. Which basically means that privatization has become the easy way out, though it does help in some instances. But, if it’s not helping the greater good, then different options such as crowd funding might be a more feasible solution.

What do you see as the relationship between the Dane County Board and the campus community? What would you do to improve it?

I think that the County Board and the campus community have a solid relationship. There is a campus seat so the student voice is being heard. The only thing that I could see to improve it is to create two seats: one for the undergraduate population and one for the graduate population. I think there are sets of different issues with both demographics and both deserve to be heard.

What do you think this state’s/county’s/city’s priorities should be during the next decade? How would you advance those priorities?

I think that there are three big issues. First, we have to find a compassionate solution to homelessness. That involves getting the funding needed to get the day resource center project off the ground. I also am in favor of not only finding a solution for physical placement but I also think over the next decade we need to concentrate on the mental health element of this situation as well.

Secondly, we need a $15 living wage and the creation of more living wage jobs. I would like to see more apprenticeships created behind the idea of living wage situations. The days of places like Oscar Meyer being open for business are slipping out the window, so one thing that I would like to see over the next decade is create programs to take what people are passionate about and turn it into a living wage job and career.

The last thing is addressing the state/county/city’s racial disparities problem. For years there have been studies, so we know the numbers game. It’s time to take action. I feel like if you give someone enough options it will keep them from getting pigeonholed. That’s why the Cultural Inclusion is so important. We need to create a scenario where those affected by said disparities can get a equal chance to live, learn and earn. So over the next decade my goal would be an extensive effort to get more educational outlets, more economical outlets and more social outlets so that everyone gets an equal chance to be someone, not just a number in the criminal justice system.