Mayoral candidates debate state cuts
11:21 PM 3/03/03
Dean Mosiman City government reporter

The Madison mayoral campaign got a sharper edge Monday as Dave Cieslewicz and Paul Soglin clashed on how to handle a proposed $3.5 million cut in state funding.

Cieslewicz unveiled a 10-point plan to handle the cut in state-shared revenue, saying voters deserve to know what he would do.

But Soglin dismissed the plan as "startling in its lack of substance" and said it exposes Cieslewicz's lack of experience. Soglin has not produced similar specifics.

Gov. Jim Doyle has proposed the $3.5 million cut in 2004 as part of a larger package to handle the state's $3.2 billion budget deficit. At a press conference, Cieslewicz said he would address the looming cut immediately if he took office on April 15.

He said he'd freeze hiring this year and leave positions open longer next year, except for public health and safety; eliminate out-of-state travel for employees this year; review scheduled capital spending; and lobby to minimize the state funding cut. In the long term, he'd pursue consolidations, seek efficiencies, reform shared revenue, and study tax-base sharing.

"We can't wait until the cut happens in 2004 to take action," said Cieslewicz, co-founder and executive director of the environmental group, 1000 Friends of Wisconsin. "My plan will soften the blow to our 2004 budget by spreading cuts over both years."

Soglin, who served as mayor for 14 years during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, blasted the plan.

"This is where seasoned experience makes a difference," Soglin said.

The proposals for a hiring freeze and holding jobs open aren't new, he said. And a ban on travel is short-sighted because employees may need to travel to secure sums of grant money for public health, public security or polluted brown fields, he said.

"It reflects a willingness to make very expensive mistakes," Soglin said.

The city also shouldn't cut its capital budget borrowing, which updates infrastructure and motor vehicles, he said. Such a move would be especially imprudent when interest rates are favorable, he said.

Soglin called several of Cieslewicz's long-term proposals "weak statements" of existing positions and politics.

But Cieslewicz hit back.

The city can do better in holding positions open and saving more money in tough times, he said. Cieslewicz said he obviously wouldn't stop travel tied to grants, and that he is proposing to review the capital budget, not necessarily cut it.

"Paul needs to actually read something and listen to somebody other than himself," he said.

And Cieslewicz added, "I've got the courage to actually talk specifics. There is no specific Paul Soglin plan. Paul's saying, wait till I'm elected and trust me."

Soglin said he would immediately meet with managers and the comptroller after the April 1 election to get the best information on revenues and savings and would fine-tune a budget emergency plan that lays out city priorities.

He said he'd also explore city investment policy to capture higher returns, and impose developer fees in exchange for expedited reviews of projects.

"Let's do this right," he said. "Let's not do this off the cuff."

Cieslewicz's plan
Dave Cieslewicz's plan to manage cuts in state aid: