The marathon Madison Common Council Meeting on Tuesday lasted for 12 hours, and culminated in terminating the extended contract of Interim Independent Police Monitor Aeiramique Glass, with a 14-6 vote. Julia Matthews, Madison Alder for district 12 was one of the six alders who voted against the termination of Glass. Today on A Public Affair, Matthews debriefed the meeting from her perspective. Public comment for the meeting lasted 8 hours, with over 100 pages of written comments. Matthews describes the public as justifiably angry, but many people also gave heartfelt remarks about Interim Police Monitor Glass and felt betrayed by her dismissal. Chief of Staff of Council Karen Kapusta-Pofahl will take up the office until there is a permanent monitor hired, rather than appointing another interim.

Photo courtesy of Warren LeMay via flickr

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Today on A Public Affair, Madeline Topf from the Francesca Hong campaign gives an overview on how Hong voters are approaching the election next week. Topf was a political organizer and lead volunteer for the Hong campaign, and continues to organize several political movements on campus. Although the primary results were close between Hong and Crowley, Topf was surprised at the results of the election and credited Governor Evers endorsing Crowley along with increasing dialogue insisting that Hong’s ideas were too extreme for Wisconsin. Hong was the only candidate who fully supported moratoriums on data centers, and one of the biggest criticisms Crowley has received is his lack of support on moratoriums. Both Crowley and Tiffany supported building data centers until very recently, after a poll from Marquette University showed that 70% of Wisconsinites were against them. Topf also discussed the ongoing struggles of Madison housing, the impact of Act 10 on academic workers and graduate students, and the importance of organizing campaigns on campus.

Madeline is a data scientist for the public health laboratory of Wisconsin. She builds processes to quickly identify drug resistant tuberculosis in our state and beyond. Madeline served as a volunteer lead for the Hong campaign, organizing canvasses, phone banks, and other events. She also helped coordinate a Gubernatorial panel (with a viral moment) as part of a Madison labor consortium. Madeline is a member of AFT local #223, and an experienced organizer. In graduate school, she organized her academic program to win a historic wage increase. After becoming president of her union, she helped lead a successful campaign for paid parental leave and signed on to the lawsuit challenging Act 10. She continues to organize within the public sector and looks forward to the next political chapter in Wisconsin.

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The election is just six days away, and guests Debra Cronmiller and Angela Lang broke down each ballot initiative and discussed how they are preparing for Tuesday. Debra Cronmiller is the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Chapter of League of Women Voters and Angela Lang is the Executive Director of Black Leaders Organizing for Communities. The first ballot initiative addresses whether the governor should have veto power to create or raise taxes or fees. The second determines whether places of worship should have the ability to gather under a state mandate in an emergency, and the final initiative considers the legislation around discrimination and preferential treatment in public employment, education, contracting, and administration. Cronmiller and Lang also expressed concern over false campaigning and spreading false information in the media, how they are encouraging people to vote, and anticipating ways to move forward next week, regardless of who wins.

Debra Cronmiller is the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Chapter of League of Women Voters. The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, and increases understanding of major public policy issues. They also influence public policy through both education and advocacy.

Angela Lang is founder and Executive Director of Black Leaders Organizing for Communities (BLOC) in Milwaukee. Lang was born and raised in the heart of Milwaukee and has an extensive background in community organizing. In the past, Lang served as both an organizer and state council director for the Service Employees International Union, working on such campaigns as the Fight for 15. Before founding BLOC, Lang was the political director with For Our Future Wisconsin. She currently is the vice president of the ACLU of Wisconsin Board and sits on the board for Diverse and Resilient, a nonprofit organization that supports the LGBTQ community in Wisconsin.

Photo courtesy of Chali Pittman/WORT

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