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Waldner Candidate Profile: Decent Goals, Lacking Specifics

Last updated on 2012.03.20

Mike Waldner gets ink in Chuck Clement's second Madison City Commission candidate profile. Waldner, a long-time local computer guru, naturally hits some encouraging tech notes, although the specifics don't shout innovation:

According to Waldner, the community should make certain that it is taking full advantage of the knowledge and innovative ideas that originate from DSU.

"There are many technology ideas that DSU students take as second nature (for themselves). If we don't take full advantage of that, it will be our loss," Waldner said.

Waldner said the city could expand its use of Madison's website similar to the events calendar available at the Madison Chamber of Commerce's Internet site. He said the city could provide an electronic newsletter similar to the paper publication that arrives with utility bills [Chuck Clement, "Waldner Ties Growth to Quality of Life," Madison Daily Leader, 2012.03.12].

A community calendar... maybe Chuck missed something in editing, but the official City of Madison website already has a calendar. As for a newsletter, well, the city has already been experimenting with Nixle and its own e-mail notification service to share city information. Newsletters are cool, but they're also a rather rudimentary, Russell Olson concept of the Internet as a one-way communication tool.

I would think that, if we're looking for Internet innovations for the city, we'd be talking about ways to engage citizens, to share and discuss their views and draw them into participating in crafting local ordinances and budgets. How about some real social media presence for our commissioners and other officials? How about investment in broadband and virtual storefront renovation to promote economic development, as well as real openness, not just propaganda (again, the Russ Olson mindset) from the taxpayer-funded economic development corporation?

Of course, I'd be happy just to see the city keep more than the last four city commission agendas online in a permanent archive.

Clement's article doesn't give us much else in terms of specific items on Waldner's governing agenda. Waldner says we need to give local entrepreneurs "our support and the tools they need to grow." He says we build great businesses "by attracting and retaining great employees." He says we need to "support, motivate, and encourage" city employees. He says we need to create affordable housing for younger people in Madison who "currently can't find what they're looking for in Madison." (Careful, Mike: Madison-bashing like that last line will get Dan Lembcke telling you to move to Spearfish.)

Alas, Clement's article offers no specifics on how Waldner would turn those goals into action. I know our candidates are bigger than any one news article, but compare the Waldner profile with Clement's write-up of city commission candidate Jeremiah Corbin last week. In about the same amount of ink, Corbin proposes three specific improvements:

  • a revolving loan fund for downtown restoration;
  • expanding the softball complex
  • creating a city campground (hear, hear!)

If you're just reading the paper, you're giving Corbin an edge over Waldner on specific ideas for making Madison even better. But Madison gets to pick two out of five candidates. We have yet to hear from Scott Knisley, Pat Mullen, and incumbent Nick Abraham. Stay tuned!

8 Comments

  1. Ashley Kenneth Allen 2012.03.13

    You read my mind. As I have been reading these candidate profiles I think to myself, "what specifically will this person do?"

    Will they be leaders, will they write ordinances, influence policy, organize meetings and conferences, have forums with citizens, etc.? Or will this person simple show up and vote once a week?

    We have five candidates that need to tell us specifically what they want to accomplish beyond voting on the agenda that is presented to them.

    Following the status quo is not an option. Give us specifics, present plans and goals; give us your vision and tell us how you will accomplish it.

  2. Ashley Kenneth Allen 2012.03.13

    By the way, the city campground idea was floated to me multiple times in the last year by a few citizens of our fine city. The most common idea is to use the flood areas that have been reclaimed by the city and turn them into sweeping city parks/campground areas that can be used 9 months out of the year. It is a great idea and a way to generate more revenue.

  3. caheidelberger Post author | 2012.03.13

    Oh, Ashley, how beautiful to turn the entire uninhabited floodplain into a contiguous greenway, a massive Central Park running kittywampus along the creek through the entire town. Plop a couple campgrounds in there (like on that big empty block around NW 7th?), and you've got a huge draw.

    And youare spot onabout vision and participation. I'm waiting to hear a candidate say the magic words, "civic engagement." Any takers? Jeremiah? Nick?

  4. John Hess 2012.03.13

    I don't know why the college doesn't take that empty land on 7th street for parking. Back a few years the college wanted to buy my house immediately west of the library to create parking but Chip Wenk was against it. That open area is a half a block from campus. The city has offered it to them. Mandate the kids part there and get them off the side streets. Strangely, back in the 70s the Wenk family donated some of that land on the south side of 7th to the college for parking, but they later sold it for building lots, which then became flood lots. Chip wasn't gung ho about a parking lot across from his house, and who could blame him.

  5. John Hess 2012.03.13

    And there's quite a few tightwad teachers parking on the side streets. Get a sticker. Some people can't park in front of their own house.

  6. Nick Abraham 2012.03.14

    The city campground is an interesting idea. Unfortunately, the flood buyout lots have a ton of regulations on what can, but mostly what you can't do with them. The biggest issue, would be camper trailers or cars being on the lots. Anything that could potentially float or be carried into the creek in a flood event is not allowable in the floodplain plan. I don't see these are real threats, but apparently FEMA does. The lots can be used for very little other than greenspace unfortunately.

  7. caheidelberger Post author | 2012.03.14

    Nertz! Another great idea nipped in the bud by... federal regulations. (Uh oh: now I have to vote for Kristi Noem!)

    But really, Nick? The regs say we can't park trailers there even overnight? I haven't looked at the Spearfish floodplain map yet, but they have a big city campground right next to Spearfish Creek on the south side of town. Absolutely beautiful, and connected to the City Park and the rest of town with a great bike trail.

    Even if we couldn't put a campground right on the floodplain, is there some chunk of adjoining land we could acquire and put to this purpose? Run a nice recreation trail through all that floodplain greenspace, and you've got a great attraction.

  8. Charlie Johnson 2012.03.14

    Nick is right. I was on the CC when FEMA did the flood buyouts. When FEMA bought the lots and structures, they also obtained the easement to forbid future developent on the lots. They are to be a greenway. The planting of community gardens which is great idea, I assume is an allowable use.

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