League Of Women Voters Questionnaire

Here are my answers to the League Of Women Voters questionnaire. They strictly limit you to 100 words, so you tend to edit and re-edit and chop out words and I post my answers below with only minor additions. The answers will be an insert in an upcoming Isthmus. The questions were basically: What experience do you have? Would you support a sick leave ordinance similar to the one Madison has considered (but not adopted)? Would you like to see Madison Metro transit expand?

1. Experience and background: I have served eight years on the Monona council in two stints (1989-1993 and 2003-present). I sit on five committees (Parks Board, Public Works, Library Board, License Review, and Ad Hoc Monona Drive). I chaired the Board of Review from 1994-2002. I have lived in Monona for over 20 years (I currently live in the former Krajco house on Thunderbird Lane). I belong to the Friends of the Monona Public Library, Historic Blooming Grove Historical Society, volunteer for the Monona Festival and Woodland Park, and formerly for Monona youth soccer. These experiences help me understand what matters to Monona residents, such as maintaining the quality of life and municipal services.

2. Sick leave ordinance: I appreciate the sentiment behind the move to guarantee sick leave for most workers whether in the public or private sector. Workers deserve to have minimum labor standards met. People are frustrated with an unresponsive state government. What we really need is a more progressive state legislature. However, regulation of sick leave and other labor standards is more appropriate at the state or federal level or we end up with a crazy quilt of regulations. I do expect progress on a variety of progressive issues from the new Democratic state senate with our own Mark Miller in a position of leadership.

3. Madison Metro: Monona operates its own transit system and is not part of Madison Metro. I am committed to providing mass transit services for Monona. We tried to negotiate for service with Madison Metro a few years ago and were unable to reach agreement. Our current senior service and paratransit exceeds the service provided by Madison Metro. Our regular bus service is limited to morning and afternoon weekday express runs to downtown. I would ultimately like to see us become part of a regional transit system. In the meantime, we could improve interchange between the two systems, such as mutual transfers.