Madison mayoral candidates Paul Soglin and Scott Resnick faced off against each other for the second time within a week Tuesday night at a WISC-TV debate.
In their only televised debate, the candidates sparred over issues similar to those of previous debates, including racial disparities and crime, job creation and transportation.
If elected, Resnick said he would focus largely on childcare development and suggested devoting $250,000 to early childhood care and city resources.
Soglin, however, said he would focus on job development, citing his summer youth employment programs and partnerships with other units of government. He went on to question why Resnick would suggest to spend a quarter million dollars on childcare development programs when the city is already devoting $850,000 on childcare matters.
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In the wake of extreme community discontent with police after the officer-involved shooting of 19-year-old Tony Robinson, issues of racial disparities and crime were at the forefront of the debate.
In terms of racial disparity and crime, Resnick said the issue came down to a matter of trust between the police and community. He mentioned the need for a new Madison police station, but Soglin said that money used for a new station would be better spent on solutions to solve the issue of racial disparity, such as job creation.
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The two also discussed matters of economic development. Resnick attributed much of Madison’s economic stability to the Verona based software company, Epic. Resnick said he hopes more Epic-like companies will come to Madison.
“How do we create the next Epic right here in Madison?” Resnick asked. “Those are the kind of investments I’m excited about.”
Soglin, however, said Madison is and has been doing well thanks to more than just Epic.
On the topic of transportation, Soglin continued to advocate for the implementation of a Bus Rapid Transit system. He said BRT is a key element in how the city can progress forward to a more efficient transit system. But he noted it will take assistance from both the state and federal levels to implement a program.
At various times throughout the debate, candidates spoke to each other directly to refute the other’s statements.
Resnick again brought up Soglin’s absences from Madison and 176 days worth spent traveling around the country for conferences.
However, Soglin countered this directly by telling Resnick to “stop with the fuzzy math,” and asking if Resnick needed his hand held through every vote. Soglin said he only missed six City Council meetings over the past four years and that many of the days in which he was absent from Madison were weekends.
The election is April 7.
