First, let's make one thing absolutely crystal clear: The right to collectively bargain in itself has nothing to do with balancing the state budget, and taking away that right will in no way improve Wisconsin's budget crisis.
In a close match-up, former mayor Paul Soglin eked out incumbent Dave Cieslewicz with more votes in Tuesday's primary election. As of press time, Soglin earned 50 percent of the vote while Cieslewicz earned 47 percent. Candidates Nick Hart and John Blotz each recieved 2 percent of the vote and Dennis de Nure received 1 percent of the vote. Soglin and Cieslewicz will once again duke it out for the position of Madison mayor in the upcoming April 5 general election. Soglin said he was surprised to gain more votes than Cieslewicz. ""We expected to do well, but we didn't think we would do quite this well,"" Soglin said. Soglin served as mayor from 1973 to 1979 and again from 1989 to 1997, and previously ran against the Cieslewicz in 2003 but lost by a narrow margin. Cieslewicz is seeking a third four-year term. ""We knew that the people of this community wanted a mayor who could respond to these very complicated problems,"" Soglin said. Soglin said he plans to focus on the UW-Madison campus in the next coming weeks of his campaign. The UW-Madison alumnus said he got his start on campus and wants to carry the campus in April. ""I think that some of the issues related to the state budget profoundly affects students and I'm hoping to hear from them about these issues,"" Soglin said. Cieslewicz could not be reached for comment as of press time. The first general-election mayoral debate is set for Feb. 24 at the Madison Club. — Maggie DeGroot
The Teaching Assistant Association (TAA) calls on Chancellor Biddy Martin to take a strong stance in opposition to Gov. Walker's budget repair bill. Her response to the bill to this point has been anything but.
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