Well, I just got home at 2:00 . . . and it’s not cuz we were at the bar!
We probably should have known that would happen, by the way the meeting started. The motion to suspend the rules was challenged by Alder Webber and there was a roll call vote! The reason for the request was that we had an item we had never seen proposed for approval on this agenda. That hardly ever happens – typically items are introduced, referred to committees and come back to us with a recommendation. This item was about the BioAg Gateway proposal that they originally wanted us to approve $1.8M TIF, without a TIF application. They back way off – to the point of being silly by creating a nearly meaningless resolution. The vote to consider this item at our meeting was 14 to 5 with Verveer absent. It required 14 votes to override the objection, so it passed, but we waited until item 10 came up. AYE: Sanborn, Schumacher, Skidmore, Bruer, Clausius, Clear, Cnare, Compton, Gruber, Judge, Kerr, Monson, Palm, Pham-Remmele. No: Rhodes-Conway, Rummel, Solomon, Webber, Konkel ABSENT: Verveer
Next, Compton wanted us to take this item out of order . . . various people objected because there were 50 people at the meeting to testify on the bus fares and she quickly withdrew the motion.
So, we went to item number 1. We honored Nancy Jensen from the Apartment Association for their work with the Setion 8 program. Nice words were exchanged, the AASCW board members were recognized, standing ovation and the entire council signed on as sponsors.
Then, more trouble – the consent agenda, was a little more complicated than usual. We approved everything on the agenda, with their recommendations except:
Agenda linked here – its too late to put in all the links!
#7 – Appointments was separated to be discussed later
#8 – Report on Race, Gender and People with Disabilities appointments to city committees was referred to March 17th.
#10 – BioAg Gateway resolution was separated to be discussed later.
#13 – Hiring Martin Schreiber and Associates as the lobbyist for the city was approved with a provision that they come to Common Council Organizational Committee twice a year to report on their efforts and get input.
#20 – To change the amount of money for architect services for the Tenney Shelter was placed on file.
#21 – Giving park land to street for Hoepker Road was separated to be discussed later.
#30 – Edgewood Ave. reconstruction was referred to a future meeting or back to Board of Public Works.
#44 – Adding a non-voting member to the Plan Commission to be appointed by Madison School District was separated to be discussed later.
#54 – TIF policy was separated to be discussed later.
#62 – Revoking committee members who didn’t fill out their statement of interest forms was separated to be discussed later.
#63 – Money for the North Police HVAC retrofit was separated to be reconsidered.
#69 & #78 were items for introduction which were withdrawn.
It seems so simple when its all written here, but it wasn’t all that simple at the meeting!
So, we reconsidered item number 63, which failed at the last council meeting. This was the HVAC for the North Police District. There was no discussion, only a roll call vote because it needed 15 votes. AYE: Pham-Remmele, Rhodes-Conway, Rummel, Schumacher, Solomon, Webber, Bruer, Clausius, Clear, Cnare, Compton, Gruber, Judge, Kerr, Konkel, Monson, Palm. NO: Sanborn, Skidmore ABSENT: Verveer
Then – to number 3 – the bus fare increase. The motion was to approve the $2 fare with the low income rider bus pass and reaffirming our commitment to the $150,000 in service increases. The item started at 7:00 and ended at 12:50. There were three hours of testimony, a 25 minute “15-minute break”, questions of staff from 10:25 – 11:15 and discussion from 11:15 – 12:50. The final vote was 11 – 8. AYE: Pham-Remmele, Sanborn, Schumacher, Skidmore, Bruer, Clausius, Clear, Cnare, Compton, Monson and Palm. NO: Rhodes-Conway, Rummel, Solomon, Webber, Gruber, Judge, Kerr, Konkel. ABSENT: Verveer For giggles, here’s Mike Barrett’s admittedly quite snarky recap of the evening sent to several east side lists (if you ignore the snark, you’ll get the gist of the evening)- I’ll try to get you more later:
While most folks were busy hearing a young new president inspire the nation “bold action and big ideas,” the Madison Common Council thought small. And punitively. They voted to raise bus fares to $2.00 a ride.
Significantly for these lists, Alder Larry Palm set one part of his district against the other: “I’ve got one part of my district which is pretty dense and transit-oriented. Another part hardly has any bus service and doesn’t see why they should be paying for it.” He proudly voted for the fare increase.
Well, at least he had the courage to say something.
Alder Joe Clausius had nothing to say, but voted for the Draconian increase.
Over 80 people testified. 75 testified against the fare increase. You’ve heard all the reasons–social justice, the environment, the economy, basically, all of the causes we work for, thus setting Madison apart from, say, Rockford, IL.
But that testimony meant nothing. The minds were made up before the thing even began. The Outer Ring Republicans did what Republicans seem to do everywhere: They punished the poor and trashed the environment.
The ORRs, giddy at their majority, scoffed at the notion that fare increases might be economically hurtful to the poor. Or that the middle class, ever the clever bunch, would do a cost-benefit calculation and just forget about the bus and drive (ok, maybe assuaging their consciences by carpooling). Presented with strong, damning evidence that bus fare increases would cause significant ridership declines, Ald. Mark Clear scoffed that the nationally recognized models were “myth” and that Ald. Brian Solomon was just using those models as a “scare tactic.” Bobbing up & down next to Clear, electrified by the prospect of pleasing teacher (yeah, the competitive brown-nosing of the mayor by those two would be funny were it not for the serious implications) , Ald. Michael Schumacher denounced those who testified in defense of the poor as “poverty pimps…stepping on all the poor people.”
They were giddy all right. Mark Clear couldn’t contain himself at not having a competitor for his seat, gleefully pointing out that most of those on the other side of the issue did. He really did a marvellous job of rubbing eight liberal and progressive noses in it.
It was straight out of Contract on America, 1994, Newt Gingrich, Tom DeLay & Co., or the Bush-Cheney gang of 9/12/01.
But then, it was alright. The mayor made everyone feel better about the cruelty of this measure. And somehow he has it all worked out beautifully that throwing people off of buses can’t be helped, but is the environmentally righteous thing to do. Kinda like when dad re-assured you that this was going to hurt him a lot more than it was
you.Folks, while you were out working for Change last fall, the city got taken over by Republicans. It might be time to start acting locally. Electorally.
-Mike
P.s. No doubt the mayor is updating his Enemies List. I’ll help him out by thanking those commission members who so bravely spoke out against this bus fare increase:
Mark Shahan, Chair, Ped/Bike/Motor Vehicle Commission
Betty Chewning, Parks Commissioner
Aaron Crandall, PBMVC
Susan DeVos, PBMVC
Carl DuRocher, Chair, Transit & Parking Comm
Peter Taglia, Sustainable Design & Energy Committee
Margaret Bergamini, Transit & Parking CommThere may have been others I’m not aware of. In any case, thank you all for sticking your necks out on this issue. It was very courageous on your part, putting principle above power.
By 12:50 we had finished and moved on to some other business of the council. We referred item #54 (TIF policy) to Board of Estimates to return to the council on March 31st.
Then, we got back to BioAg. There were several questions, unanswered. We ended up voting unanimously for it, but only after making it clear we needed more before we committed the money. Only 2 of my 20 questions have been answered.
Next we booted quite a few people off city committees with number 62. I asked questions about why the city attorney’s haven’t filled out their statement of interest forms (some union issue) and why so many people didn’t fill out their forms this year (no real answer). Usually its only 6 – 10 people, this year it was more around 50 – 60. We had not choice but to follow the ordinance and remove these people from the committees but the mayor’s office is going to work on getting people to fill out their forms and get them reappointed.
It being after 1:00 we referred the remaining items – the housing appointment from #7, as well as item #21 and #44 to the next meeting. We adjourned at 1:35.
Obviously, I left out a HUGE part of the evening by skimming over the bus fare increase, but at 3:07, its time for bed! Will try to catch you up tomorrow.
