Tuesday night Mayor Dave Cieslewicz spoke on a bevy of issues at a City Council meeting, including public safety and green efficiency in Madison.
In his opening segment on Madison public safety, Mayor Cieslewicz acknowledged the tragic murder of Brittany Zimmermann. In addition to commending the police department’s ongoing investigation, Cieslewicz detailed public safety programs in the works, including adding crime analysts and introducing new neighborhood assessments, such as District 14 Ald. Tim Bruer’s Neighborhood Indicators project.
This project, as well as the implementation of crime analysts, seeks to provide statistics and feedback to identify early problems in neighborhoods and surrounding areas.
While Cieslewicz has successfully passed all previous public safety initiatives in the 2008 budget, he must place each of these programs on the fast track to implementation.
In both the Joel Marino and Brittany Zimmermann murders, a thorough study and analysis of Madison’s metropolitan area might have curbed the likelihood of the crime, as these policies aim to eliminate neighborhood problems before they start.
Cieslewicz also highlighted Madison’s continuing devotion to green efficiency, which includes the beginnings of a study regarding the future of Madison’s coal-fired power plants. He also discussed possible new federal legislation with the potential to help deter the use of ecologically harmful sources of energy.
According to Cieslewicz, the legislation may distribute up to $2 billion nationwide for grants to local governments to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
However, Cieslewicz failed to address any hint of a departure from the university’s coal plant as a future source of energy, a necessary stance if Madison hopes to attain its desired status as a truly “green” city. This notable omission in his otherwise eco-friendly platform is unacceptable. Regardless of what the upcoming study shows, Cieslewicz owes the city of Madison a vision for the coal plant’s future.
Cieslewicz brags of representing one of the first communities to pledge to reduce emissions and honor the Kyoto Treaty. Meanwhile, the coal plant draws scrutiny from the Sierra Club, United States Environmental Protection Agency and residents who believe in a smog-free future.
The mayor should take his devotion to air quality a step further and seriously explore alternative energy-producing plants to preserve Madison’s “green” reputation.
