Bauman bumped in primary
10:51 PM 2/18/03
Dean Mosiman and Lisa Schuetz Wisconsin State Journal

MAYORAL PRIMARY: IT'S SOGLIN VS. CIESLEWICZ Former Madison Mayor Paul Soglin and Dave Cieslewicz were poised to emerge as winners of a crowded primary Tuesday, ousting Mayor Sue Bauman after six years in office.

Bauman was a distant fourth of six candidates.

An incumbent Madison mayor hasn't been defeated since 1989, when Soglin beat Joe Sensenbrenner, and it's been at least three decades since a sitting mayor lost in a primary, City Clerk Sharon Christensen said.

"It's been a tremendous experience," a tearful Bauman told a small group of supporters Downtown at Cafe Montmarte. "I don't know what I'm going to do next. This is the greatest city with the greatest people and they've made their decision."

Soglin and Cieslewicz were in a near dead heat with 100 of 114 wards counted, followed by Bert Zipperer and Bauman. Relative unknowns Davy Mayer and Will Sandstrom had less than 2 percent of the vote combined.

The top two finishers advance to the general election on April 1.

"We're very appreciative of the results," Soglin said, adding that he was surprised by Cieslewicz' strong showing.

"I feel very confident," Cieslewicz said. "I think the race was excellent. I think all the candidates conducted themselves admirably."

Zipperer said, "This has been so affirming, so inspiring. Democracy is no spectator sport and this campaign proved it."

In the campaign, candidates largely avoided attacks and focused on achievements, leadership qualities and issues.

And clashes were few.

Bauman bristled when challengers questioned her leadership, saying at an early forum, "You'd think it's gone to hell in the last six years since Paul Soglin left office."

And Soglin stirred when the Zipperer campaign suggested a lot of Soglin's money was coming from real estate interests.

The candidates also disavowed Sandstrom's comments on Latino and Asian immigration.

But those were exceptions.

Bauman, elected by a razor-thin 55-vote margin in 1997, campaigned on a theme of leadership with results.

The city, she argued, has steadily improved during her time in office, from a Downtown housing boom to improved public safety to a historic border agreement with Fitchburg and the town of Madison.

"I think she's a very sharp lady. Her style may not be to everybody's liking, but she's done a lot of good things for this city," said Tyrone Bell after voting at the Boys and Girls Club on the South Side.

The mayor, who began the campaign with a $63,000 war chest, placed only fourth among the field in fund raising once candidates began competing for money. She blamed a nasty case of the shingles and an inability to seek cash while working.

Soglin, mayor for 14 years in the 1970s through 1990s and now a financial investment advisor, created the biggest tremor of the campaign in announcing that he wanted his old job.

He questioned Bauman's leadership and offered his own at a time of challenge and opportunity.

And he flexed fund-raising muscle, raising $118,000 - nearly $50,000 more than his nearest competitor - while candidates were directly competing for cash in the latest financial reporting periods ending Feb. 3.

"I chose him because he's a little grown up from the old days. He'll look back at how he did it before and make some changes," said Daniel Brennan after voting at O'Keefe Middle School on the Near East Side.

Soglin and his supporters were watching the polls, listening to a band and preparing to party at the Angelic Brewing Co. near the UW-Madison campus.

Cieslewicz, co-founder and executive director of the environmental group 1000 Friends of Wisconsin, promised leadership and an ability to work with others, and focused on land use, housing and transportation.

Cieslewicz has never won a city elected office, but he was a hit among political insiders, attracting the support of Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk and most of the city's delegation to the state Legislature. He also raised serious cash, $71,000 through Feb. 3.

"I heard a bit about what he had to say about sprawl and smart growth," said Robert Seiser after voting at the Hoyt school building on the West Side.

The Cieslewicz crowd took over the Marigold Kitchen off Capitol Square Tuesday night.

Zipperer, an elementary school counselor who served on the City Council and as president of the Equal Opportunities Commission, vowed to make the city more democratic and open, and mounted a spirited, grass-roots campaign.

He won the support of the Sierra Club, Affordable Housing Action Alliance, the 4 Lakes Green Party, and South Central Local of the state's Socialist Party.

And he raised more campaign money than Bauman in the last two finance reporting periods.

"I was voting my conscience," said Erich Eifler after casting a ballot for Zipperer at O'Keefe Middle School.