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Dems rally for Cieslewicz

Mayor Dave Cieslewicz spoke to the University of Wisconsin College Democrats Tuesday regarding the group's recent endorsement of his candidacy in the spring 2007 election.

"I'm very proud to have the support of the College Democrats," Cieslewicz said. "I got elected in 2003 largely due to the student vote, [and] the margin was very thin. … Students played a big role."

The mayor won his first term by a narrow margin, but Cieslewicz added he won all four wards with primarily UW constituents.

At the meeting, Cieslewicz highlighted a few of his initiatives around the UW campus if elected to another term, which include advocating for 26 new police officer positions, addressing tenants' rights and budgeting $100,000 for the Downtown Safety Initiative.

Andy Gordon, chair of College Democrats communications, said the mayor has a tradition of working integrally with students at UW.

"It's great that he's here — he touched on some of his accomplishments around the university," Gordon said. "The mayor is really good for students."

Cieslewicz also said he plans to deal with crime through "root problems" such as poverty and neighborhood degradation.

College Democrats member Richard Dovere said Cieslewicz was chosen for the endorsement because he rose above other mayoral candidates.

"I think he's strong in the student wards — an advocate for students more than anyone else in the race," Dovere said.

When asked about Halloween, Cieslewicz said, "The jury is still out," but he added he was among the 35,000 people this year who attended the non-violent event. Avoiding situations where community members complain, he added, is the key to turning the event around.

"I think this was a watershed year, every year that we had those ugly incidents at the end we'd erode public support," Cieslewicz said. "This year we were able to turn all that around — I think if we keep that going, we've really got something."

Semmi Pasha, spokesperson for mayoral candidate Ray Allen, said the student vote is an important aspect of his campaign, too. She said that with Allen's tough and smart approach to crime and safety around campus, he hopes to gain the support of UW students even though Allen's stance on Halloween includes a different strategy than Cieslewicz's approach.

"We would not do a wet blanket on Halloween," Pasha said. "He wants to extend bar time on that weekend — we feel that a bulk of the problems come when you force everyone who has had something to drink at bar time to leave."

But the upcoming mayor election is scheduled during UW's spring break, creating a challenge for Cieslewicz's student support. The mayor said he encourages students to complete absentee papers to voice their support.

"We need to work to make sure students have the opportunity to vote absentee," Cieslewicz said. "We have a lot of support on campus, so it's a big concern; we're going to do everything we can."

Cieslewicz's campus campaign coordinator said they will hold a debate on campus after the primary election Feb. 20, as well as launch an extensive absentee ballot drive.