It was standing room only at the Grand Hall in the Capitol Lakes Retirement Community despite the freezing temperatures as the first of many mayoral forums began Thursday.
Capital Times Associate Editor John Nichols hosted the forum organized by Capital Neighborhoods Inc. Incumbent Dave Cieslewicz, former mayor Paul Soglin, City Engineering Construction Supervisor John Blotz, Madison resident Dennis Amadeus de Nure and stand-up comedian Nick Hart presented their views and answered questions.
Blotz, a UW-Madison alumnus and a life-long resident of Madison, said he was running as a reform candidate.
""I want to keep Madison the way I've come to love it,"" Blotz said.
Blotz criticized Cieslewicz for his ""questionable hirings"" within the city. According to Blotz, Cieslewicz only hired those who held the same viewpoints as him.
Cieslewicz said he does hire people with similar goals, but said they do not necessarily agree with everything he proposes.
Blotz said the mayor's job should be to manage the business of the city, not side projects.
Blotz criticized Cieslewicz for past projects involving bike transportation and eco-friendly initiatives.
""I'm trying to bring the city back around to providing basic services without pet projects, without politicking, without all the underhanded dealings,"" Blotz said.
Soglin, who lost to Cieslewicz by a narrow margin in 2003, said people of all demographics have asked him to run for office. Soglin said Madison's ""greatest successes,"" such as the State Street Mall and the Monona Terrace thrived because of citizen involvement.
De Nure, who later said he was not a ""serious candidate,"" said he would find ways to attract new businesses and create jobs. He suggested building museums such as a Native American historical museum as ways to accomplish those goals.
Hart said he wants to help Madison live up to its progressive reputation and improve the city's drinking water.
The five candidates will face off in the primary election Feb. 15.
