Edgewater Heavy Round Up, But a Few Other Things . . ..

This is all I have for today, I got up late and thought I could work on it at work, but 20 minutes in, I can see that isn't going to happen . . .

EDGEWATER
This article has several interesting points about the Edgewater appeal on Tuesday.
- Schumacher and Palm will be absent, meaning if 5 people don't vote for the project, it won't pass.
- Amy Supple seems to be saying they are going to argue the merits of the whole project (jobs), not speaking to the Landmark's Ordinance (visually related area, hardship, etc. I'm working on a post for tomorrow that outlines what the legal issues are and what the council has to vote on.)
- Cnare says her district doesn't really support the project, in contrast with the claims that the farther you get from the project, the more support there is.
- If Labor doesn't settle with Hammes, they won't show up in support on Tuesday.

Here's another blogger speaking in support of the neighborhood. One against. Another opinion.

Dusty defends himself.

Dunn apparently hasn't read the appeal ordinance. He says this about the ordinance:

When the City Council on Tuesday weighs whether to overturn a decision that blocks the $93 million Edgewater hotel redevelopment, it won't be hamstrung by the narrow rules considered this week by the city's Landmarks Commission, officials said.

In appealing the commission vote that the redevelopment fails a key compatibility test with surrounding buildings and environment -- one of the first tests for the project - Robert Dunn, president of the Hammes Co., said the council should look at a host of advantages the project offers rather than the limited criteria the commission had to use in refusing a certificate of appropriateness for the project.

This, of course, ignores the language of the ordinance.

After a public hearing, the Council may, by favorable vote of
two-thirds (2/3) of its members, based on the standards contained in this ordinance, reverse or modify the decision of the Landmarks Commission if, after balancing the interest of the public in preserving the subject property and the interest of the owner in using it for his or her own purposes, the Council finds that, owing to special conditions pertaining to the specific piece of property, failure to grant the Certificate of Appropriateness will preclude any and all reasonable use of the property and/or will cause serious hardship for the owner, provided that any self-created hardship shall not be a basis for reversal or modification of the Landmark Commission’s decision.

PEOPLE'S HOUSING VISION

Please join us for our next People's Housing Vision meeting at 5:30 p.m. on December 14 at the Central Library. We'll be in one of the 2nd floor meeting rooms. At our last meeting, our discussion focused on the following:

* Proposals before the City Housing Committee to increase enforcement of Chapter 32 (Landlord/Tenant) of the Madison General Ordinances.
* The need for more quality case management services (obvious, right?), and what quality case management is and how such a definition can be incorporated in future case management funding requests;
* Establishing a security deposit loan program to help low income folks access quality housing and build their credit;
* The practice of public accommodations (like businesses on State St.) requiring a purchase for use of their restroom and how such a policy, besides being hostile to low income and homeless folks, appears to violate State law;
* The need for increased fair housing protection for people with service animals and/or emotional support animals and methods for accomplishing such protection; and
* The need for an expandable overflow shelter and how we can reach out to local shelter staff to assist in this effort.

At this meeting, we plan to touch on some of the things we didn't get to last time (e.g., New York's tenant interim lease-apartment purchase program), get an update on legislative developments at the State level, and give ourselves some deadlines for drafting, publishing and taking action on the Vision.

This is hard work because there is such a great need and so much to do, but we're making progress.
Let's keep at it!

TALK ABOUT SHOOTING YOURSELF IN THE FOOT
Um, 21 layoffs?! Make me wonder who is teaching the labor unions how to negotiate. First Edgewater labor groups are way out front and spending money to support a project before they have an agreement, now the Sheriff's pushed just a little too hard and may have a big sacrifice to pay.

ON-LINE AUCTION EXTENDED

Flash! Bidding has been extended to Monday, December 7 at 9pm CST!

On-Line Auction to Promote Sustainability Statewide and these Community Causes:
WYOU Community Access TV, Dane County TimeBank, Community Groundworks at Troy Gardens

NEIGHBORHOOD BUSINESS FOOD DRIVE
From Jim at Cork & Bottle:

Gretchen, from the yoga co-op, proposed collecting non-perishable food items for the Goodman Food Pantry on Atwood Avenue. This would be a nice gesture
by our little business community. Anybody who would like to participate in
this food drive should contact me at the liquor store. Gretchen has said
that she would be willing to pick up any collected items weekly to drop off
at the pantry. I assume that we will continue to collect items until the end
of the year. Thanks, in advance, to all who participate.

Read more!

Mid-week Round Up

Lots and lots of miscellaneous . . . catching up on non-budget, non-Edgewater related topics! And no long meetings to report on! Spent time in non-government meetings last night! :)

PROPERTY OWNERS, GET YOUR TAX CREDITS

The Dane County Treasurer, David Worzala, is encouraging property owners to make sure they are signed up for the lottery credit to reduce their 2009 property taxes. The lottery credit is paid by the state and will reduce your taxes by $70-100 each year depending on your school district. The credit remains each year until you move so the savings continues each year once you have signed up.

While most property owners are signed up, the Treasurer's Office has identified almost 14,000 properties in Dane County that are likely to be eligible, but who are not yet signed up. To be eligible for the lottery credit you have to have lived in your home on January 1, 2009 and it has to be your primary residence.

To check if you are one of those not yet signed up, click here and follow the simple directions. To get on this year's tax bill, you have to send in your form before Thanksgiving.

DIDN'T THIS GET SETTLED YEARS AGO
One would this this shouldn't be necessary . . .

WIEA “Indian” Mascot and Logo Taskforce and RAAINL will be providing educational material, observing fan behavior and providing a ‘Silent Vigil of Protest’ at the 2009 WIAA State Football Championship games involving race-based “Indian” named teams playing at Camp Randall Field on Thursday, November 19 and Friday, November 20.

We need volunteers to observe/vigil/photograph fan behavior during, and to help distribute materials to fans as they leave the following games:

Division 4 – Kewaunee ‘Indians’ vs. Big Foot ‘Chiefs’
Division 2 – Kimberly vs. Waunakee ‘Warriors’
Division 1 – Milwaukee Marquette vs. Menomonee Falls ‘Indians’

If you can help distribute materials, meet outside Camp Randall at Gate 1 at:
8:30 PM Thursday, November 19 for Division 4 Game
2:30 PM Friday, November 20 for Division 2
5:30 PM Friday for Division 1

The games start at 7 PM, 1 PM and 4 PM respectively for those attending the ‘Silent Vigil.’

EMPLOYERS STEALING FROM LOW-WAGE WORKERS
Man, it just gets worse . . . as if the economy wasn't taking its toll on low-income workers . .. .

Employers Stealing Millions from Workers Everywhere!
Workers Speak Out Against Wage Theft

When: 6pm Thursday, November 19
Where: UW-Madison campus. Check TITU for room location.

Wage theft is rampant across the country! A recent study found that 26 percent of low-wage workers were paid less than minimum wage, while 76 percent were not paid for overtime, resulting in an average of $51 stolen from workers' paychecks every week.

The illegal underpayment or non-payment of workers' wages affects millions of workers each year, forcing many to choose between paying their rent and feeding their families.

Join us in educating and organizing ourselves to help stop wage theft. We'll hear from local workers who have experienced it, from faith and community leaders describing the impact on our community, and from students discussing how we can organize in solidarity with workers and do something about it!

Organized by the Student Labor Action Coalition and the Workers' Rights Center.

Endorsed by: Interfaith Coalition for Worker Justice, Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies Program, Campus Women’s Center, Chicana/o Latina/o Studies Program, Havens Center, Immigrant Workers Union (UTI).

PRAISE OR PROTEST
How's Obama doing on Afghanistan? Get ready to react!

Where: Madison, beginning at Lisa Link Peace Park, 400 State Street, up State St. toward the Capitol, around the Capitol and ending inside the Capitol rotunda with a rally and speakers.

When: On the day following the announcement by President Obama of his decision on additional troops for the war in Afghanistan:
If the announcement is made Sunday - Thursday: Event will be held the following day (Monday-Friday) at 4:30pm
If the announcement is made Friday or Saturday: Event will be held the following day (Saturday or Sunday) at noon
(Please check with contacts below to confirm time and day after President Obama makes an announcement of his decision.)

Contact info removed, but I can send it to you if you want.

While those within the Obama administration continue a vigorous debate about a possible escalation of the war in Afghanistan, concerned Madison-area citizens have already put in place their plans for a response to Obama's decision. A coalition of local peace groups, including Veterans for Peace, Madison-Area Peace Coalition, Madison Pledge of Resistance, and Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice are calling for Madison citizens to gather at Madison's Lisa Link Peace Park, 400 State Street, for a response to Obama's decision, including an open mic where speakers representing a range of opinions will share their views, followed by a solemn candlelight walk around the Capitol in remembrance of all of the victims of war.

"I'd like nothing more than for us to be able to gather to note a positive development, like a decision that no additional troops will be sent, or that the United States is establishing a timetable for withdrawal from Afghanistan," said Steve Burns, of the Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice.

Recently, high-level Obama administration officials and influential members of Congress, including US ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry and Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold, have spoken out against sending additional troops into the war in Afghanistan, raising hopes that the Obama administration might pull back from the brink of an Afghanistan escalation.

Despite these hopeful signs, Madison-area residents remain prepared to speak out forcefully if Obama does make a decision to escalate the war. “During the 10 year Soviet war in Afghanistan an estimated 1 million Afghans died, 1.2 million were disabled and 3 million were wounded. The American people will not stand for the Obama administration repeating the actions of the Russians. The killing must stop.It only breeds hate, not peace,” said Buzz Davis of Veterans for Peace.

Rae Vogeler of the Madison Area Peace Coalition said, “Our position has always been the US shouldn’t be in Afghanistan to begin with. We want the wars ended now and the troops and contractors brought home. Every day more troops and civilians die, more billions are spent, and we move closer to bankruptcy as a nation.”

This event has been endorsed by: Veterans for Peace, Madison Area Peace Coalition, WI Network for Peace and Justice, Madison Pledge of Resistance, Peregrine Forum and Wisconsin Impeachment/Bring Our Troops Home Coalition.

UN-NAMED SOURCE
I was in my sitting in my office and got a google alert for the Tenant Resource Center so I read the article and burst out laughing and rolled my eyes. One of the worst questions we get asked is if a landlord is good or bad and the problem is, its all relative, it can vary from year to year and of course, people threaten to sue us - so we don't really give recommendations or endorsements. Large management companies are usually as good as the people they hire, some small landlords are as good as the meds they are taking. Sometimes there are some where we see patterns or bad policies. We can guess who's charging illegally for carpet cleaning or charging security deposits for routine cleaning. We know who is sloppy on their landlord entry policies or who will negotiate with tenants when they are at eviction court. But . . . we're hesitant to say anything on the record, officially. Which is why I laughed so hard at this ringing endorsement from an un-named source in my office . . . which I thought was very artfully worded and subtle, but Apex owner Bosben clearly knew was not exactly a compliment:

“I wouldn’t say they are any better or any worse than the other big management companies,” says a source at the Madison Tenant Resource Center.

Bosben takes issue with any criticism . . .

Wait, we didn't exactly criticize him! He made that assumption . . .

As for me, when they asked me if they could put my name on that quote I hesitated . . . because of my sorta miserable multiple experiences with them as a neighbor went with the ol' "no comment".

But Kudos to my staff who managed to say nothing and yet get the landlord to say that they knew it was criticism! Too funny, some people are their own worst enemy.

MAYOR DAVE'S BIG DONORS
At the last council meeting, Pham-Remmele accused Mayor Dave of selling a seat on a committee for $1000. Mayor Dave says there are so few of those donors, so I thought I'd take a peak at some of his reports, here's what I found:
January 2009 Continuing Report
- Robert and Irwin Goodman each gave $500.
July 2009 Continuing Report
- #20,565 raised with 19 pages of donors mostly giving $100 - 500.
January 2008 continuing
- Raised a total of $225
July 2008 Continuing
- $6,231 raised.
- Fred and Mary Mohs each gave $500
- Emily Earley gave $1,000
January 2007 report
- James Crow gave an accumulated total of $1,250
- David Liebl gave an accumulated total of $1,150
- Frank Byrne gave an accumulated total of $1,387
- Peggy Anderson gave an accumulated total of $1,000
- Elliot Butler gave an accumulated total of $1,150
Spring Pre-primary 2007
- Stephen Hurley gave $1,000
- Spring Pre-Election 2007
- Patrick Essie gave $1000
- Bruce Neviaser gave $1000
July Continuing 2007
- Raised $8,127 but not larger donors

So, I went through that quickly, might have missed something, but . . . did any of these folks get some super great committee assignment? Perhaps I missed people who gave over several years? I dunno, nothing jumps out at me. I'll dig around some more. I'd have quite a few other comments about his campaign finance reports, but I don't think that people are buying seats on city committees . . .

MEETINGS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED THIS WEEK
Because the 46 meetings I looked at on Monday morning were not enough, here's the ones that were added since then . . .
Yesterday, I posted the week ahead schedule, but because 46 meetings just aren't enough, here are the ones that they have added since then . . .

Tuesday, November 17, 2009
1:30 PM SISTER CITY COLLABORATION COMMITTEE FUNDRAISING SUBCOMMITTEE ROOM LL-110 MMB

Wednesday, November 18, 2009
4:00 PM HOUSING DIVERSITY PLANNING AD HOC COMMITTEE ROOM 313 MMB

Thursday, November 19, 2009
3:00 PM ERLANER, JEFFREY CLAY, CIVILITY IN PUBLIC DISCOURSE AWARD COMMITTEE ROOM 403 CCB

5:00 PM PUBLIC SAFETY REVIEW COMMITTEE ROOM 103A CCB
- Chronic Nuisance and licensing landlords
- Vendors by schools

I ALSO MISSED THIS IN THE WEEK AHEAD!
Robbie Webber explains . . .

Thursday, November 19, 5:00 PM, Room 300 of the Municipal Bldg This is a scheduled meeting of the Long Range Transportation Plan Commission, but members of the Ped/Bike/Motor Vehicle Commission, the Transit and Parking Commission, Board of Public Works, and Transportation Planning Board (MPO) have also been invited.

The Wisconsin DOT will present their plans for the intersection of Verona Rd and the West Beltline. The project extends down to Cty PD (McKee Rd) and will affect/alter some intersections in the area, including the entrance to the Home Depot area.

There is also a proposed new road under Verona Rd where the SW Path runs down. The path would be moved laterally to run along the side of the new road.

This project is far in the future, but this is an opportunity to see what WisDOT has planned so far and see if you want to comment. This is an information only meeting. No action or vote will be taken.

The DOT web site has some drawings, but changes may have been made since then. However, the web site will give you can idea of the general outline of the project.

PEOPLE'S AFFORDABLE HOUSING VISION PLODS FORWARD
There are no easy answers, but feel free to join us tonight at the Central Library to discuss how we move forward:

Please come to the People's Housing Vision meeting this Thursday, November 19, 2009 at 5:30 p.m. in the second floor meeting room of the Central Library. We're moving forward on our priorities and developing detailed solutions. We'll be discussing our research on addressing important concerns like enforcement of Ch. 32 of the Madison ordinances, expanding overflow shelter space, a third party shelter complaint system, expanding community resources in tenant/landlord matters for persons with Limited English Proficiency, rehabbing foreclosed properties to provide affordable housing opportunities, and providing greater fair housing protections for victims of domestic violence and persons with service animals . . . and more.

HARRIET IS MOVING!

Starting November 20, 2009, the Telecirc ("Harriet") phone number will change to 608-242-4700. Please note this change if you call Harriet to renew items, or to review your list of holds, items checked out, or items overdue.

Email notification for holds is also available! Contact your local library to sign up for email notices. Contact information for LINKcat libraries is available here.

Read more!

The People's Housing Vision Moves Forward . . .

Thursday night at 5:30 at the Central Library . . .

Last month we scaled down our long list of housing concerns and possible solutions and we added a few more creative proposals, as well. Now we're going to vote on the issues we are most concerned with and the best strategies to address them. Please help us develop a People's Affordable Housing Vision for the Madison area on Thursday 10/22 at 5:30 p.m. at the Central Library. We'll be in the 2nd floor meeting room again. We hope to see you there!
Read more!

People's Affordable Housing Vision

After taking August off, we're back it!

To refresh your memory, here's the work we've done so far (affordable housing, homelessness, discrimination/fair housing and tenant/landlord). Any and all are welcome to join us at the Central Library this Thursday at 5:30 to prioritize and evaluate our work so far and work on the next steps . . . Read more!

A People's Vision - Affordable Housing and Development Issues

This one, the issue is obvious, so it was also a little hard to brainstorm around.

Here are the items that got the most votes:
- Lack of economic incentive
- Co-op housing/cohousing
- Lack of political will in “city hall” and county
- Long waiting lists for subsidized and transitional housing
- Ineffective government policy
- More TIF $ for affordable housing and less for other developers, less TIF use for high-end housing
- Lack of public transit & connecting housing and jobs, infrastructure/transportation/access to retail and services
- Profit & Non-profit partnerships lacking

These had a few votes
- Zoning code
- Financing options
- Racism and classism
- Property Tax Exemption
- Lack of county and state trust fund
- Lack of paid sick leave
- Not enough section 8 vouchers, projects, public housing, supportive housing
- Stronger requirements - # of units – affordable – larger units, 3 br+; very low income
- NIMBYism, stigma, Resistance to mix-income neighborhoods
- Predatory lending
- Lack of affordable housing in “desirable” areas
- Lack of revenue stream for city trust fund
- Lack of minimum requirement of affordable housing units w/in a neighborhood
- Lack of living wage
- Mobile home protections – need some more!
- Nimbyism regarding affordable housing
- Some communities more acceptive

These received no votes:
- First time homeownership
- Surplus of high-end housing (increase tax base)
- Metrics of growth, necessary?
- Quality of existing affordable housing pool, building inspections
- Cost of development of accessible housing
- Condo conversions – fees set artificially low, no reserve fund, special assessments
- Predatory practices – bad financial products, scams
- Distribution of Development
- Family size & ages
- Madison elitist city/culture
- Increased access to home loans
- Definition of affordable housing
- Lack of subsidies – developers or renters

Again, let us know what we missed. Read more!

A People's Vision - Discrimination Issues

This was hard to brainstorm, because people just wanted to list the various types of discrimination and protected classes.

These are the items getting the most votes:
- Criminal record/Criminal background
- Landlords unevenly enforce rules – varies with size of landlord - Private landlord v management company
- Discrimination against marginalized groups, DV victims, LEP & non-English speaking, Social discrimination, Discrimination against renters, low income, Credit discrimination – pretext, rigid screening criteria
- Not enough understanding by landlords and tenants about fair housing laws, Untrained, misinformed managers of property, even in public housing, Landlord education, tenant education
- CCAP- misleading, mis-used
- Section 8

These items got fewer votes:
- Lack of enforcement
- Nimbyism
- Not enough testing
- Pockets of Poverty
- Fear of reporting – retaliation, lack of enforcement
- Subtlety/Subtle racism
- Race

These items got no votes:
- Steering based on family status
- Mentally ill
- Lack of accessible housing
- Arrest & conviction records – ordinance is confusing
- Fear to exercise discretion based on individual circumstances
- Improperly motivated references
- Require 6 month leases
- Past rental history
- Rent increases
- Families with children
- Steering
- Disability
- Landlords treat students better
- Screening of applicants
- Earnest money/application fees

Again, let us know what we missed!
Read more!

A People's Vision - Homelessness Issues

This was one of the topic areas with the most responses . . .

These are the items that got the most responses:
- Need for rapid rehousing/housing first
- Lack of SRO housing and transitional housing, Destruction/low stock of SROs
- Stigma associated with being homeless in search of housing – with police and community, criminalization of homelessness, scapegoating, targeting homelessness, Ignorance about homeless
- Lack of treatment – mental health, AODA, dual diagnosis, Lack of health care/mental health, facilities and insurance, Untreated mental health/drug/alcohol
- Lack of employment options, Lack of entry level jobs
- Lacking re-entry options, Lack of housing for ex-offenders
- Daytime shelter
- Problems with shelter management, mistreatment in shelter, Shelter Standards
- No safety net, time to get SSI, benefits takes too long; no general assistance
- Not enough shelter space, even overflow, More shelter & shelter options
- Subsidized housing application/search – red tape
- Lack of permanent supportive housing and case management
- “Wet” shelter
- Barrier for searching for work without facilities (showers, laundry, etc), Hygiene
- Subsidized housing “criteria”/procedures limiting
- Under-reporting of homelessness, Lack of visibility, uncounted homeless

Only received one or two votes
- Classism/racism
- More supportive services for those in shelter & moving out, Easy access to services
- Lack of affordable housing and rental increases
- Lack of transit – affordable, public
- NIMBYism
- Hard to take help (humiliation/pride)
- Limits on time in shelter, permanent bans from shelter
- Transitional housing – stricter rules, no time limit, nicer
- Lack of consensus/no agreement in community about homelessness

Items brainstormed which received no votes:
- Deaths/hospitalization + Death of homeless, lack of community response, coroner
- Rape – victimization of homeless
- Disparate treatment for families vs single homeless
- Destruction/low stock of SROs
- Nimby
- Lack of financial education
- Faith-based services
- Giving up on people too quickly
- Impact on children/education
- Lack of storage
- Where to put pets
- Lack of vouchers

Feel free to let us know what we missed!
Read more!

A People's Vision - Tenant/Landlord Issues

I still don't have all the notes done, but this is a start!

Just a little background to get you started if you weren't there. About 30 people attended and we broke into three groups and people were asked to brainstorm issues in four different categories: Tenant/Landlord, Homelessness, Affordable Housing/Development and Fair Housing. The groups then voted to determine which issues they thought were most important. The groups also brainstormed solutions to the issues they identified.

I attempted to add all three groups together and group like issues to determine what issues seemed most important. Here's the list of items that got some votes, sort of in order of most to least, but there were several ties:

- Acceptance Criteria – criminal, credit, housing history, past rental history, including discrimination based on race/criminal background
- Leases including more charges for various fees, not clearly set out in the lease
- Bad landlords/bad tenants, vindictive landlords
- Low level harassment by landlord – selective enforcement of rules
- Renters in foreclosure – tenants not informed of new law protecting them
- Cash flow
- Lack of ability to break lease
- Knowing how to find housing/housing search + Lack of case management to assist in housing search
- Repairs and Promises to repair, failure to get promise in writing, tenants don’t know their rights, ordinance is too restrictive
- No enforcement mechanism of landlord/tenant laws/chapter 32
- Priority given to college students
- Price of Rent
- Failure to return security deposit, improper charges, charging for normal wear & tear
- Transportation access
- Landlord licensing

Items that were identified but did not receive votes were as follows, some items were identified in several groups and are identified with an *:
- Teenagers
- Overly strict rules regarding kids outside
- Over-showing of apartment, disrupting tenant’s quiet enjoyment – broad times in notices to enter
- Unlawful entry* – lack of remedy for tenants
- Deteriorating housing stock
- Technology (craigslist, etc)
- August 14/15 “homeless”
- Tenant complaints
- Chronic nuisance
- Lack of communication between tenant and landlord (i.e. repair issues)
- Earnest money being withheld
- Education for landlords
- Lack of financial education

Nothing earth shattering, as in most of the categories, but people really want to know the results and I'm slow at compiling them, so that's a start. Now that I have comments enabled, I can ask, what tenant landlord issues do you think we missed?

More to come, soon . . . .
Read more!

Tonight! People's Vision for Affordable Housing

To hear the City's Economic Development Director and the Mayor speak, we don't need any more affordable housing, in fact, we need to send it outside of the city. Is that your vision for Madison? Join us tonight!

Do we really have too much affordable housing? Are we really needing to "diversify" our housing by adding more high end housing to the city so we can increase the tax base? Is that the direction you think the city should be headed?

Date: Thursday, June 25, 2009
Time: 5:00pm - 7:30pm
Location: Downtown Public Library, 201 W Mifflin St

We've been talking about it for years . . . we've taken some steps forward and more lately, a few giant leaps backwards (property tax exemption and the death of inclusionary zoning). We have committees and task forces and workgroups and lots and lots of talking, but not much action. In fact, we don't even have a plan! The government doesn't have a plan. There is no plan as the economy crumbles, stimulus money gets gobbled up and nothing changes.

That's where you come in! We're creating a people's vision for affordable housing! That's right, no expertise needed! Just you, your brain and some common sense! What should the City of Madison look like? What is your vision for housing? What does this community need?

Please come and share your thoughts and opinions!!

Read more!

The People's Affordable Housing Vision

Or should that be hallucination at this point?

We've been talking about it for years . . . we've taken some steps forward and more lately, a few giant leaps backwards (property tax exemption and the death of inclusionary zoning). We have committees and task forces and workgroups and lots and lots of talking, but not much action. In fact, we don't even have a plan! The government doesn't have a plan. There is no plan as the economy crumbles, stimulus money gets gobbled up and nothing changes.

That's where you come in! We're creating a people's vision for affordable housing! That's right, no expertise needed! Just you, your brain and some common sense! What should the City of Madison look like? What is your vision for housing? What does this community need?

Please come and share your thoughts!! June 25th at 5:00 at the Downtown Public Library, save the date!! Read more!