Madison’s near east side has for decades acted as an anchor for Madison’s most iconic and attractive attributes. From our quiet pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods to our exceptional level of community activism and the progressive vision for the city that ties the isthmus together, the district I hope to represent embodies so much of what makes Madison a fantastic place to live, work and go to school.
Our unique, accommodating and diverse district calls for a City Council representative that embodies our values. As a graduate of the University of Wisconsin and current public health graduate student, I have spent many years working in campus and community organizations honing organizational skills and a hard earned effectiveness at working with diverse groups on shared goals. At the municipal level in particular, experience with community organizing and principled advocacy are qualities that can greatly assist city residents in our efforts to improve our neighborhoods and the city as a whole. Unlike my opponent, I see the city alder not as a unilateral decision maker but rather as a conduit between one’s neighbors and municipal government, an empowered assistant to help residents manifest their vision for our charmed city.
It is for these reasons that, at a pivotal time in our city’s history, I am running to represent the 2nd District on the City Council. Among the issues I intend on tackling in the coming months, campus safety resides high on the list. We may never be able to carelessly encourage our friends to walk home by themselves at night, but there are many practical improvements we can implement to make our streets safer. There remain improvements to be made to street lighting, especially along more isolated side streets in the downtown area. I also intend to work with the Madison Police Department to encourage more foot patrols around bar time along the quieter streets, particularly around the downtown entertainment district. To the extent that resources are scarce, I would like to see fewer bar raids and more officers on patrol charged with ensuring pedestrian safety.
On a similar note, we can improve tenant safety by making the city take a more proactive role in building inspection. The current system – a system which places the burden for keeping rental properties up to code on tenants – allows more negligent property managers to let houses and apartments deteriorate. By ensuring properties are inspected regularly we can improve the quality of life for tenants while making sure that all properties are secured with the necessary window and door fittings.
The next few years will be tough for city residents, which makes it even more important to elect representatives with the right priorities in mind. Despite Gov. Scott Walker’s aggressive efforts to attack our progressive traditions, I will fight hard to protect the working class and public sector employees, preserve our environmentally necessary recycling programs and maintain services and programs that benefit Madison’s neediest and most vulnerable residents. Madison is a fantastic place to live, and I’m committed making it even better.
There are many other proposals I’m looking forward to pursuing should I be elected next Tuesday, April 5. It is time to return representation of the 2nd District to its compassionate, activist-focused and popularly democratic roots. I believe I am the best candidate to do so, and that is part of the reason I have been endorsed by a broad coalition of forward thinking individuals and organizations including AFSCME, Madison Teacher’s Inc., The Capital Times, Fair Wisconsin, State Representative Mark Pocan and the UW’s very busy Teaching Assistants’ Association, to name a few. Please visit SamForMadison.com for more information and to contact me with questions, comments or concerns. With just a few days before a very important spring election, I humbly ask for your support Tuesday, April 5th.
Sam Stevenson ([email protected]) is a graduate student in public health. He is a candidate for alder of District 2.
