Mid-week Round Up

Lots and lots of miscellaneous . . . catching up on non-budget, non-Edgewater related topics! And no long meetings to report on! Spent time in non-government meetings last night! 🙂

PROPERTY OWNERS, GET YOUR TAX CREDITS

The Dane County Treasurer, David Worzala, is encouraging property owners to make sure they are signed up for the lottery credit to reduce their 2009 property taxes. The lottery credit is paid by the state and will reduce your taxes by $70-100 each year depending on your school district. The credit remains each year until you move so the savings continues each year once you have signed up.

While most property owners are signed up, the Treasurer’s Office has identified almost 14,000 properties in Dane County that are likely to be eligible, but who are not yet signed up. To be eligible for the lottery credit you have to have lived in your home on January 1, 2009 and it has to be your primary residence.

To check if you are one of those not yet signed up, click here and follow the simple directions. To get on this year’s tax bill, you have to send in your form before Thanksgiving.

DIDN’T THIS GET SETTLED YEARS AGO
One would this this shouldn’t be necessary . . .

WIEA “Indian” Mascot and Logo Taskforce and RAAINL will be providing educational material, observing fan behavior and providing a ‘Silent Vigil of Protest’ at the 2009 WIAA State Football Championship games involving race-based “Indian” named teams playing at Camp Randall Field on Thursday, November 19 and Friday, November 20.

We need volunteers to observe/vigil/photograph fan behavior during, and to help distribute materials to fans as they leave the following games:

Division 4 – Kewaunee ‘Indians’ vs. Big Foot ‘Chiefs’
Division 2 – Kimberly vs. Waunakee ‘Warriors’
Division 1 – Milwaukee Marquette vs. Menomonee Falls ‘Indians’

If you can help distribute materials, meet outside Camp Randall at Gate 1 at:
8:30 PM Thursday, November 19 for Division 4 Game
2:30 PM Friday, November 20 for Division 2
5:30 PM Friday for Division 1

The games start at 7 PM, 1 PM and 4 PM respectively for those attending the ‘Silent Vigil.’

EMPLOYERS STEALING FROM LOW-WAGE WORKERS
Man, it just gets worse . . . as if the economy wasn’t taking its toll on low-income workers . .. .

Employers Stealing Millions from Workers Everywhere!
Workers Speak Out Against Wage Theft

When: 6pm Thursday, November 19
Where: UW-Madison campus. Check TITU for room location.

Wage theft is rampant across the country! A recent study found that 26 percent of low-wage workers were paid less than minimum wage, while 76 percent were not paid for overtime, resulting in an average of $51 stolen from workers’ paychecks every week.

The illegal underpayment or non-payment of workers’ wages affects millions of workers each year, forcing many to choose between paying their rent and feeding their families.

Join us in educating and organizing ourselves to help stop wage theft. We’ll hear from local workers who have experienced it, from faith and community leaders describing the impact on our community, and from students discussing how we can organize in solidarity with workers and do something about it!

Organized by the Student Labor Action Coalition and the Workers’ Rights Center.

Endorsed by: Interfaith Coalition for Worker Justice, Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies Program, Campus Women’s Center, Chicana/o Latina/o Studies Program, Havens Center, Immigrant Workers Union (UTI).

PRAISE OR PROTEST
How’s Obama doing on Afghanistan? Get ready to react!

Where: Madison, beginning at Lisa Link Peace Park, 400 State Street, up State St. toward the Capitol, around the Capitol and ending inside the Capitol rotunda with a rally and speakers.

When: On the day following the announcement by President Obama of his decision on additional troops for the war in Afghanistan:
If the announcement is made Sunday – Thursday: Event will be held the following day (Monday-Friday) at 4:30pm
If the announcement is made Friday or Saturday: Event will be held the following day (Saturday or Sunday) at noon
(Please check with contacts below to confirm time and day after President Obama makes an announcement of his decision.)

Contact info removed, but I can send it to you if you want.

While those within the Obama administration continue a vigorous debate about a possible escalation of the war in Afghanistan, concerned Madison-area citizens have already put in place their plans for a response to Obama’s decision. A coalition of local peace groups, including Veterans for Peace, Madison-Area Peace Coalition, Madison Pledge of Resistance, and Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice are calling for Madison citizens to gather at Madison’s Lisa Link Peace Park, 400 State Street, for a response to Obama’s decision, including an open mic where speakers representing a range of opinions will share their views, followed by a solemn candlelight walk around the Capitol in remembrance of all of the victims of war.

“I’d like nothing more than for us to be able to gather to note a positive development, like a decision that no additional troops will be sent, or that the United States is establishing a timetable for withdrawal from Afghanistan,” said Steve Burns, of the Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice.

Recently, high-level Obama administration officials and influential members of Congress, including US ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry and Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold, have spoken out against sending additional troops into the war in Afghanistan, raising hopes that the Obama administration might pull back from the brink of an Afghanistan escalation.

Despite these hopeful signs, Madison-area residents remain prepared to speak out forcefully if Obama does make a decision to escalate the war. “During the 10 year Soviet war in Afghanistan an estimated 1 million Afghans died, 1.2 million were disabled and 3 million were wounded. The American people will not stand for the Obama administration repeating the actions of the Russians. The killing must stop.It only breeds hate, not peace,” said Buzz Davis of Veterans for Peace.

Rae Vogeler of the Madison Area Peace Coalition said, “Our position has always been the US shouldn’t be in Afghanistan to begin with. We want the wars ended now and the troops and contractors brought home. Every day more troops and civilians die, more billions are spent, and we move closer to bankruptcy as a nation.”

This event has been endorsed by: Veterans for Peace, Madison Area Peace Coalition, WI Network for Peace and Justice, Madison Pledge of Resistance, Peregrine Forum and Wisconsin Impeachment/Bring Our Troops Home Coalition.

UN-NAMED SOURCE
I was in my sitting in my office and got a google alert for the Tenant Resource Center so I read the article and burst out laughing and rolled my eyes. One of the worst questions we get asked is if a landlord is good or bad and the problem is, its all relative, it can vary from year to year and of course, people threaten to sue us – so we don’t really give recommendations or endorsements. Large management companies are usually as good as the people they hire, some small landlords are as good as the meds they are taking. Sometimes there are some where we see patterns or bad policies. We can guess who’s charging illegally for carpet cleaning or charging security deposits for routine cleaning. We know who is sloppy on their landlord entry policies or who will negotiate with tenants when they are at eviction court. But . . . we’re hesitant to say anything on the record, officially. Which is why I laughed so hard at this ringing endorsement from an un-named source in my office . . . which I thought was very artfully worded and subtle, but Apex owner Bosben clearly knew was not exactly a compliment:

“I wouldn’t say they are any better or any worse than the other big management companies,” says a source at the Madison Tenant Resource Center.

Bosben takes issue with any criticism . . .

Wait, we didn’t exactly criticize him! He made that assumption . . .

As for me, when they asked me if they could put my name on that quote I hesitated . . . because of my sorta miserable multiple experiences with them as a neighbor went with the ol’ “no comment”.

But Kudos to my staff who managed to say nothing and yet get the landlord to say that they knew it was criticism! Too funny, some people are their own worst enemy.

MAYOR DAVE’S BIG DONORS
At the last council meeting, Pham-Remmele accused Mayor Dave of selling a seat on a committee for $1000. Mayor Dave says there are so few of those donors, so I thought I’d take a peak at some of his reports, here’s what I found:
January 2009 Continuing Report
– Robert and Irwin Goodman each gave $500.
July 2009 Continuing Report
– #20,565 raised with 19 pages of donors mostly giving $100 – 500.
January 2008 continuing
– Raised a total of $225
July 2008 Continuing
– $6,231 raised.
– Fred and Mary Mohs each gave $500
– Emily Earley gave $1,000
January 2007 report
– James Crow gave an accumulated total of $1,250
– David Liebl gave an accumulated total of $1,150
– Frank Byrne gave an accumulated total of $1,387
– Peggy Anderson gave an accumulated total of $1,000
– Elliot Butler gave an accumulated total of $1,150
Spring Pre-primary 2007
– Stephen Hurley gave $1,000
– Spring Pre-Election 2007
– Patrick Essie gave $1000
– Bruce Neviaser gave $1000
July Continuing 2007
– Raised $8,127 but not larger donors

So, I went through that quickly, might have missed something, but . . . did any of these folks get some super great committee assignment? Perhaps I missed people who gave over several years? I dunno, nothing jumps out at me. I’ll dig around some more. I’d have quite a few other comments about his campaign finance reports, but I don’t think that people are buying seats on city committees . . .

MEETINGS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED THIS WEEK
Because the 46 meetings I looked at on Monday morning were not enough, here’s the ones that were added since then . . .
Yesterday, I posted the week ahead schedule, but because 46 meetings just aren’t enough, here are the ones that they have added since then . . .

Tuesday, November 17, 2009
1:30 PM SISTER CITY COLLABORATION COMMITTEE FUNDRAISING SUBCOMMITTEE ROOM LL-110 MMB

Wednesday, November 18, 2009
4:00 PM HOUSING DIVERSITY PLANNING AD HOC COMMITTEE ROOM 313 MMB

Thursday, November 19, 2009
3:00 PM ERLANER, JEFFREY CLAY, CIVILITY IN PUBLIC DISCOURSE AWARD COMMITTEE ROOM 403 CCB

5:00 PM PUBLIC SAFETY REVIEW COMMITTEE ROOM 103A CCB
– Chronic Nuisance and licensing landlords
– Vendors by schools

I ALSO MISSED THIS IN THE WEEK AHEAD!
Robbie Webber explains . . .

Thursday, November 19, 5:00 PM, Room 300 of the Municipal Bldg This is a scheduled meeting of the Long Range Transportation Plan Commission, but members of the Ped/Bike/Motor Vehicle Commission, the Transit and Parking Commission, Board of Public Works, and Transportation Planning Board (MPO) have also been invited.

The Wisconsin DOT will present their plans for the intersection of Verona Rd and the West Beltline. The project extends down to Cty PD (McKee Rd) and will affect/alter some intersections in the area, including the entrance to the Home Depot area.

There is also a proposed new road under Verona Rd where the SW Path runs down. The path would be moved laterally to run along the side of the new road.

This project is far in the future, but this is an opportunity to see what WisDOT has planned so far and see if you want to comment. This is an information only meeting. No action or vote will be taken.

The DOT web site has some drawings, but changes may have been made since then. However, the web site will give you can idea of the general outline of the project.

PEOPLE’S AFFORDABLE HOUSING VISION PLODS FORWARD
There are no easy answers, but feel free to join us tonight at the Central Library to discuss how we move forward:

Please come to the People’s Housing Vision meeting this Thursday, November 19, 2009 at 5:30 p.m. in the second floor meeting room of the Central Library. We’re moving forward on our priorities and developing detailed solutions. We’ll be discussing our research on addressing important concerns like enforcement of Ch. 32 of the Madison ordinances, expanding overflow shelter space, a third party shelter complaint system, expanding community resources in tenant/landlord matters for persons with Limited English Proficiency, rehabbing foreclosed properties to provide affordable housing opportunities, and providing greater fair housing protections for victims of domestic violence and persons with service animals . . . and more.

HARRIET IS MOVING!

Starting November 20, 2009, the Telecirc (“Harriet”) phone number will change to 608-242-4700. Please note this change if you call Harriet to renew items, or to review your list of holds, items checked out, or items overdue.

Email notification for holds is also available! Contact your local library to sign up for email notices. Contact information for LINKcat libraries is available here.