District 1, Far West Side/SW side of Madison.
MATT BRINK
No answer. He at least emailed to say he didn’t have time.
BRIAN DRISCOLL
Question #1
I love Madison. I joined this race because I’m looking forward to working with the 20-member Common Council and our Mayor to continue to make Madison a great place to live. The three main challenges for our city are public safety, economic development and creating an effective budget.
Public safety is a concern for all residents. We want to feel safe in our homes and neighborhoods. Recent budgets have increased the number of police officers. This has made a difference and we can do more. Early education and prevention classes for elementary and middle school students, such as Classes on Personal Safety (COPS) program are very effective. Regular interaction between neighborhood liaison officers and neighborhood watch programs can have twice the effectiveness and be proactive versus reactive.
Second, economic development needs to be a focus. The new Planning and Development Director, Steven Cover, appears to have the right idea. Mr. Cover has stated that our city should be working with businesses to say “yes,” by finding ways for city staff and local business to create common ground. I support developing public-private partnerships to foster opportunities for businesses and workers that will grow our economy.
Third, our budget and specifically our taxes are a concern for many residents. The burden for climbing out of a recession cannot fall primarily on taxing homeowners and business owners. We must find greater levels of efficiency in our day-to-day operations and plan to do so long-term. A better outreach program to gain residents’ input is needed before the next budget is proposed. We can become better stewards of taxpayers’ dollars. We need to stay within our means, and I will do my best to hold the line on future increases.
Question #2
While these challenges are important to the entire city, District 1 faces additional issues.
The Common Council can work to increase our residents’ quality of life by creating efficiencies in basic services. We can make our services go further by eliminating wasteful redundancy. Timely response from fire and police departments creates safer communities. Efficient refuse pick-up, recycling, and street cleaning improves our neighborhood appearance and property values. By finding operational efficiencies we can bring down the cost of providing services and increase overall satisfaction.
Second, community identity is important to District 1 as we continue to build new single-family homes, apartments, and multi-use buildings. The upcoming Research Park 2 in our neighboring district will provide significant economic opportunities for businesses and retail in our area. Community-based planning is key to creating cohesive neighborhood identity for both residents and businesses.
Third, connecting with residents is vital. Communication between residents and the alder affects public safety, economic development and our budget. Communication is essential to strengthen public safety programs especially with the support of our neighborhood watch groups. To protect our district’s economy, we need to proactively communicate potential impacts to businesses caused by construction. Bettering our infrastructure is necessary, but not at the cost of losing business. Again, communication is key in attracting customers and residents to our area businesses.
I welcome citizen input in our budget process. Being available to address concerns and act responsibly according to our neighbors’ ideas will improve our effectiveness. Residents of District 1 can contact me at:
Phone 608-345-0581
Email: DriscollforDistrict1@gmail.com
Website: www.DriscollforDistrict1.com
Blog: http://DriscollforDistrict1.blogspot.com
Facebook: DriscollforDistrict1@gmail.com
LISA SUBECK
No answer. No explanation.
DANNY THOMAS
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.
City of Madison Issues:
– Property tax costs
– Public safety
– Unwelcoming attitude towards businesses
– Fiscal complacency with no plan for the future
Resolution Proposals:
– Cut wasteful spending from the operating budget and reassess necessary capital spending projects with a dedicated committee
– Make basic city services a priority with an emphasis on increasing crime in certain areas
– Develop less bureaucratic processes to do business and develop property in Madison
– Develop a financial and well-being strategic plan to address future financial solvency with contingency planning
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.
District 1 Issues:
– Public safety
– Property tax costs
– Neighborhood issue response
– Traffic Congestion and signing
Resolution Proposals:
– Evaluate west side and District 1 police coverage and allocate appropriate resources
– Cut wasteful spending from the operating budget and reassess necessary capital spending projects with a dedicated committee
– Develop better district wide communication tools with all individuals and neighborhoods with or without associations (social networking, district town-halls)
– Be proactive with issue information and follow up with results
– Revise current processes for signing requests to bring to fruition sooner
– Revise time frames for west side road projects
RICHARD WILLIAMS
I am running for elective office for several reasons. First, I believe future city budgets are going to be very tight and I want to make sure that Madison’s basic services such as ambulance, fire, and police departments are protected. These services should not be part of any budget cuts. I feel strongly about these services because I know how important they are to our most vulnerable citizens and to the ever growing senior citizen communities on the Far West Side. For the past four years I served as president of the Hawks Landing Homeowners Association and recognized the importance of this issue. If elected, one of my top priorities will be maintaining these services that our citizens depend upon.
Second, I want to promote business in Madison to help broaden our tax base. I believe this can be done in a couple of ways. First, the City of Madison should not enact policies that require businesses to provide employees specific wages or benefits. These types of “Madison only” policies stifle economic growth and push new businesses away. “Madison only” policies make the economic playing field uneven and put Madison businesses at an economic disadvantage compared with businesses in the surrounding areas. I also believe Madison can do more to broaden the property tax base. For example, recent purchases such as the Don Miller property on East Washington Ave and the Union Corners parcel on East Washington Ave and Milwaukee St would be better developed by private owners. These types of land banking policies shrink the private property tax base and add more economic pressure to current property owners.
I am running for Alderperson for the First District to get involved and contribute to a city I have grown to love. If elected I promise to always look at an issue and find the best solution. Thank you for this opportunity and remember to vote on February 15, 2011.
