As my commenters eagerly point out, it's election day in Madison! Residents have five candidates from whom to choose for two city commission spots.
From the press I enjoy from my safe vantage point in Spearfish, it strikes me that the best two men to help run my hometown are incumbent commissioner Nick Abraham and newcomer Jeremiah Corbin. As noted in previous posts, Abraham and Corbin have done the best job articulating nuts-and-bolts policy positions that indicate specific actions they would take to improve Madison.
The responses excerpted by KJAM to a question on new ideas epitomize this distinction. Abraham suggested using the city's revolving loan fund downtown revitalization. Corbin floated using a tax increment finance (TIF) district for the same purpose. Mike Waldner offered no new idea but said he'd champion "anything that supports quality of life and economic development," principles we can hardly disagree with but which don't constitute an answer to the specific question about new ideas. Similarly, Pat Mullen expressed reasonable fiscal caution, but watching our budget isn't a "new idea" either.
Downtown development is one of the most pressing issues facing Madison. The city has ignored the physical and commercial health of Main Street in favor of its peripheral industrial parks and the Washington Avenue TIF district. The city has resisted using downtown for new cultural events. Visitors want a walkable downtown, and they gauge the quality of a community by what they find on Main Street. At the heart of Madison, they currently find a big vacant Masonic temple, several crumbling buildings with boarded up windows, and a dearth of retail stores.
Rebuilding a thriving city center as a destination for shoppers and tourists could be one of the most fruitful changes Madison could make. Nick Abraham and Jeremiah Corbin sound most tuned in to taking specific action to make downtown revitalization happen. Vote for them, and then hold them accountable for following through.
The Leader printed the census results. Didn't look good for Madison. Population down 1% while up 8% statewide. Poverty 4 points higher than state average, and average income thousands less. Gehl is again hiring, so things right now are better than at census time. The growth is in Sioux Falls, but we don't seem to be benefiting.
That's one reason I was encouraged to hear Corbin mention Sioux Falls's success with TIFs. Unlike the LAIC, he's at least looking outside for positive lessons. The status quo is clearly in decline... and Madison went for the most status quo candidate on the ballot.
I've known Mike Waldner a very long time. He'll do just fine as a city commissioner.
I just wish I had some concrete policy statements on the record to bolster your vouching for him.
I had no problem with any of the candidates.
Mike knows what it takes to run a downtown business. He has the connections and the experience to make a difference.
But we're not running a downtown business. We're running a city government. The two skill sets are not mutually exclusive, but they are not identical.
Did you not want to revitalize downtown?
Absolutely. But that's not just a question of knowing how to run a business. It's a question of having a broader vision of the economic and cultural significance of a Main Street that effectively combines commerce and culture and provides a third place for all citizens.
NO MAS!
Look where Madison has gone or not gone in the last 10 years. Some wanted to excuse the lack of success of Forward Madison by saying think where we would have been without those efforts, but you really can't reward failure, especially when those around us and the rest of the state have moved ahead. The census numbers (and driving around town with your eyes open) make that clear.
http://madisonet.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20470574&BRD=1302&PAG=461&dept_id=181987&rfi=6