Marsha Rummel is running for a third term on the Madison Common Council. I endorse her 100%.

She also has the endorsement of South-Central Federation of Labor (AFL-CIO), Wisconsin PEOPLE (AFSCME) and the Madison Professional Police Officers Association. She also has the endorsement of Downtown Madison, Inc. and Progressive Dane.

Marsha has been working to make Madison a better city as long as I have known her (since I arrived in Madison in 1982). Prior to her current position on the City Council, she served the Marquette Neighborhood Association as president and in many other offices. In addition, she helped to create and has managed Rainbow Bookstore Co-operative. She understands the needs of businesses in our community, but also understands the effects of corporatist policies on local businesses (that are now threatening the very existence of Rainbow). She has been a strong preservationist in a district that covers some of the oldest buildings in Madison.

The 6th District in Madison is a very difficult district. As one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city, it has a seasoned and vocal citizenry that take their rights as citizens very, very seriously. This is one of the most walkable districts in the city, if not the country. A resident can go for a 3-4 mile stroll without ever crossing a major street. It has shoreline, beaches, old industrial land, a de facto commuter artery (Willy St), the second busiest highway in the State (E. Washington Ave). Of course, as one of the oldest districts, it also has a lot of old industrial land that is vacant (and likely dirty). To give an idea of all of the issues that an Alder (who gets paid a total of $8K a year) must deal with, take a look at Marsha's Issue Page.I can tell you that our neighbors are vocal and tend to be demanding.

Marsha has developed positions on these issues because she has lived in this district for most of the last three decades. She also has a strong intellect and political base for understanding how to mesh the needs of the city, the community, and individual residents. Not everyone will agree with every position that she takes; however, she takes those positions based on listening to the stakeholders and analyzing as to the best course of action for the community. She also has an amazing ability to deal with people regardless of their emotional level.

The last point is important. I watch the council. I served on the City Alcohol and License Review Committee. I have seen many alders ignore their district voters in favor of other agendas (the Edgewater Hotel comes to mind). I imagine that it is easy for elected officials to convince themselves that they are the leaders. In fact, as Marsha knows, it is the people who lead. The duty of the elected official is to work with their constituents and stakeholders, inform them, help the discussion, and then reflect back to the rest of the legislative body the collective will of the district. Sometimes, there isn't a consensus in which case, the elected must make decisions based on their knowledge.

I trust Marsha to engage us. I trust her to make the hard decisions if we can't come to a general consensus.

Marsha is an excellent representative for our district.

Vote for Marha Rummel on April 5th.

While you are at the polls, also remember to vote for JoAnne Kloppenburg for WI Supreme Court.