Ahead of next Tuesday's primary candidates for Dane County Executive debated the criminal justice system, expanding public transportation and boosting the economy Wednesday in a forum hosted by the Democratic Party of Dane County.
""It's time to elect a new leader,"" Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk said. ""And these four gentlemen have stepped up to the plate and have been battling hard.""
Dane County Board Chair Scott McDonell, Department of Commerce Deputy Secretary Zach Brandon, Joe Wineke and state Rep. Joe Parisi, D-Madison, talked about the need to grow the economy, especially to make up for Gov. Scott Walker's likely funding cuts, without offering any specific plans.
""I will make sure that when people fall into the safety net there is a job ladder back out of that safety net,"" Brandon said. ""That is something that's very important to me having grown up with a single mother on the edge of poverty. I want to make sure that we have these vital functions, that we link economic development with human services.""
The candidates all supported increasing funding for programs like the Regional Transportation Fund, the Capital Area Regional Planning Commission and the Conservation Fund, although Brandon and Wineke warned that Walker's funding cuts could make it impossible.
""We have a dearth now of democrats with a profile who are willing to take on Scott Walker and that Armageddon machine that they're trying to create here that says that ‘all of us don't count, we don't matter and, Dane County, we wouldn't care if you were seceded to Illinois,'"" Wineke said.
The candidates also mentioned the racial disparities in the county's justice system.
""Seven percent of Wisconsin's population is African American. Fifty percent of the incarcerated population is African American,"" Parisi said. ""I find that completely unacceptable.""
