District 10 stretches from the near west side (Regent St) to Allied Drive. Nelson Donovan and Tom Farley are challenging Brian Solomon.
NELSON DONOVAN
Didn’t Answer. Also didn’t make it to the League of Women Voters taping.
TOM FARLEY
QUESTION ONE: What are the top three issues in the city that need to be resolved and what specifically would you propose to resolve them.
The key issues that I believe will be critical over the next few years are those involving development & planning, budget, safety and education. On the development side, our district has seen some incredible successes in the Allied Drive area. Affordable housing options have positively affected the quality of life and safety aspects of that community. Over time we will come to see that projects like this, and those affecting safety and education, will also drive economic development. As these other great plans and projects are being considered throughout the city, we need to ensure that they too foster economic development. At the same time we must also ensure that such plans do not have a negative impact on either property taxes or on local businesses. To achieve this we must continue pushing for better planning, reasonable zoning and efficient policy. The Common Council must be the driving force in evaluating its current and future needs and ensure that we have a sufficient infrastructure in place to meet those needs. A critical piece of this is, of course, transportation. Madison must stand strong in the face of any statewide vision that runs counter to our forward-thinking infrastructure needs. As always, it will be important that neighborhoods across the city understand they are a vital part of Madison, and that they feel confident that city government is working for them. These issues demand an Alderperson who is an active, vocal leader on the Common Council.
QUESTION TWO: What are the top three issues in your district that need to be resolved and what specifically would you propose to resolve them.
This district is one of Madison’s more populated and important areas – wonderfully diverse with strong elements of commerce, education and arts. The district’s key issues are; continuing to build upon the improvement successes of Allied Drive, enhancing the creative elements of Monroe Street, and ensuring high levels of safety and quality of life across the entire district.
As we currently witness at the federal and State level, I believe we will continue to see more challenging and difficult times ahead. Madison must have creative, thoughtful visionaries that will ensure that our city continues to build upon and grow its well-deserved progressive and creative class reputations. To achieve these goals, I will add one more critical issue; leadership. Now more than ever, both District 10 and the Common Council need proven decision-makers with strong and powerful voices to represent them.
BRIAN SOLOMON
Top three city issues:
(1) Transportation / land use: We need to keep working on alternatives to single occupancy vehicles and more roads. This growing problem is gobbling up our capital budget, damaging our environment, increasing gridlock, and further separating people with mobility issues from the economic mainstream. It also ships resources out of state instead of creating jobs here. There are many things that need to be done on this front, including stronger investments in bike / ped alternatives, creative decisionmaking regarding Madison Metro, and an entirely new way of thinking about intracity mobility.
(2) Equal opportunity: We continue to live in two Madisons and the gap between the haves and the have-nots continues to grow. There are thousands of Madisonians who live outside the economic and cultural mainstream because they are not afforded the same educational and employment opportunities as the rest of us. It is essential that we continue to invest in our least fortunate families – for our tax base, our economic prosperity, and our promise of equality for all Madisonians. We start by increasing investments in community services, especially in areas such as job training and educational assistance.
(3) Quality economic development: We need to bring quality jobs to Madison. It is essential that we continue to invest in jobs that pay family supporting wages, benefits, and offer opportunities to people currently unable to find quality employment. This, arguably, would solve more city issues than any other. We need to change our TIF policies, at a minimum, to reflect this policy direction.
Top three district issues:
(1) Transportation / traffic: On Nakoma and Allied Drive the problem is speeding. On Monroe Street the problem is traffic. And all communities in proximity of Verona Road and the Beltline are isolated and subject to noise, environmental, and air quality issues. We need to keep addressing these issues one at a time, by looking at alternatives to cars, investing more in mass transit, utilizing green strategies in road reconstruction projects, and incorporating traffic engineering solutions whenever possible.
(2) Monroe Street business district: Need to continue to support and assist with the local businesses, library, and other unique features on Monroe Street. This is one of the most active and engaged neighborhoods in Madison and in large part it is because of the opportunities for education and interaction in this pedestrian friendly business district. The area also provides jobs and other economic contributions to the city.
(3) Allied Drive: The community is making great progress and continues to chart its own destiny. Phase one of the redevelopment was a success on many levels. We’ve increased job prospects and improved the housing stock. The stabiliy of the neighborhood association, its excellent working relationship with the Dunns Marsh neighborhood association, and the ability of the Allied area to continue to take ownership in the community, empower itself, and chart its own course is vital to its continued resurgence.
