Rex Loehe
1. Why do
you think you are the best candidate for the seat?
I have been active in the Madison community since first stepping
foot on the UW campus in 1980. As
a student government activist, I chaired the Wisconsin Student
Association’s Segregated University Fees Allocation Committee and served
as delegate to the United Council of UW Student Governments.
While
still an undergraduate student, I began my professional career in the state
legislature. What had begun as a
legislative internship to a Democratic State Representative through the UW
political science department, subsequently became a career when I was offered a
full-time position as a legislative aide.
I have now more than 12 years of professional experience working for the
Wisconsin State Legislature, as both an Assembly Democratic legislative aide,
and as a legislative research analyst in the Senate Democratic Caucus. Currently, I am working for Democrat
State Representative Tim Carpenter.
Professionally,
I have also worked as the campaign coordinator for Citizens for Dane
County’s Future – a group organized to elect progressives to the
Dane County Board of Supervisors, and as an Administrative Assistant for Dane
County Head Start.
As a
long-time community activist, I am currently actively involved in the
Tenney-Lapham Neighborhood Association (TLNA) as the Chair of the
Association’s Social Committee and have previously served as the Chair of
the TLNA Transportation Committee.
Further, I’ve been active in the LGBT community as a volunteer for
both OutReach and the New Harvest Foundation and have also joined the efforts
of the Friends, Stewards and Volunteers of the Yahara River Parkway.
I
believe that my strong and varied professional background coupled with my long
history of public and community service provides me with the necessary
experience that will be needed to work with neighborhood associations and other
organized and diverse groups of individuals to resolve contentious public
policy concerns. My hands-on
participation in the legislative process has taught me the importance of issue
consensus and has further provided me with the practical skills that will be
necessary to forge strong alliances on salient questions of concern to the 2nd
Aldermanic District in a highly charged political environment.
2. What are
the main city-wide issues you would work on?
The
main citywide issue that I will work to address is the pending city fiscal
crises and its impact on local property taxes. In the past year the City of Madison has been hit hard by
escalating fuel costs, rising employee health insurance premiums, and yes, the
December 2000 record snowfall.
These additional and unpredicted expenditures have added considerably to
the cost of providing basic city services, including mass transit, police and
fire protection, garbage and leaf collections, snow plowing, and the
maintenance and preservation of our parks. Added to the equation, is Madison’s ongoing financial
commitment to other initiatives such as childcare, youth programming, providing
affordable housing for senior citizens and support for community-gardens.
No
doubt the Madison’s 2001 budget forced difficult decisions within the
scope of state spending controls.
Indeed, the decisions that will be made during the next budget-go-round
will be no less difficult under the current shared revenue system.
If
elected to the City Council I will make improving Madison Metro and increasing
transportation options a top budget priority. In addition, I will work to ensure that adequate funding is
provided for the expansion and upkeep of our parks.
Other
citywide issues include ensuring open government, promoting and welcoming
citizen participation and public access to government records and
proceedings. If elected, I will
keep in touch with district residents through periodic town hall meetings,
newsletters, a web site and door-to-door visits throughout my term in office.
Finally,
with the completion of the decennial census, redistricting also looms on the
horizon as a major issue for the next city council. Ten years ago, I was appointed to fill one of the two staff
positions allotted to Senate Democrats to assist with redistricting. I was deeply involved in the drawing of
Assembly and Senate districts and participated in negotiations with legislative
leadership in both houses of the legislature throughout the redistricting
process. From this experience, I
was exposed to the federal requirements and court rulings pertaining to the
redistricting process. If elected
to the City Council, I will use my experience to work to ensure that our
neighborhoods are maintained as communities of interest in the redistricting
process.
3. What are the main 2nd district issues
you would focus on?
A
single-issue candidate cannot meet needs of the 2nd District, due to the
diverse nature of our community.
Therefore, I will focus on the quality of life issues that affect all of
the residents of the 2nd District.
These issues include (but are not limited to) the following:
Affordable
quality housing: As a means to stave off the gentrification of our neighborhoods
and the downtown, I will support and work for policies that will guarantee
affordable housing units in all new housing developments. I support the current proposal to set
aside 10% of all funds generated from Tax Incremental Funding (TIF) for
affordable housing. I will also
work directly with housing advocates and landlords to resolve the complicated
social and economic issues associated with Section 8 housing and will work as
an advocate for individuals with Section 8 vouchers. I will also work with the Mayor and other Council members to
try to address the underlying causes of homelessness and pursue progressive
polices that will help people get back on their feet.
Relief
from neighborhood traffic congestion: I will serve as a conduit between our
neighborhood associations and the city traffic department to find solutions to
ease traffic congestion and to slow traffic down through our
neighborhoods. I will also prioritize
working with eastside residents and the city to develop a strategy to manage
the influx of spillover traffic through our residential neighborhoods as a
result of the East Washington Reconstruction project.
Perhaps
the most contentious transportation issue facing the 2nd Aldermanic District is
that of high speed passenger rail which would link Madison to Minneapolis and
Milwaukee (and from Milwaukee to Chicago). Should Congress decide to go ahead and approve the rail
legislation that was omitted from the budget deal recently ratified by the
previous Congress, the Midwest would be in line for approximately $10 billion
the federal government would borrow for Amtrak projects under the High Speed
Rail Investment Act. This could mean
that work could begin on the 110-mile line by 2002 and service could begin by
2003.
There
are currently 4 locations for a high speed rail station in Madison being
proposed by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT): Heopker Road in
Sun Prairie, the Dane County Airport, the West Washington Station, and Penn
Station located on Fordem Avenue near Pennsylvania Avenue. Many transportation planners are
advocating the Penn Station location, which due to its logistics would have a
significant impact on the 2nd District.
Reasons for the Penn Station site include the fact that it would not
require any new track – only track upgrades, and that it would not
require the development of new corridors – the existing rail corridor
along Main Street to Fordem Avenue and crossing East Washington Avenue would be
used. There are, however, several
negative aspects to the Penn Station location which would include closing down
Division Street and Southerland and Powers Avenues to automobile and pedestrian
traffic, and requiring the construction of a five foot fence along the railroad
right-of-way except at certain crossings.
Should
federal funding be approved and the Wisconsin DOT decide to go ahead with the
rail project, I want to see that the concerns of 2nd District residents –
especially those regarding noise and safety – are heard and duly
addressed by transportation officials.
In addition, if the Penn Station location is ultimately the location of
choice by transportation officials, I will work hard to see that 2nd District
residents have input into the design of the station to ensure that it will fit
the architectural integrity of the neighborhood. The construction of some esthetically ugly or bland station
would only serve to legitimize concerns arising over the introduction of more
graffiti and crime to the area, as the station would ultimately only serve as a
departure and arrival point.
Instead, I would propose working with developers to obtain Tax
Incremental Financing (TIF) from the city to design a station that’ll
enhance the neighborhood and add to the economic development of the area by
serving as the hub of a larger project that would include needed in-fill
housing and shops.
Overall,
I would like to see a more visionary approach to Madison’s transportation
problems. Therefore, if the
federal government and the Wisconsin DOT commence with the introduction of high
speed passenger rail, I would like to see a system implemented that could be
eventually improved to accommodate commuter rail working in conjunction with
Madison Metro to serve Madison and the outlying suburbs. There is no question that our roads and
highways are becoming more congested with each passing day. When it comes to roads, the adage “build
it and they will come” is a definite truism. And make no mistake about it, with these roads comes a huge
and ever-expanding price tag. This
year alone, Madison’s total road expenditures including plowing and
maintenance cost taxpayers $20.2 million.
We as a society need to begin to address the wisdom of continuing to
have property taxpayers subsidize the automobile and the other associated costs
to cities that arise from the subsequent urban sprawl and the need for the
expansion of basic services to outlying communities.
Clean
lakes and park space: As well as striving to secure adequate city funding for the City
Parks Department, I will continue to work with the Friends, Stewards and
Volunteers of the Yahara River Parkway and the Urban Open Space Foundation, for
alternative financial solutions to our growing greenspace needs. Furthermore, I will work with city
officials and local developers to try to craft a program that would encourage
developers as “good corporate citizens” to contribute a percentage
of the profits ascertained from city approved developments to help fill the
void in the park’s department budget. I would also work with city staff to secure state
Stewardship funding for those parks projects meeting the established criterion.
Small
business development and retention: I will personally meet with 2nd District small business owners
to assess what can be done at the local level to help small businesses succeed
and thrive in our community.
Responsiveness
to constituent needs and concerns: In my work as a legislative aide, I know well the importance of
responding to the needs and concerns of citizens in an effective and timely
matter. As technology continues to
advance and replace humans as a cost-saving approach to providing services,
government agencies are becoming less and less personalized and citizens are
often finding government less responsive to their needs and concerns. If elected, I will use my vast
professional experience to help citizens cut through the bureaucratic red tape
and get answers to their questions.
Furthermore, I will work hard to bring government directly to residents
of the 2nd District through periodic town hall meetings, newsletters, a web
site and door-to-door visits throughout my term in office.
4. Is there
anything else you would like to say?
The
2nd District has a long tradition of embracing progressive values. What has been lacking, has been our
ability to implement those progressive ideals as policy initiatives at the city
level. I believe that my progressive
philosophy coupled with my broad base of political/activist experience will enable
me to make certain the shared values of the 2nd District are reflected and
implemented in city policy and the pursuit of social justice.
FOR
MORE INFORMATION ON THESE AND OTHER ISSUES, PLEASE REFER TO MY WEBSITE AT WWW.VOTEREX.COM