Left: Tag Evers: “Why...do they need a football stadium?” Right: David Hoffert: “[Is there] a proposal both sides can live with?”
Both candidates running to represent the Dudgeon Monroe neighborhood on Madison’s Common Council oppose Edgewood High School’s proposed stadium — at least in its current form.
But one — David Hoffert, the president of the neighborhood association and a trainer at Epic Systems — believes a “win, win” is still possible.
Hoffert would like to see a true “collaborative process” between the private school and its neighbors that would “acknowledge the validity” of arguments on “both sides.” He says he is concerned that communication has broken down. “Right now, we’re going into our corners. We’re drawing hard lines in the sand and not having a constructive debate,” Hoffert says. “We should see if there is a proposal that both sides can live with.”
However, Tag Evers, a concert promoter for FPC Live also running for alder, doesn’t see room to compromise. He is “strongly against” Edgewood building a football stadium.
“Why in God’s name do they need a football stadium? The lives of kids at East High School and West High School are in no way diminished by the lack of a home football stadium. The notion that kids at Edgewood suffer this terrible harm doesn’t really stand up to reason,” Evers says. “[The proposal] is a textbook example of incompatible use and Edgewood has not approached this in good faith.”
Evers is also troubled that Edgewood “hasn’t given a thought” about how a stadium would impact nearby Lake Wingra.
The council seat is currently held by Ald. Allen Arntsen, who was appointed this summer after Sara Eskrich resigned mid-term. Arntsen promised to not run in April, when all of the 20 council seats are up for election.
Dave Leeper, a retired attorney and son of the late lawmaker Midge Miller, also filed paperwork to run for the position. But after speaking with Evers, he’s dropping out of the race and supporting him — even signing on to be Evers’ treasurer. Leeper says no council candidate “has any hope of winning” if they support Edgewood’s plan for a football stadium. He says it’s critical that the district’s next alder stand by neighbors.
“What Edgewood has been doing and seems likely to keep doing, is to push and propose, push and propose, year after year, until it’s accepted,” Leeper says. “If the stadium is ever approved, that’s it. It’s done. The neighborhood has to muster up a defense every time this comes around. Edgewood only has to win once.”
More candidates could jump into the council race. The filing deadline is Jan. 2.
