A second candidate has entered the race to replace outgoing Ald. Bryon Eagon for the District 8 seat on Madison’s City Council.
State-Langdon Neighborhood President Scott Resnick announced in a statement Tuesday evening he will challenge UW student Kyle Szarzynski for the seat Eagon has held since 2009.
Resnick recently graduated from the University of Wisconsin and is currently the vice president of Hardin Design and Development, a technical development firm based in Madison.
“Langdon Street is an excellent place to live, [and] go to school and work,” Resnick said in the statement. “If elected, I will focus on neighborhood initiatives that will continue to make our campus thrive.”
Resnick cited his five years of living in the State-Langdon neighborhood and and political experience working for representatives at the Capitol as some of his qualifications for the seat. He also worked as a member of the College Democrats of Madison’s executive board.
Resnick said that as an alder he would switch the focus away from Langdon Street, which he said previous District 8 alders have improved immensely, and try bringing improvements to safety in the Spring Street area. He said he will also focus on tenant and landlord issues and downtown development if elected to the council.
“Students should be able to walk from Witte to the Shell at night without having to worry about their personal safety,” he said.
Szarzynski, who announced his candidacy last month, said he believed Resnick’s entrance in the race would encourage further interest in the race.
“It’s good to see there’s other interest in the race,” said Szarzynski, a former Badger Herald columnist. “I hope the race can be a forum to raise issues which are relevant to students.”
Associated Students of Madison Legislative Affairs Chair Sam Polstein will be Resnick’s campaign manager, ruling out the possibility of his candidacy.
Eagon announced he would not seek re-election last week so he could pursue a Teach for America opportunity in New York City next year. Before running for alder, Eagon served as the coordinator for Wisconsin Students for Barack Obama during the 2008 election.
