Two very active neighborhood leaders vie for Common Council seat

Current District 6 Alder Marsha Rummel will be challenged by former MNA Board President Scott Thornton in elections next spring.

According to filings with the City of Madison Clerk’s office, Former MNA Board President Scott B. Thornton will challenge Marsha Rummel for the District 6 Alder seat on the Madison Common Council next spring. Thornton resigned from the Marquette Neighborhood Association Board in July after four years as president; and while he never publicly signaled his intentions, it was rumored that the action was in part so he could run against Rummel. 

Marsha Rummel, 1029 Spaight Street, has served as Alder since 2007 and indicated her desire to run for re-election during an interview with Willy Street Blog in September. In her time as Alder for the District, Rummel has focused on affordable housing issues, and urban planning such as central park, the Union Corners redevelopment, and area parks.

In his four years as head of MNA Scott Thornton, 1104 Jenifer Street, has presided over an increase in membership, the achievement of non-profit status, launched a major arts initiative in the neighborhood, and helped usher Willy Street businesses and residents through major re-construction of the thoroughfare in 2011.

A primary is scheduled for February, but barring another candidate entering the District 6 race, Rummel and Thornton will face-off in the general election on April 2, 2013. Madison Common Council Alders are elected to two-year terms.

District 6 was reshaped recently and covers the southern half of the Madison’s isthmus from Butler street on the west end to Olbrich Park on the east. It is bordered on the north by East Washington Avenue and runs all the way to the Highway 151-Highway 30 interchange.

Willy Street Blog has contacted both candidates for comment about the race and will have more information about this election in the future.

Read Marsha Rummel’s filing here

Read Scott Thornton’s filing here