Where I Stand on the Issues

I have spoken with many of you about your priorities and am working to represent your interests: protecting public safety, vital family services, improving University Avenue, cleaning up our lakes and beaches, and responsibly spending our tax money. Here’s a summary of the progress we have made for a better Dane County.

Protecting our Safety

• Voted to add 91 new sheriff deputies to protect us, a 25% increase.
• Expanded drug treatment programs to prevent crime and repeat offenses since half of the jail inmates have drug and alcohol problems.
• Worked with the Sheriff, District Attorney, judges, and courts to reduce jail crowding
• Increase monitoring to better track their movements saving county property taxpayers more than $3 million each year by not shipping inmates out of the county.
• Improved the 911 Center by hiring 13 new operators and upgrading with the newest dispatch technology.
• Hired a new Public Safety Communication Director from Minneapolis who had won national awards for responding to the I-35 bridge collapse in 2007.
• Support upgrading to a state-of-the-art radio system to enable police, fire and EMS personnel to communicate effectively during an emergency.

Protecting Vital Family Services

• Limited cuts to Human Service Programs over the last two years.
• Opposed additional 1-3% cuts to vital family services this year.
• Supported a 1% cost of living allowance and the living wage for workers.
• Expanded a job training program for at-risk youths at Memorial High School.

Creating Safer Streets

• Secured $10.5 million to upgrade and improve University Avenue this year and next.
• Got a $50,000 grant to build sidewalks on University Avenue to make walking safer.
• Supported a Regional Transit Authority that would give you the choice to expand bus service and senior transportation, provide $9.5 million in property tax relief, and increase transportation choices and planning. You will have a choice to vote before any sales taxes are spent on transportation.
• Supported more than $6 million in safety improvements to highways north of Lake Mendota

Cleaning Up our Beaches and Lakes

• Sponsored measures to clean up Spring Harbor and Marshall Park beaches to make them safe for swimming.
• Sponsored the county stormwater ordinance and manure restrictions to control polluted runoff from farms and construction sites, Lake Mendota's worst water pollution sources.
• Secured more funding for storm sewer cleanups, weed control, and rescue boat upgrades as a member of the Lake and Watersheds Commission Budget Committee.
•  Sponsored measures to get comprehensive lake level management and remove flow obstacles downstream.

Spending Our Dollars Responsibly

•  To protect our quality of life, I voted to spend 75% of our county taxes on vital services like public safety and family services.
• Enhanced or maintained core services for 911 operators, child protective service workers, patrol deputies, criminal victim services, and snow plow drivers.
• Held county property tax increases in the last two years to $40 on the average home, despite losing millions in county and state revenues from the recession.
• County taxes grew one-third less than City of Madison taxes since I was elected.
• Froze $25 million in capital budget projects, saving over $3 million in taxes.
• Took a 3% wage cut and asked all other county workers to do the same as all UW and state employees.
• Maintained a AA+ bond rating and cut overall county debt.
• Installed energy efficiency measures that have saved almost $1 million.