News-CountyBoard-District6-01-25-2018
Clockwise from top left: Yogesh Chawla, Britt Cudaback, Pam Porter and Heather Driscoll
President Donald Trump has been an inspiration to candidates running to succeed retiring Supv. John Hendrick on the Dane County Board. Trump received a mere 8 percent of the vote in the liberal east-side isthmus district. But the four candidates running for the seat — Yogesh Chawla, Britt Cudaback, Heather Driscoll and Pam Porter — found in Trump a call to action.
“Our collective house is on fire,” says Porter, who worked for both former County Executive Kathleen Falk and former Gov. Jim Doyle. “I’m thrilled that we have three progressive women running this year. I don’t believe we’ve ever elected a woman in this district and now is the perfect time to do it.”
Driscoll agrees. She says Madison progressives should respond to a “sexual predator” in the White House by electing more women locally.
“After the last presidential election, I thought somebody really needs to do something,” says Driscoll, the environment committee chair for the Schenk-Atwood-Starkweather-Yahara Neighborhood Association. “And then I realized that somebody could be me.”
Cudaback, a UW law student and legislative aide for state Rep. Melissa Sargent, also felt the need to step up.
“If I’m going to expect my party and my community to invest in new leaders,” says Cudaback, “I ought to be the first to raise my hand and put my name on the ballot.”
Chawla, the son of Indian immigrants, is running so that others can also realize the American dream.
“My family struggled but we were supported by the communities that surrounded us,” says Chawla. “I want to give back for all the great things America has given me. Now, in particular because of what’s happening nationally, is the time for people to step up.”
District 6 hasn’t seen a competitive supervisor race since Hendrick was first elected to the board in 1994. On Feb. 20, voters from Blair Street to Stoughton Road will narrow the field down to two candidates. On April 3, the progressive district will send a fresh face to the county board for the first time in two decades.
While knocking on doors during the campaign, Porter heard a clear message from residents: protect Dane County’s lakes.
“As an agronomist and environmental scientist, I’ve spent my life working on agriculture policy and water quality issues,” says Porter, who has lived in the district for more than 30 years. “We can’t keep saying we’re going to clean the lakes without bridging the rural-urban divide. If elected, I have the experience to be a leader on this issue.”
Porter has racked up prominent endorsements early in the race. County Executive Joe Parisi, Falk, and U.S. House Rep Mark Pocan (D-Town of Vernon) all support her. Porter says her experience working in government, environmental advocacy and, most recently as a UW-Madison researcher, give her the edge.
Environmental stewardship is also a top priority for Driscoll. The former project administrator for the nonprofit energy consultant firm Seventhwave and Peace Corps recruiter says she has worked on neighborhood projects protecting the lakes from algae-producing phosphorus runoff and is leading by example even while campaigning.
“That’s why, for example, my yard signs are biodegradable, have soy-based ink and are compostable,” says Driscoll, who moved into the Atwood neighborhood in 2012. “I did quite a bit of research to make sure they were union-made, too. Elected officials can’t just talk-the-talk, they’ve got to walk-the-walk.”
Cudaback, who will graduate with a law degree and master’s degree in public policy this May, says as a member of the LGBTQ community she can bring a “much-needed perspective” to the county’s effort to combat homelessness.
“LGBTQ kids are disportionally affected by housing insecurity,” says Cudaback, who moved to the district from Nebraska in 2014. “Sometimes folks get left behind especially if they are queer, trans-identified or gender non-conforming because in a lot of ways, we designate homeless services by sex.”
Madison Ald. Marsha Rummel has endorsed Chawla, a public safety software developer. Chawla says the board needs technology professionals like him.
“I’m running on a strong open government and open data platform. In particular, my experience in working with open source government software will be a real asset” says Chawla, an east-side resident since 2004. “We also need to use technology to get more engagement from the community. Most of the county board’s work is done in committees. So the first thing we need to do is make sure all those committee meetings are recorded and publicly available.”
The most expensive project the victor is likely to grapple with is the Dane County Jail. After spending millions on studies over the past decade, supervisors approved a $76 million plan in November to consolidate jail operations at the Public Safety Building. The proposal will change how solitary confinement is used and shutter the 60-year-old, maximum-security jail on the top two floors of the City County Building.
The controversial plan was supported by 31 supervisors on the solidly liberal 37-member board. Hendrick was against the proposal. The candidates vying to replace him also would have opposed funding the jail overhaul, expected to be the most expensive project in county history.
Supervisors have only approved phase one of the plan. The board has yet to decide whether to complete phase two, estimated to cost another $24 million, to create centralized programming space, fully eliminate solitary confinement, and bring the entire facility up to federal standards.
Cudaback is sympathetic to the “inhumane conditions” at the decrepit City County jail. But she also says “we can’t build a jail and continue to fill it disproportionately with people of color and low-income persons.” The candidate says her experience working as an aide in the Nebraska Legislature will help Dane County.
“I worked for the judicial [committee] chair tackling juvenile justice reform and criminal justice reform,” Cudaback says.
Driscoll says she would have pushed for a “scaled-back” version of the jail proposal in order to close the City County Building jail. “Investing $76 million in the continued system of incarceration isn’t a good investment,” Driscoll says. “I’d rather see that invested in people.”
Porter says she would have been unable to support the jail proposal, but now wants to focus on a plan moving forward.
“I’m more concerned about the $60 million we spend every year to operate the jail,” Porter says. “I support radically reducing the number of people in jail by expanding deferred prosecution, diversion efforts and things along those lines.”
Chawla was against building a new jail. He says he would champion a data-driven approach to combating racial disparities instead.
“We need to find out who is in jail. Why they are in jail. We need to look at average length of stays. Find out why a disproportionate number of minorities are in jail instead of investing $76 million in a flawed system,” Chawla says. “If we could come at these issues from more of an analytical perspective, it will be very helpful in coming up with solutions that are not only cheaper, but are better for the community.”
All four candidates say they plan on winning the old-fashioned way. If you live on the east side (or the town of Blooming Grove) expect plenty of knocks on the door before the February primary.
Editor's note: This article has been corrected to note that Supv. Hendrick opposed the jail proposal.