With the Dane County elections only a day away, candidate are fighting for seats on the Madison City Council as well as for the position of Dane County executive.

City Council Races: Districts 2 and 8

Contenders for District 8, a primarily student district, are University of Wisconsin juniors Bryon Eagon and Mark Woulf.

Eagon, who was endorsed by Ald. Eli Judge, District 8, and Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, said he is focusing on his Downtown Safety Plan, which he hopes to initiate when taking office. The plan includes forming more neighborhood watch programs and installing more lighting in alleyways and on porches in hope of reducing nighttime crime.

Eagon also said he wants to implement more cab stands, especially during bar time.

“Also there are some important tenant issues as students are mostly first time renters, and [I’m] looking at ways include their right as tenants into contracts,” Eagon said.

Woulf also wants to enhance public safety, but he is taking a different approach to the initiative. According to Woulf, police concentrate too much on underage drinking, therefore compromising downtown public safety.

Woulf says his plan for downtown establishments to open their doors to underage patrons is a good way to channel city resources to the group of people that most heavily contribute to downtown business.

Then, police would be less busy raiding bars and houses and would be on the street where the real crime happens,” Woulf said.

Meanwhile, Ald. Brenda Konkel, District 2, said she is a good voice for her constituency and is therefore running for re-election.

“I feel like I’m the type of person to ask questions on the City Council floor and not just be another stamp for the mayor or anybody else. … I will stand up and vote against things if I think they’re wrong,” Konkel said.

Konkel, who has been endorsed by Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, said she opposes the recent increase in bus fares. Konkel said the fares were increased to pay for fuel; however, in 2010 the cost of fuel will decrease, thus the price elevation was unnecessary.

Her challenger, UW graduate Bridget Maniaci, has won the support of Cieslewicz and two former Madison mayors during her campaign. She says she is the candidate who will represent UW students, especially because she is close to their age.

Additionally, she is working to better the traffic flow on East Johnson Street and throughout the city by implementing more traffic lights and traffic signals.

Dane County Executive

On the county level, Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk is running for her fourth term.

During her tenure, Falk has built a strong foundation for Dane County, according to Falk’s campaign manager Melissa Mulliken.

According to Mulliken, Falk is creating clean energy and green jobs throughout the county and is receiving stimulus money from President Barack Obama to fund shovel-ready projects in the county.

Endorsed by Gov. Jim Doyle and Cieslewicz, Falk is creating jobs throughout the county despite rising unemployment rates, and she is working to ensure the safety of the Dane County 911 Center, Mulliken said.

“[Falk] offers leadership to get people together and to get things done,” Mulliken said. “We’ve faced challenges in tough times, and hers is the leadership we need.”

However, Nancy Mistele, Falk’s challenger, said she is the more dependable of the two candidates.

“Dane County needs somebody who’s focused. We need somebody who’s paying attention to the issues of Dane County and the current Dane County executive [is not],” Mistele said.

Mistele, who is focusing her campaign around public safety, said the way to ensure the safety of Dane County residents is to make sure the 911 Center is up-to-date with the proper equipment, procedures and staffing.

According to Mistele, the strategic planning exercise the center underwent in 2004 was overlooked by her opponent until the center mishandled a call placed from the cell phone of UW junior Brittany Zimmermann the day she was killed.

“I will make sure the public feels safe and responders do what they can to do their jobs properly,” Mistele said.