This is the fourth in a series profiling influential city leaders in Madison.
A 30-year resident of Williamson Street in Madison, Ald. Judy Olson, District 6, has devoted much of her 11-year alder career to revitalizing the downtown neighborhood.
"It may be hard to imagine now, but in the 1980s, the Williamson Street area was considered an unsafe place and not a place where you wanted to live," she said. "I, along with a lot of other people, have worked hard to help the area overcome that."
The area has experienced a lot of redevelopment pressure in the last decade, and Olson works to control and guide development in the area while mediating the various opinions between the city and her constituents.
Ald. Robbie Webber, District 5, who has worked on City Council with Olson for the last three years, praised Olson's ability to manage challenging issues in her district.
"Redevelopment issues are very difficult for neighborhoods because the people are often split," Webber said. "There have been so many redevelopment issues in her district, but I think she's handled them very well."
In addition to her commitment to redevelopment issues, Olson has also been highly involved in issuing liquor licensing in her district. An appointed member of the Alcohol License Review Committee, Olson helps control the distribution of liquor licenses in her area.
Although Olson admits Williamson Street once had too many poorly run bars, she said the street is now home to a number of "lively and positive businesses" that are "great assets to the neighborhood."
ALRC Chairman Kenneth Kamp commended Olson's ability to solve problems efficiently. When there has been disagreement about liquor licenses in the past, Olson has individually organized meetings between disputing parties outside of committee meetings. This way, she saves time for other committee members, and problems are solved more quickly, Kamp said.
"I see her as a dedicated, very caring person," Kamp said. "She truly represents the people that she's supposed to represent. And she even goes further in that she looks at a situation when there's a conflict in another area of the city, and she looks at it as if it were in her own district."
Like Kamp, Webber complemented Olson's ability to solve problems efficiently during City Council meetings.
"There are a lot of alders that talk a lot, and sometimes when somebody rings in to the Council, you just cringe because you know it's going to be a while," Webber said. "But when Judy rings in, you know it will be to the point and insightful."
Webber also said Olson often has a clever way of getting her point across.
"She's very quiet, but she has a very interesting way of cutting to the chase," Webber said. "She often comes up with these very funny remarks that totally come to the quip. She just cracks everybody up."
Olson said she has been particularly impressed with her constituents' dedication to their community.
"What I've learned as an alder is that people care very deeply about their neighborhood and community, and they're willing to put in the time and talent to support it and make it better," Olson said.
Olson also expressed appreciation for the various issues that students have brought to the City Council in recent years, as well as her hope that student activism continues in the future.
"I would just like to encourage young people to get involved in politics," Olson said. "It's fascinating, it's easy to get involved, and it's an important issue."