President Barack Obama will speak near the Capitol Monday, according
to Kylie Nelson, assistant to the Department of Administration
spokesperson.

Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, said Obama will be speak some time
between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard between
the City County Building and the Madison Municipal Building.

He said Bruce Springsteen will perform at the event as well.

Anyone who plans on attending the event must RSVP online, Resnick
said. He said tickets for the event are still readily available.

Nelson said the Capitol Police Department is currently discussing the
details of Obama’s visit and deciding how to patrol the event.

According to a statement from Mayor Paul Soglin, there will be
increased levels of security on Monday morning in the area. It said
Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Doty Street and Wilson Street will be
closed beginning Sunday.

“Given the scope of this event and the relatively short notice, we
fully expect some difficulties to arise,” Soglin said in the statement.

Resnick added the city is encouraging people to walk to the event and park somewhere a little further away.

DOA spokesperson Stephanie Marquis said in an email to the Badger
Herald the campaign has a permit to occupy the State Capitol grounds on
Monday. She said all State office buildings will stay open the whole
day.

Obama held a rally on Bascom Hill on Oct. 4, which drew a crowd of 30,000 students and members of the community.

Resnick said he thinks Obama is coming to Madison again so soon
because Wisconsin is still a swing state in the election. He said if
Obama wins over Ohio and Wisconsin in the election, Mitt Romney would
have a very difficult time winning mathematically.

“There are few mathematical scenarios that leave out Wisconsin, so
you can clearly see this [visit] is significant to the president,”
Resnick said.

This will be the second major presidential rally since around the
1980s that has taken place in light of the Capitol, Resnick said.

He said both Bascom Hill and the Capitol Square are great places for a president to speak.

“I think if you look at iconic spots in the state of Wisconsin, the
Wisconsin State Capitol has to be near the top of the list,” Resnick
said.

Resnick said he does not believe the presidential visit will pose any dangers to the downtown area.