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Woods drafts campus safety initiative
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Aldermanic candidate and University of Wisconsin senior Lauren Woods issued a plan yesterday in which she outlines six ways to improve safety in the campus area.
The plan, titled "A Progressive Plan for Campus Safety," addresses issues such as the recent increase in sexual assaults, the proposed Alcohol Density Plan and how to improve communication between the Madison Police and UW Police.
"In order to service the voters, I wanted to show that I do have a plan for safety on this campus," said Woods, who is running for Common Council President Austin King's soon-to-be vacant District 8 alder seat. "Up until this point, there has not been a lot of talk about a plan, especially from my opponent."
Woods will face UW sophomore Eli Judge in the April election. King, who has held the District 8 seat since 2003, decided not to seek re-election this year in order to pursue a law degree.
In the first part of her plan, Woods calls for increased pedestrian-scale lighting. But Rich Dovere, campaign manager for Judge, said this is part of Woods' plan that would not necessarily improve safety downtown.
"People are victims of crime in low-lighting situations and in high-lighting situations," Dovere said, although he added Judge also advocates for the expansion of "pedestrian-scale lighting in poorly lit areas" on his campaign website.
But in her plan, Woods said increased lighting would make streets feel safer and more comfortable by increasing pedestrian traffic.
In addition to better pedestrian lighting, Woods' plan also calls for increased neighborhood policing, more police sensitivity in dealing with sexual assault victims and for the problem of poverty in Madison to be solved in order to address the root causes of crime.
"The thing that really impressed me about this is that Lauren is highlighting a sort of philosophical approach," said King, who is also Woods' campaign treasurer. "I've never seen a local candidate put this much thought into issues that really deserve this much thought."
But Dovere criticized the broadness of Wood's 17-page plan, and said that it does not address the needs of District 8.
"There seems to be kind of a lot of idealistic ignorance in this type of plan, where it's not things that necessarily really relate to the city as a whole," Dovere said, adding that many of Woods' plans have already been proposed by Judge.
Both candidates have expressed frustration with local law enforcement for spending time and effort searching for underage drinkers in downtown bars and house parties instead of increasing their presence on the street. Judge has called for increased accountability from the MPD and the UWPD, and Woods said she would like increased cooperation between the two departments.
The Madison general election will take place April 3.
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Where does Woods plan to fund all of this? Austin King’s parents?
17 pages? let me guess, 16.5 by austin king
To the previous comment, why do guess that 16.5 pages were by austin king? Lauren is putting her policy position out there, instead of actually addressing the actual issues brought up in the document people attack Lauren Clearly the Judge camp is not about issues but about personal attacks.
Jesus christ, you little weenie College Dems must be slipping - it’s 6am and you’ve only attacked Austin, and not Ashok?
We elected someone who wants to put drug dealers in rehab?
http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/tct/2007/01/19/0701190333.php
none. of. this. matters.
Go Lauren!
Richard Dovere is a right-wing hack. The worst kind of hack. He hasn’t bothered to read the plan, then goes and rips it. Then he accuses her of stealing it from Eli, when in fact she was outlining these ideas weeks before he was even in the race. Don’t listen to Richard Dovere - check it out for yourself:
http://www.laurenwoods.org/safety.php
“Jesus christ, you little weenie College Dems must be slipping - it’s 6am and you’ve only attacked Austin, and not Ashok?”
Here ya go… in page 18 of the proposal, Austin can change his name to Harold, and they can go to White Castle together. And then make a movie about it.
Lauren, how do you plan to fund the seven hundred million dollars it would take to fund your plans?
This is priceless:
"People are victims of crime in low-lighting situations and in high-lighting situations," Dovere said, although he added Judge also advocates for the expansion of "pedestrian-scale lighting in poorly lit areas" on his campaign website.
HER IDEA IS WRONG, EXCEPT IT’S OUR IDEA TOO, AND SHE STOLE IT FROM US, EVEN THOUGH IT DOESN’T WORK, AND, AND, AND… I’M A MORON.
I personally find it very odd that Richard Dovere would be a right-wing hack and running the campaign of a democrat.
I also find it strange that whoever posted that last comment would know how much time Dovere spent going over the plan. Now that I have read the plan, I have to say that Dovere is absolutely right - how much of this really deals with the needs of this campus. All this looks like is a bunch of stupid Green Party policies looking for attention because Austin King was unable to accomplish these ideas on his own during his activist tenure.
Why is no one asking why King wasn’t able to actually stop these problems before they started?
And now he’s running Lauren Woods’ campaign. It just seems like a vote for her is another vote for the failure of the status quo and a willingness to subject our streets to consistent muggings, robberies and rapes.
More police downtown is the only answer.
“It just seems like a vote for her is another vote for the failure of the status quo and a willingness to subject our streets to consistent muggings, robberies and rapes.”
Holy right-wing smear language! You Judge supporters must be really scared by the Woods plan to stoop to such pathetic levels. What nonsense.
When you ask a Woods supporter how they address criticism: Call Judge a right-winger
When you ask a Judge supporter how they address criticismL Call Woods a Green party candidate.
As someone who watches campus politics closely, only one of those is correct, and I certainly don’t see a Republican in this race…
This is the first time the far left at UW has been challenged by the moderate left. I would be shaking in my boots if I were Austin King.
Since when did either of these candidates’ platforms become “left” or “far-left”? While differing in substance, as far as I’m concerned, they’re in the same political spectrum. The way I see it, the dealbreaker is Lauren’s greater breadth of experience. Nothing against Judge, he just doesn’t seem to have anything but Fair Wisconsin as experience.
Ashok, where you at?
I’m more impressed by a guy who turned out 17,000 students against the ban, meeting organizations and groups around campus, than someone who has leadership in just one small segment of campus and two committees which have done literally nothing.
it’s soooooo annoying that there are more than five campus groups working on safety initiatives right now and then Lauren comes out with her “plan of action” without consulting anyone and takes credit for the ideas of other students.