The University of Wisconsin student body’s proper place in Madison city politics can be a point of some contention for permanent residents and area figureheads. It’s understandable really. Most students won’t give two fleeting thoughts to even the most pronounced city controversies during their time here.

Edgewater? Please. Even for students living on Langdon Street or on Mansion Hill it’s hard to care about some renovations to a building you’ve probably hardly noticed. Even if the project actually will impinge on the historic character and charm of your neighborhood like those stuffy Madison liberal elites argue, you’re probably going to be long gone by the time it even gets off the ground.

It occurs to me that a good number of students may not even recognize the preceding reference. But why should they? Most students will be gone in 4 years anyway.

While they will remember wasting drunken hours with friends for the rest of their lives, once they don the cap and gown most will forever walk away from any novel thought they probably never had about the Overture Center’s fiscal feasibility.

I could argue that students really should care; that the Madison City Council does in fact deal with many issues quite pertinent to the average student, because they do. I’m not going to flog that dead horse right now though.

The real reason students deserve a spot in city politics is that in many ways they are the lifeblood of the community. Whatever a city politician’s main priorities are, there is no denying Madison is a college town.

As stunning as it is, people don’t travel from across the country to stand in awe of the Capitol building. They come here to experience a true college Mecca, to drink from the eternal fountain of college life.

To not have students represented on the City Council would not only be a disgrace to the ideal of representative democracy, considering at least three city districts have huge student blocs, it would be contrary to the best interest of the city.

Students have a unique worldview that can make them invaluable voices on any city government body. Further, their youthful fervor can allow them to play a vital role in keeping city boards from turning stale, as they frequently seem to have a propensity for doing.

I’ll be the first to acknowledge that student representatives have not always been able to live up to such standards. Some have undeniably been far better representations of the student body than others.

But this is exactly why it is essential that the UW student body put their best faces forward in city politics.

Two current UW students recently declared their candidacy for Madison alder in two heavily student-populated areas. Both former writers for The Badger Herald, Sam Stevenson has announced his run for the District 2 seat, while Kyle Szarsynski has announced he will vie for the seat in District 8.

Both tout their progressive ideals and dedication to community activism – characteristics I personally admire and think will serve them and their constituents well should they be elected.

But I am somewhat dismayed that both are running as affiliates of the historically schismatic Student Progressive Dane, and undoubtedly hoping to garner the endorsement of their city-level equivalent Progressive Dane.

It’s not that I have inherent opposition to progressive ideals. Quite the contrary actually, I believe the general idea of progressivism is something essential to the future success of America. It’s not the ideal. It’s the label.

That city politics is not a partisan ordeal in Madison is a wonderful thing. It allows representatives to avoid being bogged down by menial party politics, and enables them to actually enact legislation that improves the quality of life for their constituents.

This is one of the many reasons why immediately labeling yourself as “progressive,” just isn’t a smart campaign move. The label itself suggests an ideological division within the liberal ideology. In a sense it meaninglessly divides the left into two further factions – liberal and more liberal.

My worry is that two student candidates who stand to have a significant and positive impact on our communities are immediately alienating themselves from a large bloc of potential voters.

As progressive as the city of Madison is, the number of residents, especially students, who politically identify as progressive pails in comparison to the number of those who identify as merely liberal or moderate.

I think the number of Progressive Dane candidates currently sitting on the City Council in these seats speaks for its self: zero. The constituents of Districts 2 and 8 are not looking for candidates that are unapologetically progressive in their politics. They are looking for someone that will fight for their interests and represent the beliefs of those they represent.

It’s a great irony that most of these beliefs do in fact align with progressive ideals. Most of those who hold them however would be hesitant to recognize them as such. For this reason, any candidate who labels himself as a radical progressive is only hurting his chances of bringing those beliefs to the City Council.

People don’t vote on political ideology in municipal elections. They vote for those who will best represent their interests.

Stevenson especially seems well poised to do so judging from both his speech last night and brief personal encounters I’ve had with him.

He’s right in saying “District 2 needs an activist representative able to expand community participation and fight for things like community policing, smart traffic and parking enforcement.”

These are things relevant to students that they can rally behind, but lets be honest, Sam, these are not exactly progressive issues.

Both Stevenson and Szarsynski should to take a step back from the bleeding progressive rhetoric and run as candidates that all of their districts can stand behind. Their rightful place in city politics as student representatives is too important for them to jeopardize their campaigns before they even get them rolling.

Kyle Mianulli ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in journalism, political science and philosophy.

Due to an editing error, the original version of this article mistakenly stated “I think the number of Progressive Dane candidates currently sitting on the City Council speaks for its self: zero.” This is incorrect. There are in fact three Progressive Dane candidates currently sitting on City Council. The article should have read “I think the number of Progressive Dane candidates currently sitting on the City Council in these districts speaks for its self.” I regret this error and will strive to prevent similar occurrences in the future.