Pubdate: Fri, 21 Mar 2003
Source: Isthmus (WI)
Copyright: 2003 Isthmus
Contact:  http://www.thedailypage.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/215
Author: Melanie Conklin

'IF I WERE MAYOR...' SOGLIN AND CIESLEWICZ TELL HOW THEY'D HANDLE SOME 
STICKY SITUATIONS

With a little more than a week to go before the April 1 election for 
Madison mayor, Dave Cieslewicz and Paul Soglin are running neck-and-neck. 
And many likely voters still have not made up their minds. It's a difficult 
choice.

Both former Mayor Soglin and environmental leader Cieslewicz are 
visionaries. They see the big picture of local government and the 
challenges the city must confront: tight budgets, sprawl, consolidations, 
affordable housing and race relations, among others.

Moreover, both have progressive credentials and generally agree on 
litmus-test issues, from abortion to race relations to war on Iraq. That's 
made experience and personality the central campaign themes.

Often, the day-to-day job of mayor involves handling difficult issues that 
blow up with little warning. So how would these two deal with the sort of 
tempests that jump to the front pages and dominate talk radio?

To shed light on that question, we've presented Cieslewicz and Soglin with 
a series of hypothetical scenarios (some of which may bear an uncanny 
resemblance to real situations) that the next mayor could face. It's a way 
for the candidates to show how mayoral they can be.

One of them will even get the chance to prove it.

A citizen e-mails your office complaining about prostitutes soliciting him 
at his bus stop near Red Letter News. What do you do?

Cieslewicz: I call the police department and ask them to contact the person 
and check it out. Then I follow up with the person and the department. I'd 
also check in with the neighborhood association president to see if it's a 
big problem. And if it is, you work with the police department to make sure 
the matter is taken care of.

Soglin: We contact the police department [to see] how much the department 
knows about the situation. Then we ask if [the complainant] would join with 
some neighbors to be supportive of efforts to eliminate the solicitation. 
There's got to be a clear neighborhood standard that this type of behavior 
is unacceptable. If the area is getting a reputation for prostitution, then 
we have high police visibility for a short period of time to put an end to 
the cruising.

It has come to your attention that one of the chiefs appointed by the 
Madison Police and Fire Commission is hugely unpopular with department 
employees, causing workplace tensions. How do you address this?

Cieslewicz: This is purely hypothetical, right? First, I would have a 
policy of not criticizing city employees in the press. I'd meet with the 
employees and the union and any others involved, and I'd meet with the 
chief. I'd continue that back-and-forth shuttle diplomacy to see if any or 
all of the matters could be worked out.

Ultimately, if nothing can be done and all resources have been tried, I'd 
need to work with the PFC to see about making a change.

Soglin: Been there, done that. [I'd call a meeting with] my staff person 
who works with that department, the labor negotiator and any other city 
staff person who has knowledge about [the] dispute. We will then [be joined 
by] the chief, the chief's assistants and union and departmental 
representatives. We will go through a long process, this will be 
institutionalized. There will also be a facilitator there to keep the 
discussion from becoming personal. It's good to have some outsiders in 
there, not only for their technical expertise, but also because we all know 
that the family behaves better if there are guests around.

A landlord hangs a 4'by 8' (legal size) banner from his building on the 
Square that reads "Mexicans, go back home." Your office starts getting 
calls complaining about the hateful message. How do you deal with it?

Cieslewicz: Two things. First of all, call the landlord and try to convince 
him to remove it, just one-on-one. Second, contact the city attorney and 
see if this falls into any hate speech category, to see if there's some 
other way we can approach this from a legal standpoint. I make a strong 
public statement denouncing the message and saying that this does not 
represent the views of the majority of city of Madison residents.

Soglin: We would treat it the same way we would treat the sign that said 
"No Bush War" [erected and later removed under city order by landlord Tom 
Link]. My commitment to free speech and equal treatment transcends the 
content of the message. I did tell Mr. Link if his sign were still up when 
I was mayor, I would propose that any fine he pays would [go to a local 
nonprofit group or homeless shelter]. He, by the way, found that to be 
acceptable.

A group of drug-policy-reform advocates appeals to you to order police to 
follow Madison General Ordinance 23.20, which allows up to 1/4 pound of 
marijuana on private property to be treated as an ordinance violation, 
rather than the stricter state statute. Do you give that order?

Cieslewicz: Yes. I think the War on Drugs was a terrible, expensive 
mistake. I applaud Progressive Dane for what I think was a very thoughtful 
document on drug policy. I would want to work with the authors of that 
report to see what other things we could do to create a sane drug policy.

Soglin: Yes. And I remind our police officers that our interest in 
marijuana is minimal. The interest we have in it is only if there are 
people involved with it who are trafficking in dangerous substances and/or 
their activity is related to violence.

Your office receives a report from a credible source that several Madison 
City Channel employees were observed smoking pot at a party on their own 
time. What do you do?

Cieslewicz: Nothing. I do nothing.

Soglin: As far as we know, we have no violation of any city work rule. I 
would notify them as to what had been observed and tell them that I can't 
make personal decisions for them, but that at a minimum they should be more 
discreet.

The police chief retires, and the PFC is looking to appoint a replacement. 
How do you get involved, if at all?

Cieslewicz: Yes, I would want to be involved. I would first check with the 
city attorney to make sure that all legal and ethical restrictions are 
being followed in terms of a mayor's role. But within that legal context, 
it would depend on timing. If it were four seasons from now, [the people 
I'd appointed would] reflect my priorities and values.

One concern I've heard raised about the PFC is that it doesn't have enough 
people on it with experience in the departments it oversees. In my 
appointments, I'd be looking for people who know the issues. Perhaps a 
highly respected officer or firefighter who had retired. Morale in those 
departments is extremely important. I recognize that and will grapple with 
it as mayor.

Soglin: Communication between myself and the PFC would hit on two aspects. 
First, that they do an open recruitment for a new chief. Second, that they 
interview me, just as they would interview any other community leader, 
about qualities we'd need in a chief.

I'd be pleased to have a chief who was knowledgeable about community 
policing. A chief who saw the value of police officers working with other 
city agencies, rather than one who viewed the department as a paramilitary 
organization that should stand alone. One who had vision in regards to law 
enforcement issues, perhaps consolidation with other departments. One who 
is committed to affirmative action in hiring and to equal opportunities in 
our community.

A chief who had the confidence that a well-managed department could not 
include ESPN, which I love dearly. The problem is the outrageous salaries 
being paid to professional athletes are funded by these television 
contracts, which in turn are funded by the cable providers, which in turn 
are funded by the rest of us who, if we want the Discovery Channel and the 
History Channel, have to pay for them. I would do anything in my power to 
break that up.

A city committee recommends dramatically reducing pesticide use in parks. 
Your parks director says this will increase maintenance costs in the 
already pinched division. Do you push for the reduction anyway?

Cieslewicz: Yeah, I would. The long-term importance for public health 
trumps the budgetary consideration. Also, I believe the budgetary concerns 
are overblown. If Monona can outlaw pesticides, Madison can do it.

Soglin: Been there, done that. There are now alternatives to pesticides 
that are very effective strategies.

A private waste hauler presents you with a proposal showing the city can 
save 35% in its garbage pickup costs if it privatizes this service. Do you 
pursue this?

Cieslewicz: That would be the private waste hauler's calculations, and I'd 
want the city's own numbers. But in analyzing any such proposal, I'd keep 
in mind that it's not just the cost, it's the quality of service. And you 
need to be concerned when someone comes in talking of privatizing 
functions. You need to consider the workers. I'd be very skeptical of this 
proposal.

Soglin: No. We may look at it, but I already know the answer. They can't do 
that unless they're paying extremely low wages or they're discounting to 
initially put us out of business and then raise prices after we're no 
longer a competitor. That's what happened in the Northeast in the whole 
post-World War II period. Once the city government is out of it, there's no 
competition, and prices go through the roof. Workers are out of jobs. Those 
who are employed get low-balled on their wages. The way we can save money 
in waste collection is by doing a better job ourselves.

A controversy erupts when Girl Scouts are told they can't have people 
sample their food at a cook-off contest they're holding at Monona Terrace 
because it violates the catering contract. Do you intervene?

Cieslewicz: First, I would participate in a public act of civil 
disobedience by marching to Monona Terrace and eating Girl Scout cookies. 
Second, I'd have the Monona Terrace director in my office to amend the 
catering contract to make sure something like this didn't happen again. 
That meeting would take place over Thin Mints and coffee.

Soglin: I call up [public radio host Michael] Feldman, ask him to bring his 
doughnuts. Yes, we intervene and talk sense to the caterer. 
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MAP posted-by: Beth