On Monday, Ald. Eli Judge, District 8, announced he would not pursue a second term as alderman for his district on the Madison Common Council. Judge, a UW-Madison senior, plans to move on to law school rather than running for a second term representing District 8, an area of downtown Madison containing 98 percent of the student body.
Judge's contributions to his student constituents are numerous and impressive. His first item passed through the council was the Textbook Ordinance, which greatly reduced the number of textbook thefts on campus. In addition, Judge fought to protect students with the Photo Ordinance, a measure intended to defend renters' rights. Judge's latest act includes drafting the Downtown Residential Lighting Initiative to improve downtown lighting in response to increased safety concerns.
Judge, 21, is the youngest member of the Common Council, yet his unique perspective as a UW-Madison student demonstrated the need to ensure the District 8 alderman remains a student voice. Although the other aldermen may have more experience and hours put in at the community level, others supported the benefits of having a young student such as Judge on the Madison Common Council.
I think he was a good representative for the students and brought a balanced perspective to the council,"" Ald. Brenda Konkel, District 2, said. ""I really appreciate all the hard work he did on behalf of the tenants.""
Like Judge, the new District 8 alderman should make themselves open and available to their constituents whenever possible. As Judge himself admitted, the majority of students are not even aware of who is representing them in the council, so accessibility is key.
No matter who eventually wins Judge's seat on the council, they have the impressive blueprints of a successful predecessor to follow. Although the student populous should be upset to watch Judge go, they must respect his desire to enhance his education at the next level and perhaps serve an even larger populous in the future. The Daily Cardinal Editorial Board wishes Eli Judge the best of luck and thanks him for the time he has devoted to District 8, especially in serving the students of UW-Madison.
