A local artist intends to switch his career focus from rhymes and beats to meetings and motions by running for a seat on Dane County’s Board of Supervisors.
Madison hip-hop musician Rob Dz Franklin announced his candidacy to represent District 1 on the Dane County Board of Supervisors, and is officially on the ballot for the election.
Franklin and his fellow candidate, Adam Brabender, will both be challenging District 1’s current representative on the board, Mary Kolar, in a primary Feb. 16. District 1’s seat on the County Board is one of the only seats currently contested.
Franklin’s goals if elected to County Board include helping the homeless, eliminating racial disparities and creating a living wage. Above all else, however, Franklin said he intends to serve as the voice of his community and his generation.
“My main change is to make sure that the voice of those that don’t usually get heard is heard,” Franklin said.
One group Franklin hopes to fight for if elected to the board is Dane County’s homeless population. Franklin gained a thorough understanding of the problems homeless individuals in Dane County face through his work with the Madison Public Library’s Bubbler program, where he taught hip-hop classes.
Through his experience teaching hip-hop classes, Franklin said he also gained an understanding of the needs of another struggling group: children who have a difficult time succeeding in public school.
Franklin said he has helped many children who may otherwise struggle in school to find something they are good at. Some children even seem to do better in Franklin’s Bubbler program classes than any other clas at school. Franklin said it’s all about giving the children a fresh perspective.
“To give hope to kids that don’t have a lot of hope gives them the opportunity to open themselves up for artistic expression,” Franklin said. “I have been teaching these classes for many years and I have seen kids that have gone on to college and become successful adults. I think what I have done has been very successful.”
In addition to his service in the Bubbler program, Franklin also teaches classes at a juvenile detention center.
Franklin’s extensive work in the community has also made him familiar with the needs of the working class. Another of his main goals is to create a living wage for people in Dane County, he said.
“I really want to work towards a living wage,” Franklin said. “It’s time. I see a lot of parents with two or three jobs, and I think that with a decent living wage, they would have more time to spend with their families.”
Franklin also said one of his main goals as the voice of District 1 would be to tackle the issue of racial disparities and bring a more diverse group of people to the discussion.
While there is much talk of ending racial disparities in Dane County, definitive action on the issue is scarce, Franklin said.
“It’s rare that we put things into action,” Franklin said. “It’s time we should all be able to sit together.”
Though Franklin is serious about winning a seat on the County Board and his history of community involvement is vast, his interest in politics is a fairly recent development. Shortly before officially pursuing candidacy, Franklin casually pitched the idea to his Facebook followers, who provided him with an unexpected amount of support and urged him to make his idea a reality, Franklin said.
Franklin said he feels his close ties to the community in Dane County give him a unique advantage in the race for County Board.
“For me, it is about being the voice for a younger generation,” Franklin said. “So many people want to see better things for our community. I really want to be on the front lines of change.”
The election is April 5.
