Rhodes Conway: 'I make decisions based on good public policy — not what’s politically expedient.’
Whatever voters think of Satya Rhodes-Conway’s first term as Madison’s mayor, they shouldn’t be surprised. She vowed to transform Madison’s transit network, create policy that makes it easier to build housing and address the city’s inequities. In an interview at Colectivo on the Square, Rhodes-Conway tells Isthmus she’s largely delivered on those promises.
“On transportation, we’ve marshaled the largest federal investment in the city’s history and are mostly in the implementation phase, now,” says Rhodes-Conway, referring to the overhaul of Madison Metro’s network design and upcoming Bus Rapid Transit lines. “On housing, we’ve made substantial investments and done a lot of policy work. I’m confident when the final numbers come in that we will have permitted more housing units than any other previous administration.”
Rhodes-Conway says guiding the city through an unprecedented pandemic put “basically everything” on the back burner for more than a year, and she’d like to have made more progress on economic development initiatives with a focus on equity.
“We have some good grant programs to support entrepreneurship, to support businesses owned by women, people of color and other underrepresented business owners. But there’s a lot more work to be done,” says Rhodes-Conway. “I’d like the city to start thinking about opportunities to reduce bureaucracy, overcome barriers, in order to create more wealth generation — and not just for the folks who are already doing well.”
The mayor has stubbornly stuck to the agenda she campaigned on in 2019 when she defeated long-time incumbent Mayor Paul Soglin. What she touts as accomplishments in her first term faced plenty of opposition — particularly the recently passed zoning changes intended to create more housing density and Bus Rapid Transit, which prompted a redesign of the entire Metro system.
“I would say [Bus Rapid Transit ] was politically risky. I staked a lot on it. Like I told voters in the last election, I make decisions based on good public policy — not what’s politically expedient,” says Rhodes-Conway. “Bus Rapid Transit is going to be fantastic for Madison. That’s not because I personally believe it, it’s because there is ample evidence from other communities that it will reduce congestion, spur economic development and help people move around the city. I think, eventually, I’ll win over the skeptics once people see the results.”
An early blunder for Rhodes-Conway was a private video sent to Madison police officers — which was quickly leaked to the public — praising them for their work during the 2020 protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd. Most of the protests were peaceful but some caused significant property damage downtown and there were clashes with riot gear-clad officers who used pepper spray, tear gas, and foam-tipped projectiles to control unruly crowds.
Initially, the mayor’s public remarks were critical of law enforcement and sympathetic to protesters. The not-so-private video message to Madison police officers seemed to convey the opposite message. The end result was scorn from just about everybody. When asked about the episode, Rhodes-Conway admits that’s one regret of her first term.
“We had some missteps with communications. I think we relied too much on press conferences and the media early on, instead of using communication channels that connect us directly with key constituencies,” says Rhodes-Conway. “During tough times, we probably weren’t communicating enough. A big lesson I learned was that effective communication needs to be part of the discussion from day one.”
If there was any rift between the mayor and the police department, Rhodes-Conway says it ended with the arrival of Chief Shon Barnes in 2021. She says she has a “great working relationship” with Madison’s top cop and they “share the same priorities.”
“The city’s biggest long-term challenge is housing. But our biggest short-term challenge is public safety. We are paying a lot of attention to public safety right now,” says Rhodes-Conway. “Communities all across the country have seen an increase in gun violence, an increase in traffic crashes, and an increase in stolen cars. When you talk to law enforcement and the community, those are the top concerns.”
She adds, “Fortunately, those types of crimes are trending downwards. I credit that to Chief Barnes, who I have been deeply impressed by.”
Public safety is also a priority for former Madison police officer and former school board president Gloria Reyes, who is running against Rhodes-Conway this spring, as is city employee Scott Kerr. The mayor has far less authority over the police than she does over other city departments. However, Rhodes-Conway says her role in public safety involves “implementing a roadmap to reducing violence that’s heavily informed by community stakeholders.”
“That includes our efforts with the violence prevention unit, investments in youth employment opportunities, creating and expanding the [Community Alternative Response Emergency Services] initiative,” says Rhodes-Conway. “We need the police to focus on violent crime. That’s why I’m taking things off the police department’s plate. When the police are asked to do everything, that’s not only not fair, it’s not right. It also doesn’t lead to good outcomes.”
Read about the other candidates in the 2023 Madison mayor's race: Gloria Reyes, and Scott Kerr.
