The April 2 election for Madison’s District 8 Common Council seat will be a contest between incumbent alder Scott Resnick and Christian Hansen, a University of Wisconsin-La Crosse alum who is on a local Cooperative Board.
The District 8 alder represents the district which encompasses most of campus, including university residence halls and off-campus housing.
Resnick, endorsed by 18 of the 19 current alders, said a second term would allow him the opportunity to build on the improvements he made during the last two years on Common Council.
He said he is especially proud of the campus safety projects, such as new city lighting he was able to push through city Council despite opposition.
“Coming into next year, we’re going to have similar conversations, and I feel like I’m the best applicant for those issues,” Resnick said.
Although new to Madison city government, Hansen said his current position as an elected representative on the board at the Madison Community Cooperative makes him a strong candidate for the job.
“To me it’s all about inclusion and sustained community engagement because I feel very strongly that the answers to our district issues come from those who live there, and I will be personally attending meetings to address their needs,” Hansen said.
Despite Hansen’s accusations that the required signatures Resnick collected were illegitimate, Resnick will appear on the ballot after the city clerk’s office overruled the challenge.
Resnick said his platform focuses on three goals: increasing campus safety, empowering students by encouraging them to serve in city leadership positions and improving housing practices such as holding landlords accountable, and strengthening the housing committee.
“When I entered Council we had almost no students serving on any city committees,” Resnick said. “We’re getting close to having a dozen students on city committees including two that are in leadership roles.”
If elected, Hansen said he plans to prioritize creating affordable housing for students and homeless people by bringing the cooperative living model to the city, increasing bus access and broadening the range of voices in community discussions.
“I find quite often that students are not taken seriously and we need to make sure that happens on the city level,” Hansen said.
