In looking back on the campaigns of the four serious candidates for mayor, there is not much variation on their issues. In looking at both the history of Mayor Sue Bauman, former Mayor Paul Soglin, Dave Cieslewicz and Bert Zipperer and the future of Madison, it is Bert Zipperer, who has proven most in touch with community needs.
While Soglin has proven a good mayor in his previous six terms, the city is ready to see some fresh blood.
Building on his community-oriented past, which includes being a member of City Council as well as the Equal Opportunities Commission and being a community activist for more than 20 years, Zipperer's campaign has been admirable. His campaign can be described as \grassroots."" His staff is entirely volunteer and his office furniture is made up of donations from community members.
Zipperer looks forward to bringing a city staff together that will work together to accomplish city goals. This is something that is refreshing to this city since Mayor Bauman is known for alienating many city departments, both inside and outside of city hall.
He has also kept in touch with student needs and the integral role of the university in the city. On the other hand, Cieslewicz, a candidate that is seen as the most similar to Zipperer, has yet to address student issues or lobby for student votes.
With more than 40,000 students on campus, the votes cast tomorrow could decide the next mayor of Madison. Zipperer has proven to be the most in touch with what students and community members want and embodies the ideology of Madison.
Wisconsin voters have the unique opportunity to elect justices seated on our state Supreme Court--a privilege few states extend to their electorate. This Tuesday voters will choose between Paul Higginbotham, Pat Roggensack and Ed Brunner.
Paul Higginbotham is relatively well-known in Madison, has worked extensively with community causes and now serves as a Dane County circuit judge.
In addition, Judge Higginbotham has demonstrated the ability to balance the liberal politics that often characterize Madison with the ideal apolitical judicial system. He is publicly pro-choice and against school vouchers, but has made it clear his job is to interpret and uphold the law, not to change it. This cautious balance between political and professional conviction, with commitment to the law primary but placed in a human context, could play an important role on the state Supreme Court.
In the crowded primary race for the city council's eighth district, two candidates stand out from the crowd. Both candidates, Austin King and Nathan Naze, are students and share similar stances on issues affecting students. Neither believes the ban on weekend drink specials has proven effective and both support affordable off-campus housing.
The differences between the candidates illustrate their particular strengths: As the district's current Ald. Todd Jarrell's roommate and cut from the same Progressive Dane ideological mold, King seems in position to succeed Jarrell. King's dedication to his campaign does not end with literature: He is a regular at council and city committee meetings, and takes an active part in a number of campus organizations.
Where political novice Naze trumps his opponents, though, is his refreshingly average-student perspective. A resident of Barnard Residence Hall, Naze has run his campaign largely among the student population and promises dedication to the student cause that one cannot materially demonstrate through the attendance of meetings or contacts among the connected. His stance against resolutions outside the city's sphere also does him credit.
Naze's lack of experience, however, is a positive and a negative. We hope as a prospective alder he will continue to remain an establishment in the student community. To take his campaign seriously, however, Naze must gain a deeper understanding of issues, formulate a plan to work both cooperatively with the other council members and support the unique needs of a tumultuous district.
This spring's District 5 City Council primary race is characterized by a rare occurrence: the disappearance of a candidate.
Since collecting petition signatures and filing nominating papers, candidate and UW-Madison student Tim Corver has vanished from the political radar screen, failing to return reporters' phone calls or lodge any sort of campaign.
This leaves a three-person race with only two viable candidates, Robbie Webber and UW-Madison student Jason Stephany.
As voters really only have these two choices to replace departing Ald. Tom Powell, we feel that it is not necessary to advocate one candidate over the other at this point in time.
Instead, we urge Stephany and Webber to use their inevitable primary victories as a springboard to get out and provide District 5 voters with a spirited, issue-oriented campaign in the months leading up to the April general election.
