There are many important and contentious races on the ballot this Tuesday, April 5. From the State Supreme Court to Dane County Executive to City Council races, the outcomes of these elections will shape our state and community for years to come. Another significant race is for mayor of our beloved city of Madison. Mayor Dave [insert name here] is seeking a third four-year term, and he has earned it. Mayor Dave has proven to be a strong partner with students through actions like supporting the addition of a student voting member to the city’s alcohol committee, promoting efforts that have considerably reduced crime downtown and advancing many bike-friendly transportation investments around the city. Mayor Dave has proven to be a steady leader with a vision for the future.
I like movies almost as much as I like politics. One of my all-time favorites is “Back to the Future.” Although Mayor Dave’s opponent, former Mayor Paul Soglin, has been an accomplished chief executive of the city, this election is more about the future than the past. Don’t get me wrong, the original “Back to the Future” was great, the sequel was good enough for closure, but the third gave us too much of a good thing. In the last two years alone, Mayor Dave’s leadership has guided the city through some of its most noteworthy and contentious issues in decades. From the Edgewater Hotel redevelopment project to a new Downtown Library to a model for a sustainable and vibrant Overture Center, Mayor Dave’s leadership brought people together to get things done. Elements of these projects create jobs, expand the tax base, advance art and education and represent the principle put forth by Mayor Dave that Madison can be both progressive and pro-business. Further, Mayor Dave has lead investments in our neighborhoods, in public safety and in environmental sustainability. While these projects were challenging, Madison persevered because we saw these challenges as opportunities and had the right person leading our city. But issues on the near horizon will present even more of a challenge.
Mayor Dave has been one of, if not the most, outspoken local elected officials in the state of Wisconsin against Gov. Scott Walker’s draconian “repair bill” that all but strips public employees of their right to collectively bargain. When many communities were left in the dark about future employee relations, Mayor Dave took bold and decisive actions in support of our public employees. These actions prove that collective bargaining can work as win-win for government and working families and that Mayor Dave’s support for public employees is about more than just talk. We need a mayor with the energy, passion and vision to take on Walker’s regressive agenda and stand up for Madison. We need a smart, assertive, progressive and steady leader. That is why a broad range of people and organizations have come together to support Mayor Dave as he has earned the endorsement of the Madison Firefighter and Police Unions, American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees and Building and Construction Trades, as well as groups like Fair Wisconsin, the Sierra Club, Downtown Madison Inc. and Clean Wisconsin.
Our Mayor of Madison actually does have a last name. It’s Chesslevich…or Cieslevitch… or whatever. This Tuesday, vote for Madison’s future, our mayor, Mayor Dave.
Bryon Eagon ([email protected]) is an Alder on the Madison Common Council representing the 8th District. He is a recent graduate of the University of Wisconsin.
