Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway fundraises for Kamala Harris as a ‘proud YIMBY’

In a Zoom call, Madison’s mayor touts her efforts to add housing and bolster transit

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Debates over housing developments are constant in Madison. Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway made her position clear in a “YIMBYs for Harris” online fundraiser.

“My name is Satya Rhodes-Conway, I’m the mayor of Madison, Wisconsin. And I’m a proud YIMBY for Harris-Walz,” Rhodes-Conway said on the Aug. 28 Zoom. She spoke for around three minutes alongside Sheboygan Mayor Ryan Sorenson. 

The event is one of numerous issue- and identity-based fundraisers that pro-Harris organizers have hosted since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race on July 21. Rhodes-Conway is a supporter of Harris and, according to a press pool report, was among the 15 people present in Harris’ box when the vice president accepted the nomination Aug. 23 at the Democratic National Convention.

YIMBY stands for “yes in my backyard” — it’s a pro-housing, pro-density movement that encourages revisions to zoning codes and local transportation infrastructure investments. It is a counter movement to NIMBYism — “not in my backyard” — a label for those who oppose new housing developments in their neighborhoods, largely due to concerns around character or density. 

Those arguments have played out heatedly in Madison, where geographic constraints clash with booming population growth. 

On the call, Rhodes-Conway said building more housing and bolstering Madison’s transit systems were among her “top priorities” as mayor. She specifically mentioned Madison’s new bus rapid transit system, which received 75% of its capital investment from federal infrastructure funding. 

“None of this can really have the impact that it needs to have if we don’t have a partner in the White House,” Rhodes-Conway said.

The YIMBY movement has gained political traction this election cycle. Throughout a new advertising campaign airing this week, the Harris-Walz campaign has centered housing affordability. Harris pledged that her administration would oversee building 3 million homes over the next four years, though details on how she plans to do so are sparse. Harris has proposed offering up to $25,000 in assistance to first-time home buyers.