Mayor focuses on safety, infrastructure

by Taylor Cox

Wednesday, April 9, 2008 01:48

Mayor Dave Cieslewicz assured optimism for the future of safety in Madison and addressed the city’s commitment to more efficient energy in his annual State of the City speech Tuesday.

In light of the recent murders of University of Wisconsin junior Brittany Zimmermann and 31-year-old Joel Marino, Cieslewicz said addressing issues of public safety are a priority for the Madison Police Department.

“I can guarantee you that the Madison Police Department is working day and night to solve these murders,” Cieslewicz said. “We are one of the safest communities in America. … We need to remind ourselves [of that].”

Madison’s crime rate has dropped 14 percent in 2006 and 2007, he added.

In hopes of continuing the trend toward a safer community, the mayor launched a Downtown Safety Initiative in 2007. The initiative included the addition of 30 new police officers to the force and focused on strategically placing them at times and places where the city is busiest — including football Saturdays.

“The rash of incidents downtown decreased markedly from 112 robberies in 2006 to 58 in 2007,” Cieslewicz said.

Cieslewicz also said he plans to explore the use of city employees to deal with various issues to improve the city’s customer service while not occupying the MPD with trivial issues.

In another staffing shortfall the city established an area snow team to manage the winter’s record-setting snowfall. An analysis is underway to continue the city’s progress, Cieslewicz said.

The mayor also mentioned the ongoing pothole program that is helping improve the major problem Madison streets are facing as well. Cieslewicz plans to accelerate locally funded efforts to rebuild deteriorating streets, with a five-year initiative to reduce the miles of aging streets throughout the city by two-thirds.

Cieslewicz turned from infrastructure to the relationship with public education as he plans to continue to bridge several entities.

“I think it’s very important that we can say we have great public schools,” Cieslewicz said, adding he looks to strengthen the relationship between UW, other Madison schools and the City Council via a partnership of community, city and school officials.

Working together can help resolve the revenue cap problem that Cieslewicz said is hindering public education all over the state.

Cieslewicz also encouraged optimism from council members regarding international relations. A recent visit to Obihiro, Japan, prompted the mayor to call for continuing relationships and outreach to the rest of the world.

“The sister city program can inspire us with ways to enhance our local economy and reduce the environmental impact of our region,” Cieslewicz said.

The efforts to reduce Madison’s ecological footprint continue, he said, with the Green Capitol City Plan and the Mpowering Madison Campaign. Both intend to increase the city’s energy efficiency and encourage community participation in the reduction of global climate change.

Cieslewicz also issued caution to the approaching invasion of the Emerald Ash Borer beetle that has destroyed a vast population of ash trees around the Midwest. Thirty percent of the city’s trees are ash, and the replacement costs of these trees could surpass six million dollars, he said.

The mayor concluded by commending the council on their engagement, charisma and overwhelming care for the city.

“I think this is a very engaged city council,” Cieslewicz said. “You ask a lot of questions … You look for issues on their merits one by one, and I appreciate that.”