Now that the primary has ended, it is important to take a hard look at each candidate running for Madison City Council in District 8. It is essential to consider each candidate’s background and how his past experience would this make him a good alderman. Further, it is important to consider his future visions for District 8 and Madison.

I have lived in Madison my entire life and in District 8 for over 12 years. This gives me a unique understanding not only of the elements of Madison that make it a special place to work, live and grow but also an appreciation of the issues that tend to resurface.

The neglected issues I would like to address are: preserving of State Street’s character, tenants’ rights, ensuring student’s voices are heard, and working for a wage students can live on.

State Street is a place where we enjoy ourselves shopping at local stores, having lunch or dinner, and going out at night. It is important that we preserve this environment during the redesign process. Working with the Lisa Link Peace Park Advisory Committee, I’ve been on the forefront of accomplishing this goal.

Tenants’ rights: It is important that students understand not only their rights but also landlords’ responsibilities. Landlords often take advantage of students. To stop the abuse, one of my first goals will be to make it harder for landlords to withhold security deposits.

Ensuring student voices are heard: Unfortunately, city leaders can easily ignore student districts. Since student districts make up a small minority of the City Council, it is important for students to make their views known. I will make it a high priority to get more students appointed to city committee and encourage more student participation in City Council meetings.

Wages everyone can live on: With tuition increasing and rent soaring, students struggle to balance their resources. Increasing the minimum wage is not enough. I will work to get a wage everyone can live on.

Getting all these solutions passed may seem overwhelming, but unlike my opponent, I have experience working with city leaders to get proposals through the ideologically diverse Council. I’ve served on the commission on people with disabilities, Madison Economic Development Committee, and the Lisa Link Peace Park Advisory Committee. Having worked with all these city groups I understand what needs to be done to accomplish my goals.

Some people have incorrectly placed tenants’ rights and affordable housing into one category. While tenants’ rights are relatively self-explanatory, affordable housing would not translate into lower rents in this district. Instead, affordable housing is a synonym for low-income or Section 8 housing.

Unfortunately, my positions have been characterized by my opponent as conservative. But it’s important to ask, was I conservative when I interned with both Tammy Baldwin and Russ Feingold, fought to preserve the campus’ only park and put tenants’ rights, a wage people can live with and preserving State Street’s character among my top priorities?

This is going to be a challenging race, but I have spent my entire life overcoming challenges and have proven to be progressive and effective. I love Madison and want to keep it a special place. Don’t forget, you have a voice! Be sure to vote April 1. To find out more about me and my campaign, visit www.vote4jeff.com.