P.O. Box 1222, Madison, WI 53701 | www.prodane.org | office@prodane.org | (608) 257-4985
Progressive Dane has a lot going on, and we'd love your input!
Upcoming Events include:
PD Housing and Policy Meetings, Sunday, February 18th, at the Social Justice Center, Main Conference Room.
Volunteer Night, Tuesday, February 20th, 5:30 p.m. at the Social Justice Center, Main Conference Room.
Elections Committee Meeting, February 22nd, 6:30 p.m. at the Social Justice Center, Main Conference Room.
Outreach Committee Meeting, February 26th, 5:30 p.m. at the Social Justice Center, Main Conference Room.
General Membership Meeting, February 28th, 6:30 p.m. at the Madison Public Library on Mifflin Street.
Additionally, PD is looking for elections volunteers. If you are interested in assisting with one of the campaigns, please contact Ron Richardson at pdonly(at)sbcglobal(dot)net.
Thank you!
Posted by prodane at 05:55 PM
PD has endorsed Marj Passman for Madison School Board, Seat 5. Marj has spent more than 25 years as a classroom teacher. Her teaching career has taken her from an inner city New York high school, to elementary schools in England and China, and finally to a middle school in Madison. Marj received the Madison Metropolitan School District Distinguished Service Award, the University of Wisconsin Distinguished Teacher of Teachers, and the NBC 15 Crystal Apple Award.
Since retiring, Marj has become an active advocate for Madison schools. She has been mentoring first year teachers, and served as treasurer of CAST (Community and Schools Together), an organization that endorsed the recent successful school referendum.
Her core belief is that "all of our students' needs must be met, including the students at both ends of the spectrum as well as those in the middle". At a time when the school district will have to make drastic budget cuts, will be hiring a new superintendent and will be facing issues such as looking at the Code of Conduct, it it will be very worthwhile to have a School Board member who knows what is happening in the schools and in the classrooms. Marj will bring that experience to the Board.
Visit her website to get invovled in her campaign: http://www.marjpassmanforschoolboard.com/
Posted by prodane at 11:03 PM
Marsha Rummel needs volunteers for literature distribution on 2/17 from 10-12 pm, based from Bert Zipperer's house at 1337 Jenifer St. Please rsvp to volunteer coordinator Anne Reynolds at atr94(at)hotmail(dot)com. We also need help assembling a mailing and yard signs on 2/15 from 7-9 pm from 2139 Linden Ave. Don't forget to vote on Feb 20, and then join us for Marsha's "half way there" victory party at the Harmony Bar, starting at 8 p.m.
For more information, please visit http://www.marsharummel.com
Progressive Dane-endorsed candidates Tim Gruber and Beth Moss are holding a joint lit drop Feb 10th beginning at 10:00 a.m. at Jean MacCubbin's house, located at 3530 Heather Crest.
For more information, please visit http://www.mossforschoolboard.com/ and http://madwi.net/timgruber/ or call 238-4863.
Satya Rhodes-Conway is running for city council in District 12. With an exciting and competitive primary coming up on February 20th, her campaign needs your help! There are a variety of volunteer opportunities available where you can show your support for Satya.
To volunteer for any of the opportunities listed below, please contact Sigrid Peterson at 449-8489 and/or sig.peterson(at)gmail(dot)com.
Get Out The Vote Lit Drop
*Sunday, February 18th*
Get Out the Vote lit drop
(meeting time noon – Café La Bellitalia 1026 N Sherman Ave (just south of Aberg Ave)
*if you cannot make lit drop on February 18th, but would still like to help, we have several routes that can be lit dropped any time between February 4th and February 15th*
Phone Calls
Friday, February 16th -- Monday, February 19th
Get Out the Vote phone campaign
Election-Day Activities
Tuesday, February 20th, 5pm to 7:30pm
Get Out the Vote canvass
For more information about Satya, please visit www.satyaforcitycouncil.com.
Posted by prodane at 02:57 AM
Help Elect the following PD endorsded candidates:
Seat 3 - Beth Moss http://www.mossforschoolboard.com/
Seat 4 - Johnny Winston, Jr. http://www.johnnywinstonjr.com/
Seat 5 - Marj Passman http://www.marjpassmanforschoolboard.com/
Satya Rhodes-Conway will see you at the Sandlot, 301 North Street.
Tim Gruber invites you to join him at EVP, 3809 Mineral Point Road.
Beth Moss and Marj Passman will party at Fyfe's Bistro at 1344 E. Washington Ave
District 2 runs from the Yahara River southwest to Pinckney Street, from East Washington Avenue to Lake Mendota.
Brenda Konkel has represented District 2 since 2001. She is running unopposed this year. Unless you are new to Madison, you know Brenda well as a leader on affordable housing policies, including inclusionary zoning, an activist monitor of city agencies on a wide variety of issues, and a conscientious member of the Madison Plan Commission and other city and community groups.
Brenda is often called on to represent the left on Madison issues and that she ably fulfills that role, but she also has a detailed knowledge of issues that affect her district. She is clearly committed to programs that could help make life more manageable for disadvantaged people in our city. Brenda keeps up a grueling schedule of city and community meetings and shares her knowledge generously with others. She is a key member of the City Council and a PD Alder to be proud of.
Brenda is an outstanding leader of Progressive Dane, most notably as a member of the Steering Committee, the Policy Committee, and the Media Committee. Her multiple terms as PD co-chair are marked by practical organizational know-how as well as principled leadership on policy issues.
Mike Verveer, District 4
District 4 includes the Capital Square and area west to Langdon Street and southwest to Proudfit and Regent Street, an area of intense development both residential and commercial.
Mike Verveer has been on the Common Council for 12 years and an active member of the caucus during the entire life of the Progressive Dane city caucus. After the retirements on the council this year, he will be the person with the second most seniority on the Council. He has served as Council President and has had a notoriously heavy committee appointment schedule. Often he is the alder with the most committee assignments.
He has represented the downtown 4th district through much transition and controversy with development issues, as well as major changes like the Monona Terrace, State Street reconstruction, and the Overture Center. Mike has an excellent voting record on Progressive Dane issues and is very prolific in his efforts to pass legislation. He's an unwaivering and proud member of Progressive Dane, and we appreciate that!
Robbie Webber, District 5
District 5 is on the near west side, bounded by Regent Street and Speedway on the south, Lake Mendota on the north, between Franklin Street and Randall Avenue. The district includes Eagle Heights, student housing on the west end of campus, and single-family homes in University Heights.
Robbie Webber has served as District 5 alder since 2003. This district needs services both for students and for established home-owners. This year she has a tough race against an opponent with experience in the neighborhood organization and ties to the real estate industry.
Robbie has been a thoughtful opponent of sprawl and a fierce advocate for transportation alternatives, especially Metro, bike paths, and safe pedestrian routes. She believes that transportation is a critical issue for low- and moderate-income people, because costly or time-consuming transportation reduces the money and time they can spend on housing, family, work, and community.
Robbie has consistently voted for progressive positions on tenant rights, inclusionary zoning, paid sick leave, an increase in the minimum wage, and the smoking ban. She serves on the city Pedestrian, Bicycle, and Motor Vehicle Commission, the Long Range Transportation Planning Commission, and the South Campus-Regent Street Campus Area Committee, among others. She will be a consistent vote for progressive views.
Marsha Rummel, District 6
District 6 is on the East Isthmus, running from Lake Monona to East Washington Avenue, from the City-County Building to Milwaukee Street. It includes diverse, eclectic neighborhoods, some of the oldest buildings and newest businesses in Madison, and the promise of dense development as well as innovative new parks.
PD member Judy Olson has served as Sixth District Alder for ten years and is now retiring. Judy has a worthy successor in Marsha Rummel, a businesswoman, neighborhood association leader, expert in housing, development, and preservation issues, and founding member of Progressive Dane. Marsha names her top issues as sustainable economic development, affordable housing, and responsible land use.
She has been the president of the Marquette Neighborhood Association since 2002. She shares information about city issues effectively and widely. She has led successful fights to preserve historic buildings in downtown and east-side Madison, to foster affordable housing and inclusionary zoning, and to fi nd solutions to traffic problems on the isthmus. She has worked to help plan Central Park and to encourage living-wage jobs in the Willy Street-East Washington area.
She has served as a diligent member of city commissions, including the East Washington Capital Gateway BUILD committee. There are many issues important to Progressive Dane-including tax-incremental financing, small business development, economic equity, affordable housing, paid sick leave, and democratic access to government-where Marsha has been an inspiring leader. Progressive Dane enthusiastically supports her candidacy.
Lauren Woods, District 8
District 8 is the "student" district currently represented by Austin King. It runs from North Frances Street to Randall Avenue and Babcock on the west, from Regent Street to Lake Mendora.
Lauren Woods is a newcomer to Progressive Dane, but an experienced leader in progressive politics on campus and in the community. She is the former President of the Wisconsin Black Student Union, a legislative aide with state Senator Lena Daylor of Milwaukee, and a citizen member of the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Regent Street-South Campus Steering Committee.
If elected, Lauren will be the first African-American woman ever elected to the Madison Common Council in its 150 year history. Lauren is running on a progressive platform that includes improving campus safety at UW, expanding tenants' rights and affordable housing, ensuring that Madison's economic prosperity is enjoyed by all, and defending civil rights that are under attack.
At her endorsement interview, Lauren showed great insight into how citizens are persuaded to become active politically and to support progressive policies. She would be a wonderful asset on the City Council. To win, Lauren needs more financial resources. Please visit her website at www.laurenwoods.org and contribute today.
Tim Gruber, District 11
PD endorsed Tim Gruber two years ago for election to fill the seat that Jean MacCubbin was vacating. Tim had a challenging first term, with several major development project in his district. He has learned a lot over the last two years about city process and how to connect with his constituents.
He is already applying those lessons to his campaign, and is ready to apply them to his second term. Tim has a moderate Democrat as his opponent so he needs all the support that we can give him for reelection.
Satya Rhodes-Conway, District 12
District 12 runs all the way from Warner Park east to Madison East High School.
Satya Rhodes-Conway is running for alder to represent District 12 on Madison's north side. This seat is being vacated by PD member Brian Benford. Satya is an active member of Progressive Dane and of the Environmental Task Force and a former steering Committee member. Professionally, Satya has worked on environmental issues as an educator and a policy expert.
She currently works on energy policy for the Center on Wisconsin Strategy. Satya has many neighborhood interests, volunteering for the Northside Farmers Market, the Sierra Club, Friends of Cherokee Marsh, and the Dane County Timebank. Satya worked diligently to talk with constituents before the primary, and her work paid off: she survived a 4-way primary in February.
Her opponent for the general election is a conservative bar owner whose main claim to support is his long residency in the district. Unlike her opponent, Satya will stand up for smoke-free workplaces including bars and restaurants. She also supports buying local, traffic calming, community policing, responsive government, workforce transportation and helping working families and local business. Satya has extensive knowledge of how City government works and will hit the ground running. She has already been hard at work on many of these issues in her district and citywide. Satya has proven herself as an advocate and active member of her community and hopes to have your support in her bid to represent District 12 on the Madison Common Council.
Vicky Selkowe, District 15
District 15 is a large and diverse district on the east side of Lake Monona, running from the lake east to Stoughton Road, and from Commercial Avenue on the north to Dean Avenue.
The district is hotly contested between conservative and progressive candidates and this year is no exception. Vicky's opponent is the incumbent, whose voting record is consistently disappointing. Vicky has dedicated her career as a lawyer to economic justice for working families and currently serves as a member of the Workers Council for the Interfaith Coalition for Worker Justice. She has been a PD member for several years, a founder and fi rst chair of the Economic Issues Task Force, a Steering Committee member, and a leader in the campaign for the paid sick leave ordinance in 2006. She organized a neighborhood group to work on controlling traffi c on Milwaukee Street and has participated in several neighborhood sssociations.
Her issue priorities include reform of TIF (tax-incremental financing), support of small business, a local purchasing policy, traffic calming and Metro improvement, better coordination between the city and the schools, and the neighborhood planning processes. Vicky wants to invest in our city's infrastructure and services to expand the tax-base while keeping tax increases down. She will be a hard-working and creative alder.
Beth is married with two children in the Madison Metro School District. She was a co-chair of Community and School Together
(CAST), a grassroots group that worked with Progressive Dane and others in order to secure passage of school funding referendum. She is also a member of the Wisconsin Alliance for Excellent Schools.
Beth assisted in the foundation of the A Helping Hand for Autism (AHHFA). Beth fi rmly believes it is our fundamental responsibility to provide a public education for all children so that each child will achieve his or her full potential, regardless of economic or racial background or disability. Beth is committed to narrowing the achievement gap, communicating with members of the community as much as possible, and making the budget process easier to understand.
Beth's background as a teacher in Africa, Great Britain, and El Paso, Texas gives her a unique perspective and experience in working with different student populations and in completely different school systems. She can bring this wide array of experience to the board and provide fresh ideas and a new perspective. The MMSD is changing in demographics and available funding; therefore, we need new ideas to continue the excellence we've all come to expect. Progressive Dane strongly believes that Beth Moss can deliver. Beth's responses to the Progressive Dane questionnaire can be found on her website in the On the Record section.
Johnny Winston, Jr., Seat 4
Johnny Winston, Jr. was elected to the Madison School Board in 2004 with PD support. Our efforts have been well rewarded. Johnny has been a leader on the Board, fostering Board cooperation and encouraging other members to lead. He served as chair of the Finance and Operations Committee in 2005-06 and as president of the Board in 2006-2007.
Under his leadership, the Board offered the $100 Budget Process to educate voters about the school district budget and united to support the Fall 2006 referendum. Johnny's priorities include encouraging parent and neighborhood involvement in schools, protecting educational quality in Madison and keeping middle to high income families in the district, enrolling more students of color in Talented and Gifted and Advanced Placement programs, and developing alternatives for suspended and truant students. He sees the state revenue caps and school funding mechanisms as counterproductive and will work to change the state law.
Johnny has worked hard to improve communication between the Board and the community. He invites Progressive Dane to help involve people in school issues such as school boundaries, educational equity, and the connection between schools and city government. Put the Progressive Dane Education Task Force on your to-do list and support this experienced and gifted leader.
Marj Passman, Seat 5
Marj has spent more than 25 years as a classroom teacher. Her teaching career has taken her from an inner city New York high school, to elementary schools in England and China, and fi nally to a middle school in Madison. Marj received the Madison Metropolitan School District Distinguished Service Award, the University of Wisconsin Distinguished Teacher of Teachers, and the NBC 15 Crystal Apple Award.
Since retiring, Marj has become an active advocate for Madison schools. She has been mentoring fi rst year teachers, and served as treasurer of CAST (Community and Schools Together), an organization that endorsed the recent successful school referendum.
Her core belief is that "all of our students' needs must be met, including the students at both ends of the spectrum as well as those in the middle." At a time when the school district will have to make drastic budget cuts, will be hiring a new superintendent and will be facing issues such as looking at the Code of Conduct, it will be very worthwhile to have a School Board member who knows what is happening in the schools and in the classrooms. Marj will bring that experience to the Board.
Her answers to the PD questionnaire and other candidate questionnaires are available at her website.
Posted by prodane at 02:16 AM