I gotta admire them, at least they are sticking to the issues that matter to them!
Technically, these are not formal endorsements, but the intent is clear . . .
Dear DMI Members:
As you know DMI has taken a strong position in favor of the Regional Transit Authority (RTA) as it will benefit economic growth of the region with new transportation options, help employment and visitor access to the city’s core, and assist the overall transportation network. The several modes of transit between bus and rail continue to be part of our community’s future discussions and we look forward to those discussions. The Dane County Board was charged with creating the RTA and did so this past fall with DMI’s support.
The county will continue a critical role in transportation issues for the larger region and elections for the Board occur this Spring. We would encourage our members to discuss our support for the RTA with candidates and thank those who created the RTA. Below is a list of those supervisors who voted for the RTA enabling us to carry regional solutions and approaches forward. We encourage you to keep DMI’s position in favor of the RTA in mind when deciding who to support in contested county board seats.
Allen Arntsen
Chair, DMI Board of Directors1 Scott McDonell
Friends of Scott McDonell, 404 W. Doty St. , Madison 53703 samcdonell@yahoo.com 259-95062 Barbara Vedder
Friends of Barbara Vedder, 2314 E. Dayton St. Madison 537043 Elaine H. DeSmidt
Elaine DeSmidt for County Board, 4709 Milwaukee St. , Madison 53714 246-27004 Brett Hulsey
Friends of Brett Hulsey 110 Merrill Crest, Madison 53705 238-60706 John Hendrick
Friends of John Hendrick, 1315 Spaight Street, Madison 537037 Matt Veldran
Friends of Matt Veldran, 5738 Kroncke Dr. , Madison 53711 271-07228 Carousel Bayrd
Friends of Carousel Baryd, 4901 Sherwood Rd. Madison 5371110 Jeremy Levin
Friends of Jeremy Levin, 1715 Hoyt St Madison 5372611 Al Matano
Friends of Al Matano, 3530 Heather Crest Madison, WI 53705-332512 Paul Rusk
Friends of Paul Rusk, 1422 Wyldewood Dr. , Madison 53704 249-966713 Chuck Erickson
Chuck Erickson for County Board, 1541 Jefferson St. Madison 5371116 Dave de Felice
Dave4Dane 6302 Dominion Dr. , Madison 53718 222-031917 Tom Stoebig
Friends of Tom Stoebig 4309 Hegg Ave. Madison 5371623 Shelia Stubbs
Shelia Stubbs for County Board, 10 Waunona Woods Ct#4, Madison, WI 5371324 Robin R. Schmidt
Friends of Robin Schmidt 5606 Tonyawatha Tr., Monona 53716 221-051427 Kyle R. Richmond
Friends of Kyle Richmond, 929 O’Sheridan St. , Madison 53715 kylerichmond@yahoo.com 251-317134 Patrick Miles,
Friends of Patrick Miles, 5410 North Pass , McFarland 53558 Patrick@VoteMiles.com 838-6866
Or, I thought the intent was clear, cuz they had to follow it up with this:
Earlier today you should have received a message from DMI regarding the Dane County Board Races. To clarify, DMI did not make any candidate endorsements in these races as we did not conduct interviews or undergo a candidate endorsement process. Nor did the message include the names of all county board candidates who have expressed their support for the Regional Transit Authority (RTA). Rather, the message listed incumbent county boarda members who have voted for the RTA. DMI strongly supports the RTA and we encourage our members to discuss the importance of the RTA with all Dane County Board Candidates and thank those who voted to support the RTA’s creation.
DMI encourages members to get out and vote and to support the candidate of your choice on April 6th. Check the Dane County Clerk’s office website to check your voter registration and find your polling place.
Thank you,
Allen Arntsen
Chair, DMI Board of Directors
I personally didn’t think that needed a clarification, but I’m guessing it did for their members. But, that doesn’t negate what impresses me about this. They cared about an issue, and reminded their members how they voted – instead of endorsing against their own interest, ahem, Chamber.
