Endorsed Candidates
Progressive Dane's Endorsed Candidates Spring 2008
Progressive Dane Election Summary
Spring 2008
Dane County Board Supervisors
- District 2: Barbara Vedder. District 2 runs between East Washington Avenue and Lake Mendota from Webster Street to Commercial Avenue. It includes down-town condos, student housing along East Johnson and East Gorham, and residential neighborhoods near East High School as well as lakeshore properties including James Madison and Tenny parks. Barbara Vedder is running unopposed for her second full term as a Supervisor. She was first appointed to the post in fall, 2005. Before that, Barb served four terms on the Madison City Council, 1995-2003. She has had Progressive Dane's endorsement throughout her electoral career.
Barb is the vice-chair of the important Health and Human Needs Committee, which oversees for the county's extensive human services programs, and she is a member of the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Executive Committee. She is well-known as an advocate for low-income people and persons with disabilities. In the coming term she plans to work on human services, regional transportation, alternatives to incarcertation, including AODA and diversion programs. She will also be involved in the decentralization of W2 and other programs for the poor and elderly. She considers the racial disparity in arrests and incarceration in Dane County as our most serious social problem. Barb is a long-time member of Progressive Dane and shares our priorities. We are proud to give her our support.
Contact Barb at 249-8428 or bvedder@charter.net
- District 5: Wyndham Manning. District 5 is traditionally the “student” seat. It includes the dorms in the Lake Street/Dayton Street area and most of the University campus north of University Avenue, including Eagle Heights. Currently it is represented by PD-endorsed Supervisor Ashok Kumar, who is stepping down. Wyndham has a challenging race against one opponent. He can use any contributions of time, energy, or money that you can offer.
Wyndham impressed the PD Elections Committee with his energy, wide-ranging interests, progressive political views, and quick learning ability. He is a UW senior majoring in communication arts and environmental studies. He plans to stay in Madison after graduation and to continue working for a music-booking firm in Middleton (to which he bikes daily!). Intensely interested in the arts, he has served on the Wisconsin Union Directorate, written for the Badger Herald, and helped organize art events such as the Madison-Made Music project last fall. He is also committed to environmental preservation and improvement.
Wyndham promises to prioritize environmental justice (for example, reducing run-off and urban sprawl), civil and labor rights (the Equal Benefits Initiative, the creation of a paid sick days ordinance and the affordable housing trust fund), and the arts, especially for outlying and low-income areas. He supports regional transportation and more attention to homelessness. He views racial disparity in incarceration as one of Dane County's most serious social problems. He has an ambitious agenda to reach his constituents, including a blog, frequent listening sessions, and door-to-door campaigning. A new member of Progressive Dane, Wyndham supports our County Platform enthusiastically. We believe that he will be an asset to the County Board and a PD-endorsed official to be proud of.
Contact Wyndham at 729-4043 or wmanningiv@gmail.com, or check his web-site, wyndhammanning.com/.
- District 6: John Hendrick. John is the dean of the Progressive caucus and is looked to for leadership given his institutional knowledge, attention to intricate details and, especially on land use and environmental protection, his vision for growth in Dane County.
John ably represents some of the most civically active parts of Dane County, including the Marquette and Schenk-Atwood neighborhoods on the east isthmus. He's a regular volunteer at the many festivals and neighborhood events, often running garbage and recycling detail.
John is First Vice Chair for the Dane County Board, a key leadership position that comes with a seat on the Board's Executive Committee. He also serves as vice chair of the Zoning & Land Regulation Committee, a critically important stop for zoning petitions in rural Dane County. He serves on the Comprehensive Planning Steering Committee, Madison Metropolitan Sewage District, and the Airport Commission, making him a planes, trains and garbage truck point person.
For the first time in a very long time, John is facing a challenge in District 6 and can use your help in the waning days of the spring campaign.
Reach John at J7Hendrick@aol.com or 446-4842.
- District 11: Al Matano. Progressive Dane again voted to endorse incumbent Al Matano for re-election in District 11 on Madison's near west side. Al faces a curious challenger who is running from Al's left on some issues and his right on many others.
Al's priorities have been the environment, transportation, and the criminal justice system. On environmental issues, he has taken the lead as chair of the Solid Waste and Recycling Commission, as well as serving on a workgroup which worked on the recently completed comprehensive plan. On transportation, he chairs the Transportation Planning Board and is a member of the Transport 2020 commission, advocating for rail transit and other transit improvements. As vice chair of the Public Protection and Judiciary Committee, he's been working to provide more social services to reduce incarceration.
Al regularly connects with the many neighborhoods in his district through their annual meetings and a newsletter he distributes, and is a regular presence at Village of Shorewood Hills meetings. He's also been carefully tracking the many development proposals for that side of town.
Al's been knocking on doors, hosting two lit drops and has more voter contact in store between now and election day. Drop him a line to help this critical campaign.
You can reach Al at matana@mailbag.com or 238-3045.
- District 13: Chuck Erickson. Chuck is again running unopposed, this time for a fourth term, to continue representing this near west/near south district, including the Vilas, Greenbush and Bay View neighborhoods.
Chuck is widely known for his environmental and transportation expertise and dedication. With land use and planning being among the primary areas of concern in growing Dane County, Chuck's history and progressive vision will be depended on heavily again for the next two years and beyond.
Chuck serves on key land use committees: BUILD (Better Urban Infill Development), Comprehensive Planning Steering Committee, Environment, Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee and Transport 2020 Implementation Task Force.
He also serves on the Vilas Zoo Commission, an important part of serving his district. Chuck may sometimes be confused with the alder for his neighborhoods given dedication as a neighborhood activist, paying keen attention to the issues confronting the county and the urban area he represents.
You can reach Chuck at chuck@chuckerickson.com.
- District 27: Kyle Richmond. After winning a dramatic race to unseat a conservative incumbent six years ago, Kyle is again running unopposed to represent the Bay Creek and Arbor Hills neighborhoods in south Madison as well as the Town of Madison near the Arboretum and parts of northern Fitchburg.
Kyle has focused his efforts around environmental stewardship, primarily through the Environment, Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee, which he chairs. He also serves an important role on the County Board’s Executive Committee.
You can reach Kyle at kylerrichmond@yahoo.com or 251-3171.
Madison Metropolitan School Board
- Marj Passman. Marjorie is making her second run in as many years for the School Board. After running a noble campaign in a tough election cycle, her hard work and dedication to Madison schools pays off this year as she runs unopposed and will be seated on the Board in April.
A Madison resident for 38 years, Marj spent 28 of those years as a teacher and mentor in Madison schools. This perspective has sadly been lacking from the school board and we're all eager for her vast experience as a professional educator to inform the decisions affecting our schools.
Marjorie is a recipient of several education awards and author of two books on education. Even though she is running unopposed, she is attending many evens and neighborhood "conversations," campaigning on a comprehensive platform which includes achieving academic excellence through a challenging curriculum for all students, addressing issues of racism and classism in schools, providing adequate services to special education students, and improving communication between schools and parents.
You can find Marjorie at www.marjpassmanforschoolboard.com, 334-2043, mapassman@gmail.com.
