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Our choices for the Dane County Board

An editorial  —  3/25/2008 6:02 am

District 5: Wyndham Manning

Outgoing Supervisor Ashok Kumar, who is stepping down after two years as a rabble-rousing representative of this campus area district, leaves with a great message: "Student issues aren't exclusively campus issues -- they are inevitably intertwined with broader systemic concerns that affect the community we all share. Students are undoubtedly affected by county environmental, housing and criminal justice policy. We have a half a million residents in Dane County, and 'campus safety' translates to livable jobs, affordable housing and basic civil rights for residents on the other side of the tracks, maybe slightly beyond the campus comfort zone. Contrary to privileged opinion, the world does not end at Emerald Street."

Kumar's right, and it pleases us that both of the candidates who are running to replace him -- UW students Wyndham Manning and Conor O'Hagan -- "get it." Both Manning and O'Hagan have progressive instincts. Both have solid records of involvement on campus. Both understand the issues facing the county; in fact, they know more than many board candidates who are double or even triple their ages. We back Manning because of his involvement in concert promotion and the local music scene. In addition to being an outstanding representative for the campus area, we think he will emerge as a real leader on a board that could use the advice and counsel of a young person who knows a lot about arts and culture.

District 6: John Hendrick

Attorney and veteran Supervisor John Hendrick contributes mightily to the County Board, digging into the most complex public policy issues with a determination that his fellow supervisors -- liberals and conservatives -- have come to appreciate. When complicated land use, zoning and planning issues arise, board members turn to Hendrick for an explanation. He's a progressive, and there are times when more conservative board members may disagree with the stands he takes. But there is broad regard for Hendrick's ability to analyze the most difficult issues facing the board.

The respect in which he is held makes it possible for Hendrick, a neighborhood activist whose involvement in community projects and programs is legendary, to deliver for his near east side district, especially on the water quality issues on which he has focused in recent years.

Challenger Mark Schmitt is an appealing candidate who knows the issues. His stances are a bit more conservative than those of the incumbent and, to our view, less in synch with the district. So endorsing John Hendrick is easy: He's an able and engaged representative of his constituents who makes a vital contribution to the board.

District 7: Matt Veldran

Elected two years ago in one of the bigger upsets of that campaign -- he beat conservative firebrand David Blaska -- Matt Veldran has turned out to be exactly the sort of supervisor he promised the voters of his southwest side district that he would be: an active, hard-working board member who focuses on issues rather than ideological fights or personalities.

Veldran's a valued member of the Public Works and Transportation Committee, Land Conservation Committee, City-County Liaison Committee, the Verona Road/U.S. 151 Policy Committee and the Human Services Board. And he's gotten a lot done. As chair of the energy independence subcommittee, he has played a key role in getting the county to focus on conservation and the use and development of alternative energy.

Above all, however, the veteran Meadowood Neighborhood Association leader is a determined advocate for his constituents, especially when it comes to the public safety issues on which he has worked well and wisely with Sheriff Dave Mahoney.

Challenger David Glomp has run a campaign that has stirred fears on crime issues and suggested that Veldran is not addressing them. But that's not a fair criticism. Veldran's made safety issues a priority and his knowledge of those issues -- along with attention to his district's needs -- has earned respect.

District 9: Dianne Hesselbein

Incumbent Supervisor Ruth Ann Schoer has often had our support in the past, and we retain a high regard for her long service and humane approach. But her challenger this year, Middleton-Cross Plains Area School Board member Dianne Hesselbein, has so much to offer that we think voters would be wise to make a switch.

A lifelong Dane County resident who has served as the Elm Lawn Elementary School PTO president and as a well-regarded member of the Middleton Youth Commission, Hesselbein has been active with the Friends of Pheasant Branch and proudly touts her service as the leader of her daughter's Girl Scout troop. She is an engaged and energetic good citizen who comes across as ready, willing and able to be a leader on the board.

She's been deeply involved in public safety issues -- particularly through her work with young people but also as a graduate of the Middleton Police Citizen's Academy -- and she wants to serve on the board's Public Protection and Judiciary Committee. She's also learned the intricacies of the local transportation debate, and is prepared be a smart and effective advocate for environmentally sound and people-friendly transportation solutions.

Schoer's been a sound supervisor; we like her. But Hesselbein would be a more active representative of the west side and we're convinced she would bring fresh perspectives to the board.

District 11: Al Matano

Progressive, energetic and experienced, Al Matano is, along with Brett Hulsey, one of the most seriously committed environmentalists on the board.

He has gotten into the thick of land use and transportation issues and emerged as an essential player in debates about how best to implement the vision of the Transport 2020 commission. As chair of the Transportation Planning Board, Matano has rejected one-size-fits-all approaches and instead embraced the broad view that Dane County residents need many options for getting from their homes to where they work, shop and play.

But Matano's about a lot more than transportation, or even the environment. As the board's most passionate yet good-humored progressive, he displays a constant commitment to economic and social justice that embodies the best instincts of the county where Robert M. "Fighting Bob" La Follette was born.

Matano's challenger, Steve Ingham, is a sound candidate who knows the issues and would in many districts be a very credible contender. But Matano's long experience and deep commitment make him the superior choice for west side voters who want an engaged representative who will watch out for their interests while advancing their values on the board.

District 12: Paul Rusk

Paul Rusk is one of the most well-regarded members of the County Board, and for good reason. He takes on big responsibilities -- he chairs the Public Protection and Judiciary Committee, making him the key leader on public safety and criminal justice issues -- and he sees those responsibilities through with an eye for detail, a balanced approach and a willingness to work with supervisors from different factions.

Rusk's focus as a supervisor has always been on responding to the concerns of his north side district, where his long history of community involvement has made him an exceptionally popular elected official -- he won 60 percent of the vote in the recent primary.

He's being challenged on April 1 by real estate agent Ted Krez. Krez is working hard and mounting a credible race, but his criticisms of the incumbent are uninspired. He does not agree with Rusk's support for a regional transportation authority and he criticizes the supervisor for taking Sheriff Dave Mahoney's side in a dispute over hiring more deputies. On both issues, Rusk's stance is the more responsible one for the county in general and the district in particular.

The choice here is an easy one: Rusk merits the overwhelming support his district has historically accorded him.

District 14: Vic Bankston

Voters in this west side district will choose a new representative April 1 to replace retiring Supervisor Mike Hanson. A Madison police officer who was the Republican nominee for Dane County sheriff last year, Hanson served ably on the board and we'll miss his responsible presence, as well as his wise contributions to public safety debates.

Both candidates in this year's race are impressive; either would be a worthy successor to Hanson. We favor Vic Bankston, a smart progressive who has served since 2002 as a member of the Dane County Equal Opportunities Commission. She strikes us as an unusually engaged candidate who sees all the possibilities for involving her constituents in the process. In her service on the Equal Opportunities Commission and the board of the Madison Development Corporation, in her involvement with her condo association and neighborhood projects, in her work with her sorority sisters to help young men and women get a college education, she has been a consistent and energetic force in her neighborhood and in the wider county.

Bankston knows the issues facing the county, as does her able opponent, police officer Melanie Hampton. In particular, Hampton would be a savvy contributor to debates on public safety matters.

This race was a tough call because we like both candidates. Bankston earns our nod because her energy, her approach to issues and, most of all, her connections to many segments of the district suggest that she would make the board connect county government to the community in new and exciting ways.

An editorial  —  3/25/2008 6:02 am