District 2 alder candidates Brenda Konkel and Bridget Maniaci clashed over safety, homelessness and transportation at Wednesday night's final debate, held in Memorial Union.
Although the candidates had minor policy differences, Konkel continually emphasized her experience, and Maniaci emphasized her fresh perspective and focus on local concerns.
""Brenda's been in office for eight years, and there's very little that's been changed in the neighborhood,"" Maniaci said.
Maniaci pointed specifically to the district's streetlight shortage, a major concern following recent sexual assaults near the UW-Madison campus.
Konkel said she was working to light up the district and hoped to use tax incremental finance funds to split the funding between property owners and the city. Konkel also said she would ""rather see more police officers on the street walking around than security cameras stuck on a pole somewhere.""
Maniaci, however, argued the cameras were useful to police after a recent murder outside the Crave Lounge.
Maniaci stressed she would also work with UW-Madison to improve the SAFEride services, suggesting UW-Milwaukee's student taxi service as a model for increasing safety and creating student jobs.
On homelessness, both candidates supported funding for a recent Housing First proposal to connect the homeless to affordable housing, as well as substance abuse and job training services.
In addition, Konkel, who also directs the Tenant Resource Center, said she wants to shield local nonprofit organizations from a proposed tax hike that would cost them up to $2 million.
Both candidates opposed recent bus fare hikes to $2, and Maniaci strongly supported a regional transit authority to revamp the city's ailing transportation system.
""The buses have to be more effective and more efficient, and we have to get more riders into the system,"" Maniaci said.
The debate was not completely politics-free. In the waning minutes, Konkel addressed her thorny relationship with Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, which received attention after Cieslewicz endorsed Maniaci, his former intern.
""We need someone to stand up to Mayor Dave ... who's not just going to be a rubber stamp ... and not just be quiet and hide in the background,"" Konkel said.
The aldermanic elections will be held April 7.
