As the April 5 election date for City Council candidates approaches, Mayor Dave Cieslewicz publicly announced his endorsement of District 8 candidate Scott Resnick to represent the city’s predominantly student district. 

Resnick officially received Cieslewicz’s endorsement Monday – a sign of support Resnick said he believes will strongly aid in pushing him through as victorious on election day. Following the Feb. 15 primaries, Resnick is running against University of Wisconsin student Kyle Szarzynski.

“It’s obviously exciting, and I am really quite honored to receive the endorsement because he has done a lot of great things over his years as mayor,” Resnick said. “It’s absolutely a major push ahead – there is a lot to be said when [Ald. Bryon Eagon, District 8] and also the sitting mayor say I am the person they endorse.” 

Resnick said he recently sat down with Cieslewicz to discuss how to be an effective alder if elected and said the mayor’s endorsement showed he was impressed with Resnick’s policies for issues such as crime in the campus area.
In a statement announcing the endorsement, Cieslewicz said Resnick is an ideal candidate because of his experience and policies.

Resnick has been focusing his campaign on crime policies and student housing issues. 

“Scott Resnick will be a great representative of students on campus and for downtown residents of Madison,” Cieslewicz said in the statement.”His experience with local policy is unmatched, and his ideas for the community are impressive.”

Resnick also received informal support from former Madison mayor and current mayoral candidate Paul Soglin. In a statement announcing the support, Soglin said he has a “tradition of avoiding endorsement in contested alder races.”

Soglin also praised Resnick for his knowledge of policies concerning his potential constituents, saying he is an energetic candidate who understands campus issues. 

Szarzynski said he was surprised Cieslewicz had not endorsed Resnick earlier in the race and said he would have turned down Cieslewicz’s endorsement if he had been offered it.

“Had Mayor Dave offered his support behind my candidacy, I would have rejected it because we just have very different values,” Szarzynski said. “Mayor Dave comes from a very different political tradition from my own, so it is really entirely appropriate that he endorsed [Resnick].”