My Positions:

I bring a breadth and depth of education and experience in two areas vitally important to the next County Board: public safety and transportation.

Public safety - The single most important issue in District 14

Last year residents of the West side of Madison sparked a city-wide outcry for more law enforcement presence. As a police officer for nearly 8 years I have seen first hand the toll that crime takes on the citizens. As a district resident, I share the same concerns. One of my goals is to ensure Dane County’s public safety policies and initiatives support local police departments’ efforts to provide safe communities. I will support solutions to jail overcrowding and respect our established stance against domestic violence. Further, I will propose a resolution to include Dane County in a nation-wide child safety initiative that will prevent child sexual exploitation.

While talking with neighbors this winter, the issue raised most often is concern about the increase in crime. Madison has seen an increase in burglaries over the past several years and especially lately. Neighbors noticed trails of footprints in the snow around their houses and leading up to their windows.My training and experience have taught me that burglary can be a ‘gateway crime’ to sexual assault. I also know burglary has the lowest clearance rate, nationally, of any index crime. Incidents of child enticement near schools and the increased number of registered child molesters in the district are also major concerns in the community.

Transportation -

Dane County needs to invest in improving the efficiency of moving people from here to there. Solutions should include all modes of transportation and recognize that each mode interacts with the others in terms of people and resources. We must also be mindful of changes in motor vehicle technology that will assist this endeavor. Specialized transportation districts that include multi-modal transit options, like the proposed Regional Transit Authority (RTA), already exist in 40+ states. The RTA's priorities must have taxpayer support and must present flexible alternatives that respond to the region's needs. Further, the RTA must have professional leadership, and must tie all it's programs and operations to clearly defined funding mechanisms. Equally imnportant, the RTA's strategic plan must include an oucome and evaluation function.