If there’s one local issue students at the University of Wisconsin really care deeply about, it’s not property taxes, streetcars or alcohol density plans. It’s not even Halloween or the Mifflin Street Block Party. It’s downtown safety.

Attention and concern over the number of violent crimes and sexual assaults in the downtown area has increased over the past couple of years. While students would be naive to expect the complete eradication of such incidents in a city the size of Madison, students who live in the downtown area are justified in calling for greater police presence in the name of public safety.

It is for this reason that we have always supported — and continue to support — Mayor Dave Cieslewicz’s Downtown Safety Initiative, which he first introduced in January 2007. If Ald. Zach Brandon, District 7, has his way, however, the initiative could be over before it even begins.

At Monday’s Board of Estimates meeting, Mr. Brandon introduced an amendment deleting funding for the initiative in the city’s operating budget. “It continues to add money where money’s already there,” he said, according to a Badger Herald news story, adding that specifically earmarking money for the downtown neighborhoods alienates other Madison residents.

We find his reasoning unconvincing. It should be noted that the entire price tag on Mr. Cieslewicz’s proposal is $100,000, a burden the city can certainly afford. We also think Mr. Brandon is too idealistic when he suggests that city safety initiatives should not limit themselves to a particular geographic region. Any district in the city where crime is more prevalent merits greater (or better) police resources than it currently has. The real injustice would be to waste time and money distributing police resources to corners of the city that don’t need them in the name of fairness.

We understand Mr. Brandon is advocating on behalf of his constituents, none of whom live in the downtown area. But city residents — and the alders who represent them — should not overlook how important the downtown area is to the entire city. There is a definite positive correlation between the long-term prosperity of the downtown area and the long-term prosperity of the 7th district, for example. More crime downtown means fewer businesses and students choose to stay here or move here, and fewer people who find Madison a desirable place to live and work overall. When crime is a problem downtown, it’s a problem for all of Madison.

Better police protection in the downtown area is a worthwhile goal, and the city should make no apologies for its aptly named Downtown Safety Initiative.