Voters who step into the polls Tuesday to elect a new mayor for Madison will face a choice between two candidates who have strikingly similar agendas and ideologies. However, experience is the factor that makes Paul Soglin the superior candidate to relative political newcomer Dave Cieslewicz.
With two prior stints in the mayor's office-1973-'79 and 1989-'97-Soglin has proven that he can lead this city with aplomb.
The State Street Mall, Madison Civic Center, Monona Terrace and countless other attributes that benefit the campus area exist today thanks largely to previous Soglin efforts. Now we look forward to seeing what Soglin has to offer us in the 21st century.
Among other things, Soglin advocates the need to provide more affordable housing for Madisonians, including increased units for UW-Madison students. In addition, Soglin acknowledges the challenges that new upscale downtown condominium developments will bring to UW-Madison students seeking housing.
Soglin also brings solid ideas to the table regarding the ideal role of the Alcohol License Review Committee's handling of drink specials and other vital downtown drinking issues.
We also believe Soglin, with all of his prior experience, will prove adept at working with law enforcement and other municipal agencies to plan events like the Mifflin Street Block Party in a safe, logical matter, unlike Mayor Sue Bauman's unfortunate handling of last year's Halloween and the U.S. Mayor's Conference.
Not to say that this is an easy vote.
Cieslewicz has many good characteristics to offer. His progressive politics are very similar to Soglin's and Cieslewicz brings a sound environmental agenda to the plate, thanks to his history as co-founder of the environmental group 1,000 Friends of Wisconsin.
But Cieslewicz's political experience is limited to a brief stint on the Dane County Board and his city record is nil. It is with respect to their differing r??sum??s that we cannot find reason not to vote Soglin.
In our mayoral primary endorsements, we backed third-place finisher Bert Zipperer with the rationale that fresh blood in the mayor's office is what the city needed.
However, now given the choice between Soglin and Cieslewicz rather than Zipperer, we have come to realize that Soglin's experience is too invaluable an asset to pass up.
Wisconsin extends the responsibility of choosing its state Supreme Court to its voters. This means residents have the unique opportunity to directly shape the face of their highest court. Tomorrow voters will choose between Pat Roggensack and Ed Brunner in the race for state Supreme Court.
Judge Brunner clearly stands out as the better candidate. Brunner has distinguished himself in the courtroom and on the campaign trail as a true independent. During his campaign, he has refused money from political action committees and capped the value of individual contributions. At the same time, he has been unafraid to share his views on a variety of issues, citing a need for the public to know where he stands. While his opponent has refused to disclose such information even while accepting endorsements from overwhelmingly conservative political figures, Brunner has remained as candid as his court reputation would suggest. Brunner has proven that he has the courage and the integrity necessary to be an effective and accountable justice.
The race for Dane County Circuit Court is easily overlooked. Hardly the most glamorous position, judges must observe strict ethical rules that prevent them from campaigning to the same degree as politicians. But the race between Michael Anderson and Judge Shelley Gaylord is important all the same, and Gaylord stands out as the most attractive candidate.
While Anderson has a strong record as an attorney, Gaylord boasts 10 years experience as a municipal court judge. In addition to her experience, she is down to earth and accessible to those who stand before her and stresses the importance of such characteristics as a judge. Both her approachable manner and her excellent record as a judge qualify Gaylord to sit on the circuit court.
Flip a coin. Either way you lose.
Neither UW-Madison sophomore Jason Stephany nor Madison resident Robbie Webber appear worthy of service to District 5 on city council. What appears to be a close race has driven the candidates to negative campaigning, with both emerging marred as a result.
On one hand, you have Webber who carries the support of Progressive Dane and the seat's current holder. Her heart is in the right place, but instead of talking about policies that voters may find relevant through the campaign, she has turned defensive and consequently raised questions about her willingness to compromise, work well with others and represent progressive ideals.
On the other hand, while Stephany seems to have a cooperative spirit, he spends much of his time trying to persuade voters of his progressive politics while cashing checks from landlords and other interest groups at odds with student concerns. Furthermore, he seems utterly at a loss for ideals he represents.
That said, we still encourage you to vote, as this and other races are important and the student vote will have an impact. We wash our hands of this race.
In his race to fill the shoes of Ald. Todd Jarrell, District 8, Austin King's campaign has hit all the right notes.
King, a UW-Madison senior, has run on a platform both realistic in the scope of issues facing the city and student-oriented in nature. His priorities, including a city-wide minimum wage tied to inflation rates, mark a policy with the potential for real growth over time. His stand on security deposit reform, creating a third-party office to monitor security deposit deductions by landlords is an achievable goal near to the hearts of every student who has rented downtown.
On the other hand, his opponent, though a longtime resident of Madison, does not appear to reflect the real priorities of the students who populate the district. While Jeff Erlanger's city committee experience is worthy of note, his plans to maintain the integrity of State Street and Lisa Link Peace Park through the redesign are nice but out of touch with the concerns students live with day to day-dealing with landlords, minimum wage and rights of pedestrians.
Though Erlanger campaigns on his longevity downtown, King has rightly stated that he better reflects the district's experiences: Like King, the district is not from Madison, is largely young and idealistic.
Here's an idea: Vote for King.
Few endorsements are as clear-cut as our endorsement for District 2 where Erik Minton is challenging incumbent Ald. Brenda Konkel.
Concerns abound over how candidates raise money and whether money they've obtained from landlords will influence their vote once they are elected to the council.
In this race, however, Konkel's opponent isn't merely financed by landlords-he actually is a landlord.
Minton's conflict of interest becomes clear immediately; a landlord alder cannot be expected to fairly represent a student constituency. That many of Minton's proposals could be used as opportunities to further his own development plans is an all-too-realistic possibility.
Likewise, Minton's dirty campaigning, which employs deceptive literature designed to look like it has been distributed by Konkel, hints at questionable ethics we fear Minton would bring with him to the seat.
Konkel is an experienced candidate with a strong record of standing up for students. Given that she is running against such a poor candidate, it is imperative that the residents of District 2 turn out tomorrow and show their support.
