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Public Safety
Public Safety is the most important issue in District 1 and the
City. Two years ago I voted to amend the Mayor's budget and add
police. The last budget, we again added police, but we are still
catching up. We need more police in our neighborhoods!
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I will
continue to push for more officers in future budgets - even
when it isn't as politically popular.
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I co-sponsored
a resolution to keep neighborhood officers - a great
asset.
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I voted to
accelerate the new far west fire station
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We need
staffing levels that allow our officers more time for
traffic enforcement and routine patrol.
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I pledge to
you that public safety will remain my highest priority,
as it should be for any city government.
Taxes, Borrowing, and Spending
High property taxes don't just affect property owners. They affect
renters, businesses and especially young families and people on
fixed incomes. We can't afford taxes that rise faster than our
incomes. I will:
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Continue to
fight at budget time for prioritizing of spending and
holding the line on tax increases
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Continue to
resist the explosion we have seen in city borrowing that
saddles future budgets with more spending.
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Tax
Incremental Financing should be used sparingly and only for
truly blighted or depressed areas. No more handouts for high
end condo
projects!
Priorities of
City Government
Too often our city leaders think their job is to be a crusader for
an ideological agenda. I think there are solutions that appeal to
our city's progressive values but don't take risks with our future.
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Make Madison a
place that attracts businesses and entrepreneurs.
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Make well
considered choices about our transportation system. Why
create a streetcar system when we have a bus system that is
great but full
of potential to be better?
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Our housing
programs should focus on the truly needy, not create
expensive, risky, and ineffective mandates on the whole housing
industry
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Focus on
quality of life: Expanding bike paths, maintaining the parks,
and
improving basic services.
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