Paul Soglin: Waxing America

Letter to President Trump Regarding the Swamp

The Wisconsin State Journal asked me to write a letter to the President.  Here it is, with a few modifications:

 

Dear President Trump,

When you drain the swamp, rid our nation of a monstrous falsehood that undermines our success and stops us at every level of government from building a great economy.

The lie is prevalent in the states of Wisconsin and Kansas, in the counties of Florida and Wyoming and in our nation’s capital.    

Cutting income taxes for corporations and wealthy individuals does not lead to private investment and the creation of jobs. Cutting those taxes makes the one percent wealthier and screws the rest of us.

Quality jobs with a living wage are created by public investment in bridges and roads, high-speed internet and public education, for only then does the private sector invest in new businesses. The history of this great nation since the civil war has been periods of construction of dams, railroads, highways, airports, communication systems, education for veterans and more.  Each of these periods of public spending was followed by significant entrepreneurship and a more robust economy.      

The past four decades Washington D.C. has been infested with lobbyists and politicians who took care of themselves, and left the nation to rot. You have a spectacular opportunity to rid the swamp of polluters, leeches, and snakes that poisoned the water, the air, and the earth.

Now is your opportunity to create a new climate, a climate of investment and compassion that looks over all of the earth and its creatures, nurtures and grows the economy taking care of future generations.

Paul R. Soglin

Mayor                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Madison Compost Bin and Rain Barrel Sale

Madison’s annual compost bin and rain barrel sale will be held on May 7^th this year! From 10 am to 2 pm at the Alliant Energy Center rain barrels with diverters and compost bins will be up for sale at a discounted rate. Those who pre-order before April 25^th will save an additional $10.

The compost bin and rain barrel sale, which has been going strong for over 20 years, is an excellent way to work towards sustainability goals in Madison. Backyard composting and rainwater collection improve city-wide management of leaves and stormwater to improve waterways.

For more information on the May 7^th sale or to pre-order your compost bin or rain barrel follow the link below:

http://www.cityofmadison.com/streets/compost/CompostBinSale.cfm

 

The Greening of Monroe Street

Don't forget to head over to the Monroe Street Festival this Saturday, October 10th! This year the long-running Monroe Street Festival will highlight a new initiative focused on green urbanism, including street design and overall infrastructure. The initiative, called "The Greening of Monroe Street", will transform the area into an "eco district" by featuring ten different stations that offer a look into different approaches to green urbanism. The stations will include landscaped pop-up parks, zero waste stations, educational materials, tours along the Dudgeon Monroe Neighborhood Nature and History Trail, and much more!

This year's initiative presents an opportunity to remember the importance of considering sustainability and the environment, even in urban areas, to protect the natural areas we know and love.

To view the "Green Passport" and see what will be happening at each of the ten stations, click on the link below:

http://weigogreener.org/images/Monroe%20Street%20Green%20Passport.pdf

To learn more about the initiative follow the link below:

http://weigogreener.org/images/Media%20Advisory.pdf

Keeping our Community Clean

Those of you who ride Madison Metro may have noticed a new feature to the Ride Guide: public service ads encouraging all Madison residents to do their part to keep the earth clean.

It all started when members of Brownie Troop 2464 emailed me to express their concerns about littering at bus stops and throughout the Madison community. In response, Madison Metro worked with Troop 2464 to create anti-littering ads.

Troop members went the extra mile by walking around their neighborhoods to pick up garbage. Additionally, they spent some time with State  Representative Chris Taylor to learn about laws that help keep the environment clean. All of their efforts went towards earning their Brownie Quest Journey Badge.

The efforts of Brownie Troop 2464 serve as an important reminder to each of us to do our part to keep our community clean. Thank you to Troop 2464 and Metro staff who made this effort possible!

Commonwealth Community Pollinator Project

You may have noticed a new look to the grassy area along the Southwest bike path in the Regent Neighborhood and Hillington Green area. Neighborhood residents Jeannette and David LeZaks had the idea to do something different with a formerly manicured public green space along the Southwest Bike Path. They worked with the Regent Neighborhood Association to apply for a City of Madison Neighborhood Grant to install a native perennial pollinator garden and seating area.

The City approved the grant and a group of neighbors came together to plant the garden last year and to host an ice cream social. This spring, the group installed a stone seating area to complete this lovely gathering place.

Projects like this one have so many benefits beyond just the aesthetic value including their benefit to pollinators and their ability to bring the community together to work towards a common goal. Thank you to the Regent Neighborhood Association, and to Jeannette, David and area neighbors for all of their hard work!

City of Madison Selected as a Semifinalist in $5 Million Georgetown University Energy Prize

I am delighted to announce that the City of Madison has been selected to advance to the Semifinal round of the Georgetown University Energy Prize, a national competition that challenges us, along with other small- and medium-sized communities to develop and implement creative, sustainable, and replicable strategies to save energy.

Our commitment is to provide the citizens of Madison with the support and assistance they need to lower their energy usage – not only to lower their utility bill but to reduce harmful GHG emissions.  The City of Madison has a stated goal of reducing our greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050.  In order to do that, the City needs to be aggressive.  A larger percentage of our GHG emissions come from heating and cooling buildings because most of our electrical power comes from coal which is high in GHG emissions.  The Georgetown University Energy Prize has put us in the running against leading small- and medium-sized communities across the county.

The City of Madison will work together over the next two years with, local, utilities, local government officials, residents, energy efficiency experts, and others to implement our energy-saving plan that will not only deliver financial benefits to residents, but will also help ensure the long-term sustainability of our community. Most importantly, we will develop new approaches that other communities can replicate--so that we can all do our part to secure our nation's energy future.

In competing for the Georgetown University Energy Prize, the City of Madison intends to focus improvements on:

• Developing strategies for all residents – homeowners and renters to reduce energy use
• Reducing Municipal energy use even more by engaging employees

Stay tuned for more details on the Prize, the City of Madison's energy-saving plan, and to learn how you can support our efforts! In the meantime please stay connected by checking out the contest website at http://guep.org/

Urban Ash Project

Recently we gained a new piece of furniture in my office: a handcrafted urban wood table constructed from a City of Madison ash tree.  This beautiful piece is unique because it is made from an urban ash tree that once lined one of our busy city streets. The table is an example of one of the many ways to put the lumber from the trees cut down as a result of the Emerald Ash Borer to good use. While we often see ash furniture stained to look more like oak, the natural wood has a distinct color and markings that are very striking. Thank you to Fred Clark and Chris Jungbluth with Baraboo Woodworks for their remarkable artisanship!  Baraboo Woodworks was the recipient of a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Urban Forestry grant.  In partnership with the city, staff there are recovering and milling logs for other projects.

Check out some photos of their work below!

From left: Marla Eddy – Madison City Forester, Chris Jungbluth and Fred Clark – Baraboo Woodworks, Mayor Soglin, and George Dreckmann – Streets Division Special Projects Coordinator

Madison Welcomes EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy

I was pleased to be among the Madisonians who met today with Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy.  She had the opportunity to learn more about what Madison, through the assistance of Sustain Dane, has done with the MPower program.  It was really inspiring to listen to speakers like Kate Schachter of Union Cab Cooperative, John Mulcahey with UW Health and Ross Hansen of CUNA Mutual.  Those business leaders have made great strides in increasing energy efficiency through MPower initiatives.

The MPower Business Champion Program is a one year, fully customizable program allowing businesses to take advantage of dozens of sustainability resources and experts in an effort to reduce waste and energy use, increase employee engagement, and create a healthy, vibrant workplace.  Participating businesses are assisted as they develop and rollout a sustainability strategy that will enable them to achieve measurable results.  http://www.mpoweringmadison.com/mchampions

Ross Hansen with CUNA Mutual talked about the number of employees who have started to bike to work as a result of their MPower involvement.

Sustain Dane, with leadership from Jessie Lerner and her staff, has overseen the MPower program with the EPA grant and funding from Madison Gas and Electric.  As a result of the five-year program, over 240 MPower projects have been implemented for a total savings to businesses involved of $916,000.

It was great to hear Gina McCarthy talk about her impressions of Madison and of our new 'repurposed' library.  We are doing a great job as we work to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.  As I told the many attendees who were at today's event, I felt lucky to be there but they were the people who did all the work.

Turn Off Those Lights!

I ask you to join me in recognizing Earth Hour later this month.

 On Saturday, March 31st at 8:30 p.m., hundreds of millions of people around the globe will turn off their non-essential lights for one hour during Earth Hour – an innovative campaign that raises awareness on sustainability and the environmental challenges we all face.  Earth Hour is about raising consciousness, capturing people’s imaginations and empowering them to make a difference.  The City of Sydney was the first to switch off in 2007.  In 2008, Earth Hour went global and 50 million people around the world took part.  Last year, Earth Hour reached 1.8 billion people from over 5,000 cities and towns in 135 countries and territories across every continent.  With businesses, governments and communities working together, this single act is uniting people across the world by provoking discussion and a commitment to long-term actions that will benefit the planet.  Let us include the City of Madison in that effort in 2012.

While it is understandable that the City will not be able to turn off streetlights on State Street on a Saturday evening, most of the outside lighting at Monona Terrace, the first LEED EB silver-certified  Convention Center in the country, will again be off for the hour.  I urge other residents to take the challenge as well.  As you do, please consider the extra effort we can all make to curb carbon pollution and lower our dependence on fossil fuels.

 

 

 

David Mollenhoff: Why I Have A Soglin Sign In My Front Yard

David Mollenhoff, the preeminent historian of Madison development, owns property on Mansion Hill and has been a vocal critic of the Edgewater process.  Yesterday, he published an opinion piece in The Daily Page that outlined a list of problems with the process and then used the Edgewater as a lens to focus his choice for mayor next week.

The Edgewater demonstrates that Madison is really open for business. Mayor Dave boasts that Madison can be pro-business and progressive at the same time. Now we know how: by lowering our standards and then bragging about the results. Gov. Walker will be thrilled to discover that Madison's leaders are marching in lockstep with his administration's top goal.

So what should one do at the polls on April 5? That Mayor Cieslewicz supports the Edgewater without reservations is a given. Challenger Paul Soglin says he won’t block it because "the project has already received key city approvals."

However, if Cieslewicz is elected, we can expect four more years of neighborhood-dismissing, preservation-destroying, law-scorning, take-no-prisoners, big-project crusades. If Soglin is elected, we can expect thoughtful neighborhood involvement, a priority on historic preservation, respect for ordinances, plans and policies, and time-tested skill in implementing big projects. That's why I have a Soglin sign in my front yard. (emphasis added)

- Barry Orton

Editor's Note: Campaign contributions can be made out to Soglin for Mayor and mailed to PO Box 1228, Madison WI 53701. Please include contact information and whether we can use your name as a supporter.  Let us know if you can volunteer or sponsor a fundraiser. State law requires you to supply employer information (name and address) if your contribution is over $100 in a calendar year. The campaign website at http://www.soglinformayor.com is able to take online contributions, but please feel free to go old school via the US Postal Service.