For the past four years, the former Madison alderman and aide to two Dane County executives has worked as executive director of the Wisconsin Alliance for Retired Americans, a nonprofit group that works with retirees and older adults on state and federal programs that affect them.

"When the president proposed privatizing Social Security, we held hearings around the state on ways to strengthen it, " Feitlinger said.

The organization, the Wisconsin chapter of a national group, is supported by unions in the state and works out of its Milwaukee office on issues involving Medicare, prescription drug laws and universal health care.

For Feitlinger, who still lives in Madison, his current job continues political involvement that goes back nearly three decades.

He served on the Madison City Council from 1981 to 1988, including a term as council president. During that time, he worked in U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold 's state Senate office and returned a decade later to work in Feingold 's U.S. Senate office.

During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Feitlinger was one of three aides working for former county executive Rick Phelps. He also returned to that job nearly a decade later to work several years for County Executive Kathleen Falk.

In 1992, he ran for the Assembly but lost in the face of tough primary opposition that included winner Tammy Baldwin.

Now, Feitlinger 's political involvement is focused on issues affecting older adults.

"It 's been a great job, " Feitlinger said. "The people I work with are the salt of the earth.

"They 're amazing people who are worried about their kids and grandkids. "

-- Marv Balousek

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