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District 15 candidates (from left) Justin Williams, Grant Foster and Angela Jenkins
Justin Williams heard about the retirement of Ald. David Ahrens right way, even though he was in a movie theater on the night of the November announcement. Williams’ phone blew up because his friends knew he’d been waiting for exactly this kind of opportunity — an open shot to run for the Common Council.
“I’ve always been involved in politics,” he says. “It’s a calling I’ve had, to support my community as much as I can.”
Grant Foster and Angela Jenkins, Williams’ opponents in the race for the open seat in District 15, also have strong backgrounds as community organizers in their respective neighborhoods. The top two vote-getters in the Feb. 19 primary will face off in the April 2 general election.
District 15 includes the Eastmorland, Hawthorne and Lake Edge neighborhoods, among others. All three candidates are focused on the big-picture problems unfolding all over Madison: They’re worried that gentrification, new development, and growing social and economic disparities will change where they live for the worst.
Consider Jenkins, president of the Lake Edge Neighborhood Association and an Olbrich Botanical Society board member. As an alder, she says she would apply her background as a grassroots community organizer to her top priorities of social equity, sustainability, education, affordable housing and public transit.
She supports the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) model under consideration by city officials, for example. She also would encourage community involvement in developments and encourage a culture in public spaces that is inclusive and welcoming. Without action on those fronts, Jenkins says, disadvantaged groups will only fall further behind as the city’s population grows: “We need to work collectively to maintain strong and diverse communities.”
Such matters also preoccupy Williams, who works with Jenkins as the secretary for the Lake Edge Neighborhood Association. He’s a social justice advocate who is making equity his central message. He’s worked on campaigns for Common Council and state attorney, general and currently works as campaign manager of Community Shares of Wisconsin.
Williams promises to focus on “equitable, sustainable and reliable” public transportation and “bringing a community-centered approach to our public safety problems.” He also supports BRT, as well as increasing transit routes in underserved areas and fully restoring Metro Transit’s paratransit service, which was outsourced to contractors last year due to changes in state funding.
Foster has worked in education and health care, and hass become involved in advocacy and public service as a member of the Pedestrian, Bicycle and Motor Vehicle Commission and president of Madison Bikes.
As a dedicated all-weather bicycle commuter, he would prioritize building complete streets that don’t accommodate motorists alone and more bike path connectivity. He would also work to reduce energy consumption in transportation and other sectors.
“The best ways to do that would be through mass transit, and active transportation like walking and biking,” he says. “There’s a really good opportunity in Madison, I think, to double our bike mode share, from 5 percent to 10 percent.”
He identifies the implementation of the Milwaukee Street Special Area Plan (approved by the council on Dec. 4) as a specific challenge looming in the months and years ahead for his district. He’d like to encourage more involvement from residents in those big, neighborhood-shaping decisions. As a council member, Foster says he would help the people of District 15 — and Madison — feel like they have a voice, not like “decisions are being made ahead of time and separate from public feedback.”
