The Badger Herald: News: ‘Outsider’ fights from within

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‘Outsider’ fights from within

SUNDEEP MALLADI/Herald photo

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Also by Beth Mueller:

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Alcohol: Outside the law, inside the dorms (February 19, 2009)
The Age of the Volunteer (January 22, 2009)
Yes, he can? (January 20, 2009)
University committee to see new leadership (December 1, 2008)

By Beth Mueller
Thursday, May 10, 2007 12:00 a.m.

2 Vote 0 Votes

While her day job as executive director of the Tenant Resource Center involves resolving problems between tenants and landlords, Ald. Brenda Konkel, District 2, is known around City Hall as a gifted yet occasionally contentious figure.

Born in Madison and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School, Konkel said her main goal on City Council is to bring together people from both ends of the economic spectrum.

"The biggest problem facing Madison is how to bridge the divide between the haves and the have-nots," Konkel said. "There is a wide gap between the two populations. … We're diverse, but we don't intermingle."

Konkel identifies this goal as pervasive in many actions of City Council, from inclusionary zoning to job creation and development of the East Washington Avenue area.

According to Konkel, inclusionary zoning in Madison requires that developers "build 15 percent of their units as 'affordable.'"

Ald. Lauren Cnare, District 3, works with Konkel on the Inclusionary Zoning Advisory Oversight Committee.

"I appreciate her ability to put things in context in terms of the history of the issue," Cnare said. "I think the committee has made a huge amount of progress and uncovered as many unknown or unexamined issues as known ones."

City Council President Mike Verveer also praised Konkel's "tremendous experience in housing," which he said he experienced firsthand working with her on the board of directors at the Tenant Resource Center in the mid-1990s.

"She is one of the hardest-working and smartest members of the council," Verveer said. "I don't know where she gets all of her energy and passion."

However, Ald. Zach Brandon, District 7, said that while her skills give her the potential to be a highly effective alder, she often makes issues too personal, which he said limits her ability to lead.

"She spent so much time being the scrappy outsider that when she actually got the opportunity to be a leader, she had a tough time with that transition," Brandon said.

Brandon still said he sees Konkel as smart, hard-working and politically savvy.

"In politics or life, in negotiation, you have to have all those characteristics, but you have to be able to get to the table," Brandon said.

Recently, media coverage has been given to an alleged feud between Konkel and Mayor Dave Cieslewicz.

Konkel expressed her policy-based disagreement with Cieslewicz over issues like the Alcohol Density Plan and criticized his lack of cooperation in the current transportation battle centering on the mayor's trolley plan and a separate light-rail project.

"The parties involved are not communicating very well at all," Konkel said. "Clearly just going forward with the streetcar plan is not what the community wants, and not even logical."

However, Konkel also explained what she sees as a subpar working relationship with the mayor.

"He refuses to speak to me right now," Konkel said. "It's disenfranchising for my constituents and not very professional."

Konkel, whose district includes the Monroe Street area and many college students, was first elected to City Council in 2001.

2 Comments | Leave a comment

Erik Paulson | May 10, 2007 9:11 PM | Reply

The 2nd does not include Monroe Street. It’s most of the east isthmus out to Tenney Park, between Lake Mendota and E Washington St, as well as the top end of Langdon.

Anonymous | May 10, 2007 10:07 PM | Reply

It’s not Monroe St. - It’s from the east end of Langdon along the lake over to the East Johnson/Gorham/Mifflin/Dayton area between the lake and East Johnson St up to the Yahara River including James Madison Park and Tenney Park.