Tag Archives: Madison Common Council

Marsha Rummel Wins Fourth Term

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Challenger Scott Thornton says rogue mailer sunk his bid

Marsha Rummel

Alder Marsha Rummel won a fourth term representing Madison’s Sixth Aldermanic District.

What was termed as a competitive race by area media turned into a strong victory by a yawning margin for incumbent Marsha Rummel over challenger Scott Thornton in Madison’s Sixth Aldermanic District.

Tuesday’s vote total showed Rummel winning by 1500 votes in the hyper-aware Near East Side which was roiled by the appearance of a shadowy political mailer days before the election from a union-backed outside democratic group that normally meddles in state level issues.

“What a good night. Thank you!” Rummel posted on her personal Facebook page soon after several people reported on Twitter that she had declared victory.

Marsh Rummel and Scott Thronton, both neighborhood leaders, were not known to be rivals before the election and had worked together often in the past. The two candidate’s similarities on the issues left Thornton needing to find any angle to sow doubt about Rummel in the eyes of district residents. He attacked her communication, her votes on City Council, and her supposed lack of spine when it came to taking positions on issues.  Continue reading →

Rummel and Thornton Find Little Daylight

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Personalities may drive choice between highly qualified candidates

District 6 Alder Marsha Rummel (right) and Challenger Scott Thornton (left) following a candidate forum March 25, 2013

District 6 Alder Marsha Rummel (right) and Challenger Scott Thornton (left) following a candidate forum March 25, 2013

Madison District 6 incumbent Marsha Rummel and her challenger Scott Thornton talked neighborhood and citywide issues Monday night (March 25) at the final candidate forum before next Tuesday’s general election. Nearly 100 people crowded into a basement room of St. Bernard Catholic Church to hear the opponents argue more over style than substance.

It was as though we were back in the spring of 2008 and Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were giving their most earnest reasons why they should be elected. The stellar resumes of both Alder candidates has cracked the door on the less perfect and poor electoral measure that may make the difference: Personality.

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District 6 Candidate Q & A: Marsha Rummel

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Three-term incumbent wants to continue forwarding progressive agenda

Madison 6th District Alder Marsha A. Rummel is running for a fourth term on the Madison Common Council.

Madison 6th District Alder Marsha A. Rummel seeks a fourth term on the Madison Common Council.

Marsha A. Rummel has been Alder of Madison’s Sixth District since 2007, and in that time she has seen lots of change.

Before being elected she had been active in the Marquette Neighborhood Association (MNA), serving for a time as President, and was interested in such issues as urban planning and affordable housing.

With a week to go before the election Willy Street Blog talked with Marsha Rummel about city planning, economic development, homelessness, her challenger Scott Thornton, and why she was briefly banned from a restaurant earlier this month.

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District 6 Candidate Q & A: Scott Thornton

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Challenger says Ald. Rummel has failed to lead and communicate with residents

Scott Thornton. Courtesy Scott Thornton for District 6

Scott Thornton. Courtesy Scott Thornton for District 6

Scott B. Thornton, 49, has lived in District 6 since 2000 and Madison since the late 1980s. One of his first jobs in Madison was working for the United Neighborhood Centers of Dane County which had its offices in the Atwood Neighborhood Center and he has been tied to the near East Side neighborhoods ever since.

However Scott has made his strongest impacts as President of the Marquette Neighborhood Association (MNA) for the past four years, nearly quadrupling the membership during his tenure. He also secured tax exempt status and aggressively developed a public art program in conjunction with the Madison Arts Commission that has flowered in public and private spaces around the Marquette neighborhood.

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New Orleans Take-Out Lifts Ban on Alder

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Marsha Rummel allowed to eat at favorite haunt after making peace

Madison 6th District Alder Marsha A. Rummel was banned on March 9 for a City Council vote the restaurant owner did not agree with.

Madison 6th District Alder Marsha A. Rummel was banned on March 9 for a City Council vote the restaurant owner did not agree with.

District 6 Alder Marsha Rummel is once again allowed to eat at New Orleans Take-Out on Fordem Avenue after being banned by its owner on March 9 due to a vote during a City Council meeting earlier this month.

The exile was over her vote to reduce Sherman Avenue to two lanes and install bike lanes in the curb lanes and a center turn lane. The City’s biking community rejoiced but the Northside Business Association was against the move saying its members will lose money.

At the time of the ban, NOTO owner John Roussos emailed Rummel and said, “You will be told to leave. If you do not comply the MPD will be called.” according to the email she shared with the Isthmus.

“I was really sad when I got the email from John Roussos, and he has subsequently unbanned me which makes me very happy. He was very concerned with the proposals for improvements to North Sherman Avenue,” Rummel told Willy Street Blog. “Honestly, every single person at the Council meeting that night voted for those improvements.”

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Interview: District 2 Alder Bridget Maniaci

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Madison District 2 Alder Bridget Maniaci. Courtesy: District2MadisonBlog

City of Madison District 2 Alder Bridget Maniaci decided politics was for her after observing then Mayor Dave Cieslewicz run for re-election while serving as his press intern.

After studying journalism for a time, Maniaci switched to politics, completing internships at the State Capitol and with Mayor Cieslewicz.

While exploring journalism she worked for the Capital Times, The Daily Cardinal, and WSUM-FM. Bridget is also pretty good at sailing, serving as Vice-Commodore of the UW Hoofers when she was a student.

 

Maniaci graduated from Sun Prairie High School in 2002 and the University of Wisconsin in 2007 with a degree in Political Science and Economics. She was elected to the Madison Common Council in 2009. Outspoken at times, according to some, but she is energetic about Madison. Maniaci has a rare command of local public policy, with facts, figures, and grounded analysis often at the tip of her tongue…

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Editor’s Note: When we talked with Ald. Maniaci, funding for ice rinks and lifeguards in the City Budget was still in doubt. The Board of Estimates restored that funding at its meeting on October 22, 2012; with Maniaci supporting an amendment to restore funding for lifeguards. The Budget still needs final approval from the Common Council, which will likely vote on it in November.