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Woods, Judge debate
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Focusing on campus safety, District 8 aldermanic candidates Lauren Woods and Eli Judge faced off in a debate Thursday night at the Red Gym.
Judge, a University of Wisconsin sophomore, and Woods, a senior, are both vying for the soon-to-be vacant District 8 seat, which is currently held by City Council President Austin King.
With a recent string of high-profile assaults on Spring, Langdon and East Wilson streets, the primary concern on most students' minds last night was campus safety.
"What we're going to be trying to do is set up something called the Campus Watch Program," Judge said.
He added the Campus Watch Program would include teams of students who "walk around with armbands, indicating piece of apparel and cell phones, communicating directly with neighborhood watch officers, just so we can have a visible thing on the streets."
Judge has criticized Woods' call for increased lighting, saying it's too expensive, and instead has called for an ordinance encouraging property owners to install their own lighting. In turn, Woods criticized Judge's plan, saying it relies too heavily on volunteerism.
"I think, definitely, it is important to engage our citizens — we want people to be good-hearted," Woods said. "But I know that it's the responsibility of the city to make sure that we're safe, and so I advocate for pedestrian-scale lighting instead of privatizing lighting."
Woods also stressed that most sexual assaults occur between acquaintances, so a neighborhood watch program might not do much to curb assaults.
"I think that the assumption is that one in four women will be walking down the street and get attacked by a man in the bushes, and that's certainly not the case," Woods said. "It's not as easy as saying that we want to have people patrolling the streets, because in fact people are not getting raped in the streets — they're getting raped in their bedrooms."
About 40 students and community members attended the event, which was hosted by the Wisconsin Black Student Union, the Campus Women's Center and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Campus Center.
Suchita Shah, a UW sophomore, said she is happy the debate was made available to students.
"It's a very important race, because one of these two is going to be the next representative and take City Council President Austin King's spot," Shah said. "I think both candidates are great students who have great ideas, but overall I thought Eli Judge did an absolutely amazing job and is very in touch with students."
Many Woods supporters also turned out for the event, including King, Woods' campaign treasurer.
Woods' supporters said they were impressed by the forum, as well as Woods' plans for District 8.
"I think it was very important for BSU to hold the forum just to educate the African-American and other minorities on campus," UW senior Heydie Navarro said. "Lauren stood out to me the most — I think that her answers were more full and more insightful, and I stand for what she stands for."
The two candidates will face off during the spring general election, which takes place April 3.
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Judge has made it pretty clear he advocates some public and some private lighting; that’s a typo in this article.
NOBODY CARES. Just forget about this race already. Besides, w/ PD in the running, there’s no such thing as democracy.
That’s not a typo at all. Judge clearly said that he thought public lighting was too expensive, like he’s the great champion of lower taxes.
Honestly, if only for that reason, Woods won this debate hands down.
Lauren did so well! Congrats on winning the debate, Lauren! Keep it up!
"I think it was very important for BSU to hold the forum just to educate the African-American and other minorities on campus," UW senior Heydie Navarro said.
-Well THAT sounds like a fair forum… do the College Democrats or Students for Judge plan to hold a “debate” as well? Puh-lease. Maybe Fair Wisconsin can sponser a “LGBT issue” debate.
The debate was also co-sponsored by the LGBTCC, based on the flyer I saw.
Just because Judge lost the debate doesn’t mean you should start making things up.
Lauren win? No Way!
Great job, Eli, on your debate victory! I’m looking forward to seeing you on City Council representing common sense UW values.
You think anyone there didnt have their mind made up going into the debate?
I think the 20 people in the room are the only ones who care…
i’m sorry but who declared that Lauren Woods won the debate? Thats right. No one did.
The debate was awesome but next time it should be in an arena and it should be a fight to the death with the winner getting a spot on the city council. - Germain E. Stemme
if the badger herald ever had an online poll i bet someone would spend a whole day spamming people emails about how to delete their cookies and vote multiple times to win the poll. badger Herald polls would equal real electoral power. congrats.
I was there, and Lauren was hands-down the winner.
Eli couldn’t even answer my question about safety, just kept repeating the same talking points from earlier so I had to ask him again. Then Lauren got my question, and she was able to answer it head-on. Of course, I was already supporting Lauren, but this was just one more example of how she is better informed and more knowledgable. Go Lauren!
to 2:29AM saying Judge does not support new lights:
Straight from Judge’s safety plan: “I wholeheartedly support the expansion of pedestrian scale lighting in areas of low visibility, including North Frances St., Spring St., Lake St. (by the vacant McDonalds), and Mills St.”
You are a liar, 2:29AM, most likely Austin King.
-A Judge supporter
I think most of the comments are missing the point. The district 8 race is not about whose campus safety plan is better or even who won the debate, the race is really about ensuring that Austin King has yet another political ally in office. Because after all with Lauren, Ashock, and Vicki in office, the path will be clear for Mr. King’s mayoral run in 2011, after he finishes law school.
Madison would go to hell in a handbasket if King were elected Mayor.
What a nutjob.
“Anonymous (March 16, 2007 @ 5:32pm):
I think most of the comments are missing the point. The district 8 race is not about whose campus safety plan is better or even who won the debate, the race is really about ensuring that Austin King has yet another political ally in office. Because after all with Lauren, Ashock, and Vicki in office, the path will be clear for Mr. King’s mayoral run in 2011, after he finishes law school.”
Well that scares the shit out of me.
“I think most of the comments are missing the point. The district 8 race is not about whose campus safety plan is better or even who won the debate, the race is really about ensuring that Austin King has yet another political ally in office. Because after all with Lauren, Ashock, and Vicki in office, the path will be clear for Mr. King’s mayoral run in 2011, after he finishes law school.”
What are you talking about? Even if King were to run for office, Madison is not an oligarchy. We still elect our mayor. Having a couple of friends on the county board (assuming that a few don’t also go to law school, which is unlikely) does not “clear the path” for anyone.
King isn’t going to run for Mayor. He wants Black’s seat. And when King runs, every. single. skelton. will. come. out.
Ha! Austin would never run for mayor. Ever. But that would be pretty hilarious.
And what skeletons? That he smoked pot as an undergrad? Put him on a list with Michael Bloomberg, John McCain, Bushie, Clinton, etc.
If you’ve got any “goods” on him, bust him on it already. Oh, wait, that’s right, you’re just lying.
Why would the College Republicans want to use it up you right now? Stop posting Austin King. You’re too old to hang around college kids anymore.
An unfunded mandate to install outdoor lighting? The reliance on the ‘good’ of the people to start a neighborhood watch? Judge sounds more and more republican every day.
Dude it was a freakin’ debate it was an open forum for the canidates to discuss there proposals, etc… GOSH PEOPLE!!!!