In the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s election, Dane County has been given patronizing lectures on the moral atrocities of current Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk — courtesy of challenger Nancy Mistele. Television and radio campaign advertisements have accused our current executive of negligence and labeled her actions as tantamount to murder. But despite what Mistele’s countless attack ads may claim, in tomorrow’s election, Falk is the lesser of two evils.
Falk’s tenure as Dane County executive has not been a perfect one. We are certainly not pleased with Falk’s reactionary response in implementing Policy Priority Dispatch for all hang-up 911 calls following the murder of University of Wisconsin junior Brittany Zimmermann last April, and she has raised more than a few eyebrows with her denial, during a debate with Mistele, that she was an individual defendant in the Zimmermann family’s lawsuit.
However, Falk’s role as Dane County executive should not be permanently marred by the controversy surrounding the 911 Center. Her promotion of conservation efforts and certain aspects of her work toward creating a grassroots initiative to combat alcohol abuse must be commended, especially in a state where alcoholism runs rampant. Furthermore, her ability to aid in Dane County’s maintenance of its AAA bond rating during a time of such great economic uncertainty is certainly a feather in our current executive’s cap.
Mistele, on the other hand, hasn’t shown the voting populace that she is adequately informed to take on the role of Dane County executive. Clearly Mistele knows a good deal about Zimmermann — enough to exploit the young woman’s death, and, in turn, the failings of the 911 Center, to further her own political aspirations. Safety is undoubtedly an important issue, but the success of any proposal requires more than a shameless political novice standing at its helm.
And what of Mistele’s plans regarding other important issues like transportation or crafting a sound budget? She only offers weak plans for these issues on her website, and Dane County needs definite solutions to these in the coming years. While her opposition to light rail is a legitimate divergence on the contentious issue of regional transit, her proposal to purchase Madison Metro and expand service to areas of Dane County is not. Furthermore, her approach to environmental conservation — which consists of directing funding away from protection of “swamplands” — is laughable.
While our endorsement of our current Dane County executive is far from enthusiastic, Mistele must not and should not be allowed to hold any political office until she can offer voters more than a one-dimensional political agenda — characterized by the most tasteless campaign we’ve ever had the displeasure of observing.
On Tuesday, vote for Kathleen Falk for Dane County executive.
