For a time, the city 's political left was an engine of controversial, sweeping proposals like a local minimum wage, smoking ban, making developers put affordable housing in projects, mandatory sick leave and streetcars.

Lately, however, the City Council has not been consumed by bruising debates over social justice, focusing instead on basics such as policing, plowing and fixing streets, alcohol licenses and attracting and keeping business.

"It 's obviously true, " Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said, conceding his own streetcar proposal damaged perceptions of his administration by eclipsing efforts in other areas. "There isn 't that one big issue. I think that is a very good thing. "

The city, Cieslewicz stressed, is engaged in important things, citing a new Downtown library, Central Park, redevelopment of the Villager Mall and Garver Feed Mill, a Downtown hotel, going "green, " commuter rail and rewriting the zoning code.

But those things don 't drive talk radio, snare national media attention, or inspire the "only in Madison " remark that hot-button issues do.

The climate for such initiatives seems radioactive. When city Plan Commission member Eric Sundquist recently suggested -- not proposed -- that banning additional drive-throughs might help address global climate change, it sparked a frenzy of commentary from the blogosphere to national cable news.

"Madison is becoming Everywhere, USA, " said Ald. Brenda Konkel, 2nd District, who pushed hard on some of the controversial proposals.

"In the past, we were taking care of these (basic) things and having big ideas at the same time, " Konkel said. "This isn 't an either-or thing, although people try to frame it that way. "

Paul Soglin, mayor for 14 years between 1973 and 1997, said the city has always pushed the edge and chased the bold project, from Affirmative Action to Monona Terrace.

The key, he said, is deciding the what, the when and the how.

"There 's got to be some indigenous support, " he said. "For these kind of proposals, there must be a base. "

Soglin said his first administration initially looked similar to that of his predecessor, William Dyke, as he focused on the basics. That allowed him to pursue more ambitious projects including the State Street Mall, the Civic Center, Monona Terrace and other big initiatives that changed the city 's landscape.

Nothing to lose

The climate for big ideas was never more favorable than around 2003.

The grass-roots leftist political party Progressive Dane controlled eight of 20 council seats, and Cieslewicz ran to the left of Soglin and won.

A series of controversial, polarizing initiatives followed.

"PD used to be able to introduce a piece of legislation and they 'd have seven, eight, nine co-sponsors, " said Ald. Zach Brandon, 7th District, who focused on fiscal restraint and sparred with the left.

Strong personalities also played a part. As a young idealist, Austin King, who represented the student-dominated 8th District, "had nothing to lose, " said Ald. Michael Schumacher.

"He had a unique ability, a drive, " said Schumacher, 18th District, elected last year and no fan of King 's.

In a remarkable span, the council adopted laws to raise the minimum wage, make developers include affordable housing in projects (called inclusionary zoning), ban smoking in public places and regulate "big box " stores.

Progressive Dane had hopes of capturing a council majority.

But the business community, usually disengaged from local politics, got concerned and stirred.

In August 2005, after so many victories, King and a coalition of others rolled out another sweeping initiative: requiring city businesses to provide paid sick leave for their employees.

Cieslewicz, facing re-election in 20 months, liked the concept but sensed a backlash and didn 't sign on. The business community rallied against it, and in May 2006, the proposal fell two votes short of the 11 needed to pass. The next month, an effort to place the question before voters also failed.

"There was big idea ' fatigue, " Cieslewicz said.

A new era

The political kaleidoscope then turned more.

Crime, basic services, and water quality became hot issues. Cieslewicz faced the more conservative Ray Allen and many council members -- including King -- didn 't seek reelection. The most visible big idea still on the table: the mayor 's dream for streetcars.

The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce endorsed candidates for the first time and won in nine of 11 districts. PD kept only six seats. The council 's center broadened.

Cieslewicz won with 62 percent of the vote. But a summer shooting on the West Side roused residents to demand action on crime, gang activity and prostitution. Critics accused the mayor of neglecting basics for pie-in-the-sky projects.

In August, Cieslewicz shelved his dream for trolleys and a month later embraced Police Chief Noble Wray 's proposal to add 30 officers in the 2008 budget.

Streetcars "was overwhelming everything else, " Cieslewicz said, adding that polarizing big ideas can distort people 's view of city government.

Basics and business

The mayor 's current initiatives, laid out in April, emphasize public safety, street reconstruction, affordable housing, combatting the Emerald Ash Borer, economic development and revisiting inclusionary zoning, set to expire this year.

Cieslewicz, in fact, said he would "discourage " council members from forwarding a proposal like the minimum wage or mandatory sick leave -- not that anyone is doing so.

"This is the back-to-basics council, " said Council President Tim Bruer, 14th district, the senior member.

The council -- left, center and right -- has become more deliberate and congenial, Bruer said, noting a cross section goes out for drinks after meetings. "I think the paradigm has shifted, " he said.

"I wonder if we 're tired of fighting, " said Susan Schmitz, president of Downtown Madison, Inc. "I think people are willing to work together to get things done. "

The Left is preoccupied with the Iraq War and the presidential election, Konkel said. And a council with many new members and commitments may lack the time, energy, creativity or skills, she said.

"Part of it is tough economic times, " said Lukas Diaz, co-chair of PD, which is focusing on issues like the future of Metro Transit and changing tax increment financing (TIF) policy.

"We have a council that 's fairly neighborhood based, " said Satya Rhodes-Conway, 12th District, one of nine new members. "(But) the big idea has not disappeared. You just don 't see it in one piece of legislation. "

Initiatives are coming from all sides, such as Rhodes-Conway 's push to decrease city energy use and increase recycling, Schumacher 's bid to tighten liquor license laws and lower lake levels, and efforts by Ald. Jed Sanborn, 1st District, to let billboards be moved and allow 20 buses to be fully wrapped with advertising.

"I 'm real happy to see this focus, " chamber President Jennifer Alexander said. "But I would argue that economic vitality, creation of jobs, growing the tax base are big ideas. They 're bigger ideas. "

Lull in the action?

While discouraging big ideas at the moment, Cieslewicz was disturbed by the reaction to Sundquist 's comments on drive-throughs and wouldn 't rule the idea out.

The concept isn 't so silly considering the city is teetering on a federal "non-attainment " designation for harmful particulates in the air, mayoral spokesman George Twigg said.

But no one seems ready to propose a ban -- or any other big idea -- soon. The council election next spring will reveal a lot.

"We don 't know if this is a lull in the action or a fundamental change in the city, " Cieslewicz said.