A series of struggles highlights importance of county board elections

With Dane County Board elections coming up next week, students in District 5 will be rushing the polls on April 1 to elect their representative.

Each time the County Board has been thrust into the spotlight over the past two years, it has been because it dropped the ball on key issues. These include fixing flaws in the county-wide 911 dispatch center and securing a permanent day shelter for homeless residents before winter.

After a new dispatch system was implemented last April, malfunctions and inefficiencies have resulted in numerous instances of miscommunication, potentially putting first responders and citizens at risks. With no immediate solutions in sight and a stalemate between the city and county bureaucracies, the issue remains unresolved.

The board also fell short in its efforts to provide a day shelter for the homeless. Ideally, the permanent day shelter would have been open in time for this particularly frigid winter, but Dane County’s homeless were left in the cold. Even though $600,000 was allocated to buy a building, the Dane County Board was unable to procure a site.

These are shining examples of the effectiveness of the board our potential representative can look forward to joining.

A choice between two student liberals

One of the few contested seats on the 37-member board will be decided by the campus community. As the race for District 5 has shaped up, voters are left to choose between two candidates that display relatively minor differences. Incumbent Leland Pan and challenger Chris Hoffman have shown they would both make suitable County Board supervisors with proven track records of representing students’ interests.

In the past two years, Pan has been a consistent advocate for organized labor and worked to tackle homelessness issues and the problem of grave racial disparities in the county. Hoffman, former College Democrats chair, has a strong focus on environmental policy and is passionate about involving students in the governing process.

While Pan and Hoffman have focused on distinct issues, both are characterized by their left-of-center views, which make them more similar than different. Considering the overwhelming liberal lean of the board and lack of primaries in many districts, it is unlikely either candidate will disrupt the trajectory of the county government.

Although Pan has a natural advantage as the incumbent, we are confident that Hoffman would hit the ground running should he be elected as county board supervisor. The relatively minor differences between the candidates make it impossible to endorse one candidate over the other. Regardless of who ultimately wins the seat, at least District 5 will be left in capable hands.

Bongs away on legalization

We encourage you to vote yes on the advisory referendum in support of marijuana legalization.

However, it’s important to note that you won’t be able to walk down State Street with a joint a month from now regardless of the outcome. While a strong showing of support from liberal Dane County will be written off by the Republican-controlled Legislature, establishing public interest in this issue now could blaze the trail for legalization in the future.

Legalization is a worthy goal, but this issue is independent of County Board politics. Both candidates support the legalization referendum, so voters should not choose a candidate based solely on this issue.