P.O. Box 1222, Madison, WI 53701 | www.prodane.org | office@prodane.org | (608) 257-4985
On Wednesday, January 27th, the Progressive Dane Election Committee brought to the general membership recommendations on three new candidates running office this spring. The result? One endorsement and a candidate forum.
The membership voted to endorse Michael Johnson for District 5 County Supervisor. Michael is a member of the Progressive Dane Steering Committee, among the founders of Student Progressive Dane, and currently serves on the City of Madison Affirmative Action Commission. He is also a co-founder of Joint Halloween (Freakfest) and Mifflin Street Block Party Working Group and active member of the State and Langdon Neighborhood Association. As a Supervisor, Michael is committed to working with students and other resident to promote Environmental Sustainability, Economic Improvement, Social Justice, and Affordable Housing.
The other two candidates vying for Progressive Dane’s endorsement are running for the Madison Metropolitan School Board seat vacated by the retiring Johnny Winston, Jr. TJ Mertz, Progressive Dane Co-Chair and Chair of the Education Committee, shared with us his impressions of the School Board Candidate Endorsement process on his blog at http://madisonamps.org/2010/01/28/school-board-endorsement-or-why-im-proud-to-be-part-of-progressive-dane/.
The School Board Candidate Forum has been scheduled on Sunday February 21st. Hold the date and watch for more information.
Posted by prodane at 07:27 PM
Progressive Dane's work centers on things local, however, sometimes not all things local are local. We know many of you would be interested in this forum and last night the general membership voted to sponsor this forum by helping to spread the word. Progressive Dane will be tabling at the event, so stop by and find out what our members are working on and how you can become involved locally.
Haymarket Books presents
The Left & Obama
What Happened to Change?
-A Public Forum-
January 30, 7 pm
2650 Humanities Building
UW Campus
Downtown Madison
Admission is $5-20
(no one turned away for lack of funds)
.....................................................
***PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY***
It’s been a year since Obama was inaugurated on the promise of “change we can believe in.” How much has really changed? Has the administration that once embodied hope for a new tomorrow delivered on any of its promises? How can we create pressure from the Left for the change we need?
Our panel of speakers take a look at the Obama Administration’s report card on health, the war, the economy, civil rights and more. Join us to discuss the way forward!
JENNIFER LOEWENSTEIN
Faculty Associate, Middle East Studies, UW-Madison; freelance journalist & human rights advocate
JOHN NICHOLS
Washington correspondent for The Nation
MATT ROTHSCHILD
Editor of The Progressive magazine
LANCE SELFA
Author of The Democrats: A Critical History
& editor of The Struggle for Palestine
WILL WILLIAMS
Activist and representative from Veterans for Peace
Presented by Haymarket Books. Visit http://www.haymarketbooks.org. For more information or to sponsor, call 245-3390 or email rrrlgee@yahoo.com.
Co-sponsors include:
AFSCME Local 171, Democratic Socialists of America, Havens Center, International Socialist Organization, IWW-Madison Branch, Madison College Pride Alliance, Madison Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, The Madison Institute, Madison-Rafah Sister City Project, Progressive Dane, Single Payer Action Network, Socialist Party USA, Socialist Potluck, Student Labor Action Coalition, Student Progressive Dane, Ten Percent Society, Unified for Equality, Union de los Trabajadores Inmigrantes (UTI), UW National Lawyers Guild, Wisconsin Network for Peace & Justice and WORT 89.9 FM.
Posted by prodane at 10:44 AM
Progressive Dane General Membership Meeting will be held Wednesday, January 27, 2010, at the Madison Downtown Public Library from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Chairing this month will be Progressive Dane Co-chair and Education Committee Chair, TJ Mertz
The Agenda
Posted by prodane at 06:15 PM
Progressive Dane members have worked on this for a while:
The ordinance: Commute Card Pass Agreements
Authorizing the Metro Transit General Manager to enter into agreements with businesses and organizations with fewer than 1,000 participants in the Metro Transit service area interested in providing a pass program to their employees, students or other affiliated individuals to take fixed route and ADA paratransit rides on Metro Transit.
Remember Progressive Dane working on this program? It passed. Now it'll be easier for people to use the bus system and for them to get to their jobs or classes.
A recap from Brenda Konkel's blog:
Item #60 – Small Business Bus pass
[I missed part of this]Mark Clear snarkily notes that he wished bus advocates would be here tonight to support this and wonder where they are. [He may have had another point in there, but it got lost with his snotty comments.]
Satya Rhodes-Conway [No doubt prompted by Clear's comments]says this is something she started working on through Progressive Dane, before she was on the Council. She said when Progressive Dane, Downtown Madison Inc and the Chamber of Commerce agree on something, that's kind of amazing and a good thing. [Susan Schmitz from Downtown Madison Inc nods her head in agreement She thanks staff, particularly Metro staff for working through this. She notes that you can get information to participate in the program atmymetrobus.com.
Passes without further discussion on a voice vote.
Posted by prodane at 05:37 AM