It might seem like Sabrina Madison jumped on an opportunity to make her first run for political office when Ald. Gary Halverson abruptly resigned his seat after news reports surfaced that he had briefly joined an anti-government militia group in 2020. But Madison tells Isthmus she was planning to run for the District 17 seat next spring whether Halverson ran for reelection or not.
“My decision to run had nothing to do with what [Halverson] did or did not do,” Madison tells Isthmus. “I was frustrated by the conversations I heard about the men’s shelter. That’s why I’m running.”
A 2021 plan to open a permanent shelter for homeless men at 2002 Zeier Road near East Towne Mall was strongly opposed by Halverson and former Ald. Samba Baldeh, who once described the opposition in the district as “universal.”
At the time, many District 17 residents testified at public meetings that the shelter would cause public safety problems and negative economic consequences for businesses in the area. In October 2021, five alders — including Halverson — were able to block the purchase of the Zeier Road building because it required a supermajority vote.
Madison says it was alarming to her that residents of District 17 used “such dehumanizing” language when talking about the issue.
“At the end of the day, no matter what your politics are, we all pretty much want to be safe, we want to be housed, we want to be able to feed ourselves, we want to be able to generate enough income to take care of ourselves and our families,” says Madison. “I was frustrated by some creating irrational fears about people who just need some support. All compassion for fellow human beings was lost. That’s a leadership problem.”
In March 2022, the council did approve buying the Zeier Road property to temporarily serve as a men’s shelter while Dane County and the city of Madison build a permanent facility on Bartillon Drive, which is expected to open in early 2024 (see related story on page 5). Madison isn’t worried that she was on the other side of an issue than many voters in the district publicly opposed.
“I know if I was on the council when we first started talking about a shelter, I could have brought people together to do what’s best for the community, regardless of where the shelter ultimately ended up,” says Madison. “If something bothers me, I don’t like to complain. I act. That’s why I made the decision to run for alder.”
