Mayor Paul Soglin has expressed his distaste for the Mifflin Street Block Party in the past and particularly this year, saying the event is dangerous and an unnecessary cost to the city compared to anti-poverty measures that have become a focal point of his tenure. 

Soglin argued the roughly $150,000 spent on the block party each year in police forces and street cleanup could be used to fund summer programs for students in disenfranchised neighborhoods.

“The city supports it now, and we’ve put over $2 million into area neighborhood centers, but we’ve got entire neighborhoods wanting for summer recreation programs for elementary and middle school kids,” Soglin said.

He said with the money spent on the Mifflin Street Block Party, at least 500 children could be put into three-week summer programs.

Soglin said his administration has always placed a high priority on summer programs and afterschool programming for children. He said this kind of programming makes a long-term commitment to their success and the success of the community.

“With this kind of program, … we will significantly reduce poverty,” Soglin said. “An individual who finishes two years of post-high school education crosses a line and becomes a contributor to society rather than a receiver.”

In addition to student programs to combat a continuing cycle of poverty in the long run, Soglin discussed the types of programs that exist currently for Madison’s poor and homeless.

He said existing programs involving Dane County, the state of Wisconsin, the city of Madison and non-profits provide shelter and substance abuse treatment.

“If individuals choose not to avail themselves of those programs, that’s their choice, but we don’t have to let them set the rules,” Soglin said. “They can’t set their own rules, which means public intoxication, use of drugs and assault.”

Ald. Lisa Subeck, District 1, said Soglin’s reaction to the denial of the 800 Block site permit extension for Occupy Madison was “vehement” about how Madison handles homelessness.

Subeck referenced Soglin’s “lifeboat” analogy, in which Soglin implied “those in the water” need to be let go for “those in the boat.”

She said the closing of the Occupy Madison site was not a budgetary issue for the city and extending the permit would have cost the city very little if anything.

“The reality is if someone on that site needed an ambulance, they probably would have needed it sleeping on State Street or in one of our parks,” Subeck said. 

However, Soglin said he disagreed the site was not a financial burden to the city. He said it did take money to keep the site going and supply inhabitants with what they needed. Additionally, he said the site was unsafe and crime rates on the 800 Block rose exponentially while the site existed.

He cited instances of transporting individuals for drug overdoses, sexual and domestic abuse, theft and unsanitary conditions as some of the problems the city faced when dealing with the site.

Moving forward in combating poverty, Soglin said seven areas must be addressed in order to create a strong community and a strong city: transportation, housing, education, job training, quality childcare, education and health.

“You do not solve the problem of poverty in a community by focusing on a specific relief program,” Soglin said. “The specific programs have to be part of an overall system that leads to change; that is the radical solution.”