Eli Judge

The lights have regained their shine in Sellery Hall windows, and that can only mean one thing: UW students are back on campus. Here is quick recap of the summer’s events:

A homicide on State St., along with the kidnapping and eventual murder of UW-Whitewater student Kelly Nolan, propelled campus and downtown safety into the national spotlight. During the flurry of media activity and the large outcry from the public, Mayor Dave announced his plan to increase the Madison police force by 18 new officers and gave his support to the creation of student neighborhood watch programs.

To develop the logistics for the Neighborhood Watch Program, Kelly Arendt, chair of the ASM Safety Committee, and I have been meeting with UW administration, the downtown business community and downtown neighborhood associations. The Dean of Students Office will be providing $2,000 to pay for a student position aimed at coordinating the “nuts and bolts” of the program. The Business Improvement District and its leader Mary Carbine, along with Downtown Madison Inc. and its president Susan Schmitz, have both proven to be incredible friends of the student body through their support in these important planning stages.

Students moved in and out of apartments and houses about two weeks ago. Waste Management and the Streets department did a phenomenal job dealing with the astounding amount of trash this event produced. While my personal move-in experience on Langdon (complete with holes in the kitchen floor and trash piled in the corners left by the previous tenants) left me with a bad taste in my mouth, the general move out experience seemed to be efficient and orderly.

The Alcohol Licensing Density Plan has been making its way through the Alcohol License Review Committee and will be considered before the Common Council on Sept. 18. With our upcoming marathon council meeting scheduled for this Tuesday, the plan’s referral to the 18th was a welcome adjustment.

I encourage all students who have been following the Density Plan and have e-mailed me their thoughts to attend the Council meeting on Sept. 18. I can only tell my colleagues a limited number of times why this plan will negatively affect us. I encourage my friends at ASM to assist me in galvanizing the student body against the Density Plan, as it directly affects the quality of life in downtown Madison. I have yet to meet a student leader who supports this misguided measure.

Budget season is quickly approaching. This year’s city budget process is unnecessarily complicated by a vicious battle in the state legislature’s conference committee, which is forcing municipalities like Madison to guess how much state aid they will receive in the coming year. Over the past few weeks, Mayor Dave has been holding public forums to gather input for the budget that he will propose to the Common Council. I remain optimistic that city leadership understands the need for a strong commitment to public safety and increased lighting in the campus area.

I also remain hopeful that Mayor Dave and I will be able to work together to protect the downtown area with an increase to the Downtown Safety Initiative and continued support for Neighborhood Watch Programs. I feel that these efforts will do far more than any alcohol licensing density plan to ensure that the people living in our city will be able to feel safe while walking down the street.

With this morning’s freshman convocation behind us, along with Mayor Dave’s apparent basketball career, we’re off to the races. Many may notice a large increase in police coverage on State St. and in the Langdon area this weekend. Hopefully this enlarged, Downtown Safety Initiative driven, visible deterrent to street level crime will maintain its focus on preventing sexual assaults and violence in the campus area. I certainly hope it will make a noticeable improvement in the lives of students. I invite you to let me know what your reactions have been to any changes you have seen.

As always, feel free to contact me, regardless of what district you live in, with any questions or concerns you might have. My phone number is (608) 322-6358 (please use the area code) and my email is district8@cityofmadison.com.

Remember, a lonely “Alder Hours” table is not fun for anyone. Look at the previous listings for the dates and times I will be available so you might come share the wonderful view from Lakefront on Langdon.

Oh, and of course...

Go Badgers!

This just in from Capt. Mary.

For all those not privy to the lingo, TITU means Today in the Union. There are sheets posted around the Union that you can consult to see what room we will be in.

Hope to see you then.

Tuesday evening’s Common Council meeting, with 223 agenda items, will advance a variety of important initiatives, including a plan for Allied Drive redevelopment and the creation of a Regional Transit Authority. I co-sponsored the latter resolution because I believe that a commuter rail line will lead to economic development and provide exciting new transportation options for students. After our resolution passes, the ball will be in the state legislature’s court to provide similar authorization.

One agenda item that promises to attract a lot of attention is the resolution urging the U.S. House of Representatives to initiate impeachment proceedings against President Bush and Vice President Cheney. Let me be perfectly clear: I detest the current presidential administration and look with increasing longing toward January 20, 2009 and the hopeful inauguration of a progressive president. Further, I believe that President Bush demonstrates a cavalier disregard for the Constitution and basic civil liberties on issues ranging from domestic wiretapping to torture at Guantanamo Bay. I will not, however, support the impeachment resolution before Common Council.

My first reason is not terribly original but nonetheless deserves a few words. During the campaign, I made a promise to voters in my district that I would focus exclusively on local issues and devote my time as a Madison elected official to strengthening basic city services. The safety of our streets and sidewalks represents the most vital of these services for downtown and periphery residents alike. I do not feel that it is within my prerogative to legislate on issues of national import like impeachment of the president and vice president. I share the dismay of my sponsoring colleagues at the litany of presidential offenses listed in the resolution, but I feel that a measure urging impeachment falls squarely outside the purview of my locally-elected position.

An equally important rationale for my abstention derives from the wisdom of one of my political role models, Senator Russ Feingold. In an Aug. 19 column for the Appleton Post-Crescent, Feingold wrote:

“As I travel around Wisconsin holding listening sessions in every county, there is a common refrain when people talk about the misconduct of this administration: that the president and other administration officials must be held accountable for their wrongdoing. They have violated the trust of the American people by misleading this country into, and subsequently mismanaging, a disastrous war, and by undermining
the rule of law at home.

Some have coalesced around a call to impeach the president and the vice president for their wrongdoing. I believe that the president and the vice president may well have committed impeachable offenses.

That does not mean, however, that putting the country through two potentially lengthy impeachments in the House and trials in the Senate is required or the best thing for the country. Congress should exercise its discretion by not pursuing impeachment so that it can focus on fixing this nation's pressing problems.”

I trust Senator Feingold’s prediction that impeachment proceedings would hijack Congress’ agenda and stall meaningful work on issues of greater importance like expanding access to health care and ending the war in Iraq.

That’s it for now – expect a longer post in a few days to recap what happens at Tuesday evening’s meeting. On a closing note, my sister Casey moved to Ann Arbor last week to begin her freshman year at the University of Michigan. I sure hope she enjoyed her first college football game.

The bar called Madhatters, formerly in the University Square area, is going to the Alcohol License Review Committee to possibly be moved to where Fudruckers used to be on State St.

What are your thoughts on this move? Please send me emails or phone calls so I can get a general idea of what people’s ideas are.

district8@cityofmadison.com
(608) 322-6358 (please use the area code)

Today will be a very interesting day in City Hall. Although the Council agenda does not forecast another ten hour meeting, it contains a matter of great importance for students. The Madison City Council will finally vote on the Alcohol License Density Ordinance after opening the floor to neighborhood representatives, landlords, tenants, residents of Madison, and UW students.

I hope that my consultations with my colleagues on Council will influence them to vote against this misguided plan. In these recent meetings I have tried to make the negative implications of the Density Plan very clear. This approach would not solve the problem of downtown crime; it would in fact exacerbate the situation.

The increased risk of house parties, packed establishments (both licensed and not), and shifted density are all possible consequences should this ordinance pass. My view has been shared by countless downtown students, landlords, and business owners. I appreciate the Badger Herald's recent editorial on this topic.

As I have expressed in every committee meeting on this issue: I urge my colleagues to oppose the Density Plan. Instead, help students and downtown residents support smarter initiatives like the Neighborhood Watch Program and the Downtown Safety Initiative, which are proven and powerful methods to keep our streets safe.

Join me today as I oppose the Alcohol License Density Ordinance. The meeting is today (9/18) at 6:30 PM, in Room 201 of the City-County Building (210 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.).