Ald. Zach Brandon's proposed amendment to erase the $100,000 Downtown Safety Initiative from the city budget is not a sufficient way for his district, or others, to receive more money.
Although the Madison Police Department is expected to receive $53 million from the proposed city budget total of $224 million, the additional $100,000 allotted for the initiative represents how important safety is to local officials.
Brandon's practice of fiscal responsibility, especially in this situation, comes at a heavy cost. The proposed amendment fails to strike a balance between spending and safety.
Even though $100,000 seems like a lot of money, public safety is worth the expense.
Brandon, District 7, may believe creating an initiative based on geographic region is unnecessary, but downtown residents feel they experience more violent crime than Brandon's suburban constituents and feel they need extra protection.
According to Madison police estimates, 84 percent of residents in the West District, which includes Brandon's district, do not think sexual assault is a problem in their area. Conversely, 26 percent of residents of the downtown area believe sexual assault is a problem where they live.
With this past year's string of violent crime occurring in the downtown area - last year there were 57 reported sexual assaults, up from 44 in 2005 - it is necessary to maintain the goals of the initiative.
Brandon's constituents may not feel the need for extra police downtown every day, but he has a responsibility to ensure public safety. Whenever his constituents come downtown for dinner, a Badger game or any other event, they are protected by the same police that
receive funding from the Downtown Safety
Initiative.
The safety initiative's goal is not just to protect downtown residents - it is to protect all people while they are in downtown Madison.
The proposed amendment was legitimately shot down by the Board of Estimates Oct. 29. This outcome should make Brandon rethink his prioritization of fiscal responsibility over public safety.
