Madison mayoral candidates convened Thursday in the first forum of the 2015 campaign at the Madison Concourse Hotel to discuss the state of Madison’s economy, homeless population and public dialogue.
Candidates Richard Brown, Christopher Daly, Bridget Maniaci and Scott Resnick participated in the six-part discussion in preparation for the primary elections scheduled for Feb. 17. Among much talk of qualifications and bids to voters, each candidate presented detailed hopes for the future of Madison.
Much of the night’s discussion focused on goals and solutions for the downtown area. Many of the candidates expressed motivation to retain and invite business to support the area while expanding the economic “boom” to the rest of Madison.
Resnick spoke about Madison’s downtown as an economic and social indicator for the rest of Madison.
“It’s really our downtown that is our soul because it’s what happens in our downtown that sends a message to our community,” Resnick said.
The candidates also named homelessness as one of Madison’s top issues. Daly said one of his first priorities in the mayor’s office would be building a day shelter to accommodate the homeless and expressed anger at the city’s lack of motivation to do just this.
This sentiment was echoed throughout the night by other candidates, especially when speaking of government accountability and resources that are available but are left unused.
“Folks who are homeless are struggling so much just to get [their] basic needs met, and the city needs to step up,” Maniaci said.
Brown similarly spoke passionately of the many youth in Madison who have become homeless and have nowhere to turn.
“This is something that’s really, really dear to my heart … We have 1,000 homeless kids in the Madison Metropolitan School District, and we have to do something about it,” Brown said.
One solution candidates presented to solving issues like this and many more was public input. While many of the candidates focused on ways to improve communication between citizens and city hall, Daly said he would reach out to existing entities that already have a running dialogue with the public, mainly the Madison School District.
“They have their finger on the pulse of what’s really going on in the community, and they have the greatest connection to members of the community because everyone is invested,” Daly said.
