Eli Judge's victory in the District 8 aldermanic election served as another setback for Progressive Dane in the Madison City Council. With a mere six seats in the council, Progressive Dane has a much looser grip on local politics than in previous years and faces an identity crisis.
While the council's ideology remains the same, the plethora of newcomers to the council and the departure of Council President Austin King create an opportunity for new leadership and a new identity for Progressive Dane in the council.
The council's previous decisions were highly divisive among interior political groups, which led to discord and ill will toward Progressive Dane.
Under King, the group represented a leftist view that was too extreme and closed-minded, contributing to the loss of Progressive Dane seats.
King's leadership left many students wanting more from their local representation, which the election proved since his support of Lauren Woods may have hindered rather than helped her campaign. Judge promised to support student interests in contrast to King, who has had his own agenda independent of student desires.
The new leadership needs to be more moderate in order to ensure meaningful representation on the council and re-establish Progressive Dane as a respectable name in local politics.
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, should take the initiative to lead the charge to increase moderation on the council. With many newcomers lacking vital experience, Verveer could mitigate this if he decides to guide them toward establishing policies as a council rather than an interior faction.
Verveer has a good relationship with the city and Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and could bring the council together while still supporting Progressive Dane's initiatives.
For Progressive Dane to succeed in the future, the representatives should cooperate with other politicians instead of taking their own initiatives. The group's negative image led Cieslewicz to disassociate with them before the mayoral election.
In order to shed this image, Progressive Dane needs to have more flexibility with opposing policies and cooperate with other members in the City Council as the new leadership steps in.
