Only Scott McDonell and Joe Parisi sought the endorsement and Scott McDonell’s answers were more substantial came out far ahead. That, along with his record of working on these issues put him over the top. Check out their answers.
SCOTT MCDONELL
1. Last fall, AHAA and a group of concerned citizens presented the People’s Affordable Housing Vision. It was the culmination of a year’s work to put together a plan to make housing more affordable and improve living conditions for homeless people and people living in substandard conditions in our community. Are you aware of the Vision, and if so, what do you think of the Vision?
Yes, I am aware of the People’s Vision statement and I appreciate that this vision statement was created through a grassroots process that directly involved not just affordable housing advocates and people who work at service agencies, but also people who have experienced homelessness themselves.
I am also very familiar with the work of AHAA since its inception and consider myself a strong ally on the County Board. I fought hard during the first unsuccessful attempt to end Section 8 discrimination in 2000-2002 and I helped ensure the successful passage on the second attempt several years later. I have also fought for many other fair housing issues as mentioned in the next question. I have worked directly with advocates from AHAA and the Homeless Consortium Legislative Committee to secure additional funding in the County budget for services to expedite Social Security Disability applications, case management for victims of domestic violence in the shelter, expansion of the overflow “warming house” family shelter, and increasing the hours of the men’s drop-in shelter during winter months, to name a few. With Scott Walker and the Republicans fighting for the rich and powerful we are likely to see budget challenges like we have not seen in recent memory—but I always have, and will continue to fight for critical human services to protect our most vulnerable and help end poverty.
2. Specifically the Vision addresses the need to improve enforcement of local ordinances which deal with rental housing. What are your thoughts on this issue?
Most enforcement of ordinances related to the condition of rental property and landlord practices happens on the municipal level; the county only has the authority to regulate practices in unincorporated areas (where there is very little rental housing) and to prohibit discrimination in housing. Because the county fair housing ordinance does cover the entire county, including the municipalities, that is where I have focused my efforts during my time on the Board. Since I was first elected in 1996, I have worked to achieve protections against discrimination based on Section 8 assistance, provision of social security number, gender identity, domestic partnership status, and status as a victim of domestic violence.
Speaking as a resident of downtown Madison, I also strongly support the enforcement of building codes to preserve the quality of rental housing, and enforcement of Madison’s Chapter 32 to prevent unethical and unfair landlord business practices.
3. What do you think about the amount of affordable housing in Dane County, and what changes, if any, are needed?
There is not enough affordable housing in Dane County to meet the demand for it, particularly in a recession when household income has declined for so many individuals and families. The mortgage or rent payment is just one piece of the puzzle; location of housing and utility costs and the availability of family supporting jobs also affect affordability. Dane County needs a more diverse housing stock with a wide range of units close to work, transportation, schools and childcare, and affordable to wide range of income levels, especially those living deep in poverty with little or no income.
As County Executive, I will explore the use of an affordable housing trust fund to increase the supply of both rental and owner-occupied affordable housing. I would like to reactivate the Affordable Housing Trust Fund Implementation Subcommittee of the Health and Human Needs Committee. I also support housing cooperatives, co-housing models and community land trust programs—all creative community based ways to make housing more affordable.
Another important way to create affordable housing is to make existing housing more affordable. A great example is Dane County’s modified reverse mortgage program that allows seniors to use some equity to cover monthly housing expenses or improve physical accessibility, allowing them to stay in their homes as long as possible. I have also introduced a revolving loan fund that would make renewable energy and energy efficiency projects easier for homeowners, lowering heating and cooling bills, a major cost of homeownership. Finally, a regional approach to transportation and development is also important. Preventing sprawl and providing inexpensive and reliable transportation increases the affordability of housing in the smaller cities and villages outside the urban core.
4. Since the homeless shelters for Dane County are located in Madison, do you think the city should play any role in making sure the shelters are adequately operated or meet any standards for services and habitability? What do you think about the establishment of a shelter monitoring committee to make sure that standards are followed?
Dane County and the City of Madison should share responsibility for funding and monitoring the emergency shelter system. As important as ensuring consumer-driven standards for humane conditions and the provision of emergency shelter with dignity, is ensuring that the shelter system itself is adequately funded to provide well-trained staff with good working conditions. Agencies should be supported so that staff can receive adequate training in new models such as trauma-informed care and recovery-oriented services.
I have a lot of respect for the nonprofit agencies that provide emergency shelter and supportive housing and the staff who work hard to do a lot with very little. I also realize that consumers need a way to voice concerns to a neutral third party that can be a problem solver. I really like the way the Dane County Human Services Ombudsman serves as a liaison between consumers and the Department for a wide variety of programs, hearing concerns and solving problems. The role of a committee might be better as a short-term committee formed to develop the standards used to monitor things like the physical environment and the treatment of consumers. The committee should have representatives from nonprofit agencies, relevant city and county funders and people who have experienced homelessness. The standards would then be adopted by the appropriate city and county departments. The Ombudsman role would be the point person to help mediate between consumers and shelter providers when problems arise.
5. Much rental property and business property might not be correctly assessed because the properties themselves are not sold, so there isn’t a sale price to use as a gauge? Instead of the properties themselves being sold, the LLC owning the property is sold, so it is not recorded as a real estate sale. Do you see this as a problem in properly assessing property? And if so, what do you think should be done?
Yes, this is a problem. It results in commercial properties being unfairly under-assessed. This places a disproportionate burden on homeowners and other small businesses. It also results in a loss of revenue from real estate transfer fees that would be assessed on that sale of property. I supported the bills that Representative Berceau introduced in 2003 and 2005 that would have closed this loophole, and I would support future efforts to do the same. As County Executive, I would place this issue on the County’s legislative agenda.
6. Do you think that services that relate to housing, should be required to provide written materials in Spanish? And if so what would you do to make this happen?
I would like to increase the capacity of both service providers and housing providers to have written materials and required forms available in Spanish and other languages. Translating materials and hiring bilingual staff can be expensive and budgets are tight. Yet fairness cannot be achieved if people do not understand their rights and have due process in eviction and other proceedings. I would determine the feasibility of the Department of Human Services and the Courts assisting with some of this translation through existing language assistance programs. I love audits and I would like to see if there is a way to make this a requirement without causing an undue hardship on housing providers, service agencies and county departments.
7. Would you support expanding local equal opportunity ordinances to prohibit discrimination in housing and public accommodations against person who have animals which a qualified professional has recommended as providing a beneficial service or support?
Yes, I support expanding the protections for people with disabilities in the Dane County Fair Housing Ordinance to more explicitly protect service animals. The county is more limited in its ability to regulate public accommodations; however, I do support better protection for service animals in public accommodations as well.
JOE PARISI
1. Last fall, AHAA and a group of concerned citizens presented the People’s Affordable Housing Vision. It was the culmination of a year’s work to put together a plan to make housing more affordable and improve living conditions for homeless people and people living in substandard conditions in our community. Were you aware of the Vision, and if so, what do you think of the Vision? Vision can be found here: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/128/support-the-peoples-affordable-housing-vision/
The Vision appears to have noble goals for the most part, and I would like to learn more from the Vision group about how much these proposals would cost, and which proposals they envision the county participating in.
In particular, I believe that emergency housing is important, but helping individuals through transitional housing may provide a more profound long term benefit, and I would like to see what can be done to expand those options. The Road Home has done tremendous work in this area.
In regards to hiring a lawyer to enforce tenant complaints of lease violations (#7), I would like to learn more from the group about why this option would be preferable to continuing to work with the tenant resource center on this issue.
In regards to service animals (#12) I would need to know the Vision group’s definition of a qualified professional, and under what circumstances people are forced to go without service animals, as service animals are allowed under the Federal Fair Housing Act.
I’m glad that the Vision includes suggestions on fair housing as well (#11). I’ve been a strong voice for fair housing policies. In the last session, I authored and passed a bill that prohibits housing discrimination based on someone’s status as a survivor of sexual assault, domestic violence or stalking.
As foreclosure rates go up in our community, affordable housing is becoming more important to not only low-income families, but to families that would be considered middle-class. We need to continue to have a regional conversation on these issues and try to find ways that we can make more housing options available to those who need it.
2. Specifically the Vision addresses the need to improve enforcement of local ordinances which deal with rental housing. What are your thoughts on this issue?
I believe that striking a fair deal between tenants and their landlords is important. That conversation should be ongoing, and both groups should have the resources they need if violations occur. If ordinances aren’t being adequately enforced, to the extent that the county has control over that enforcement, I would be willing to evaluate these systems to see what additional resources would be required.
3. What do you think about the amount of affordable housing in Dane County, and what changes, if any, are needed? (Note: Our definition of affordable housing is that a person should not pay more than 30% of their income towards rent or mortgage. Our focus is primarily on those at the lowest income levels, more information available here: http://www.nlihc.org/oor/oor2010/data.cfm?getstate=on&getmsa=on&msa=1528&getcounty=on&county=8292&state=WI)
I believe the definition of who needs affordable housing, and the number of people who will need housing, is changing due to the foreclosure crisis. We need to continue to have a regional conversation on these issues and try to find ways that we can make more housing options available to those who need it. Not just through more affordable housing, but by looking at some of the root causes of foreclosure and trying to help homeowners avoid that process in the first place.
4. Since the homeless shelters for Dane County are located in Madison, do you think the county should play any role in making sure the shelters are adequately operated or meet any standards for services and habitability? What do you think about the establishment of a shelter monitoring committee to make sure that standards are followed?
I believe that it would be important for the county to be aware of what was going on in the city shelters because the county contributes to homelessness programs. I would like to get input from the Madison Mayor on how to best achieve this goal in the most efficient and cost effective way. I would work with the mayor to assess current standards and see if additional support was needed to maintain those standards.
5. Much rental property and business property might not be correctly assessed because the properties themselves are not sold, so there isn’t a sale price to use as a gauge. Instead of the properties themselves being sold, the LLC owning the property is sold, so it is not recorded as a real estate sale. Do you see this as a problem in properly assessing property? And if so, what do you think should be done?
It’s worth taking a look at whether this practice is truly causing a loss in property value or a loss in revenue for the county.
6. Do you think that county services that relate to housing, such as the eviction courts and emergency assistance grants, should be required to provide written materials in Spanish? And if so what would you do to make this happen?
Language accessibility is important, particularly in the justice system. I know that the public health department does a great job of making information available in Spanish and also in Hmong. I would assess the current materials being offered and see what could be improved.
7. Would you support expanding local equal opportunity ordinances to prohibit discrimination in housing and public accommodations against person who have animals which a qualified professional has recommended as providing a beneficial service or support?
I would need to know the definition of a qualified professional, and under what circumstances people are forced to go without service animals, as service animals are allowed under the Federal Fair Housing Act.
