When the Daily Cardinal began its three-day coverage on campus safety, I looked forward to reading the reports on this very serious issue. Unfortunately, I soon found an opinion piece that unnecessarily and scathingly attacked me and those helping me in this election.
On March 6, Joseph Lindstrom lashed out against me for having a ""spokesperson"" on my campaign. The evening I was called for an interview, I was hospitalized with an upper respiratory infection. Given these circumstances, Richard Dovere, one of my campaign managers, answered questions on my behalf.
In addition to having Richard's statement truncated, it is unfortunate that Lindstrom chose not to contact me to clarify the matter before writing his diatribe.
Further, Lindstrom goes on to imply that I am afraid to talk to people myself, which is laughable considering the amount of time I spend every day speaking with students.
As a leader in Students for Equality and Students for a Fair Wisconsin, I worked with students and organizations across campus to fight for equality and civil rights. That experience inspired me to continue meeting with students and learn more and more about what matters to them.
Through these discussions, it became immediately clear that campus safety is the primary issue on students' minds. The recent assault on Spring Street happened within eyeshot of my apartment, and I am utterly shocked by this tragedy.
I have taken a proactive approach to prevent future muggings and assaults on campus through my own safety plan, which was released yesterday and has received praise from community leaders such as Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk and Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney.
The centerpiece of my plan is the creation of a campus-wide neighborhood watch program. Armed with radios, teams of trained students will patrol zones of campus on weekend evenings, collaborating with law enforcement and SAFE Nighttime Services to increase late-night street presence.
When voting on the reauthorization of the new $100,000 Downtown Safety Initiative, I will fight to reallocate money to more urgent safety needs, such as increasing the police presence on our streets and not in our bars.
I encourage people with questions to e-mail me at eli@studentsforjudge.org or visit my website www.studentsforjudge.org. Once elected, I pledge to remain an accessible and effective representative for students in the 8th District.
Eli Judge
UW-Madison sophomore
Candidate for City Council District 8
