Thanks for voting and volunteering, City budget, meetings, events and announcements

Hello neighbors,

I am so pleased that our mid-term elections were undertaken with integrity, and without violence. Turnout in Dane County was a healthy 80.3%, though this was substantially lower than the turnout in 2018, at 88%. If you voted, thank you. If you served as a poll worker, thank you. If you volunteered to get people to the polls through letter writing, phone banking, or driving people on the day of the election, thank you. Every one of you is contributing to keeping our democracy alive.

In the coming week, the Common Council will be reviewing both the Capital and Operating Budgets, and considering multiple amendments. I wrote about the City budget process earlier this year in the Regent Neighborhood Association newsletter, and Council President Furman has provided an excellent summary on his blog. There are certainly a variety of perspectives on what the City should, and shouldn’t, fund. Please know that everyone from the Council members, to the Mayor, to the City staff are considering the complexity of needs of our population, and doing our best to do right by you. Undoubtedly, not everyone will agree with each and every decision that is made, but each decision is made with the best interests of our citizens at heart. If you would like to engage on the budget this week, you may send an email to me, to all alders, or participate directly via public comment in person or online by registering to speak on Tuesday evening.

Upcoming Meetings of interest:

• Transportation Policy and Planning Board (Monday 11/14 at 5:00 PM)
  • Complete Green Streets
  • Passenger Rail Introduction
• The Dane County Regional Airport is currently in the process of updating its noise mitigation plan as result of the 115th Air National Guard transitioning from F-16s to F-35s. The second open house of the noise study will be held Monday November 14th from 6-8pm at the Dane County Regional Airport (between terminal doors 1 and 2). Information about the study process and materials from the first open house are on the DCRA’s noise mitigation plan (Part 150) webpage.

Events:

• 2022 FEED Summit – Be a Thriving Food Entrepreneur, November 14-15, 10am-4pm. Learn business fundamentals, build business connections, and learn to market your business at this interactive workshop.
• Musician and activist Lyla June to speak on Indigenous rights, revitalizing ancient Indigenous land practices at free event on November 14th, 7-8:30pm, DeLuca Forum, Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery. Bringing her perspective as a woman of Diné (Navajo), Tsétsêhéstâhese (Cheyenne) and European lineages, June’s 90-minute talk will include both lecture and Q&A portions. Combining her personal experience with her studies in human ecology and Native American pedagogy, June advocates for Indigenous rights, the use of traditional land stewardship practices and mending from historical trauma.
• World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims: The City of Madison along with the Vision Zero Stakeholder Task Force will commemorate World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims the week of November 14-21. The week features a memorial for people killed over the last 5 years that will be out all week in front of the Madison Municipal Building. Everyone is invited to a short press conference to remember victims of traffic crashes and renew the call for support to eliminate serious and fatal crashes on Tuesday, November 15th,10:30am, Madison Municipal Building, 215 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd – Outside
• On November 15, 6:30-7:30pm, at the Meadowridge Library, there will be an event to highlight the connections between race and birds with Brigitte Fielder. Fielder, a UW-Madison professor, will weave together the historical context of antislavery imagery, African American folklore, children’s stories about abolitionist views, and more, as she illuminates human-animal relationships that illustrate Black people’s resistance to oppression.
• Public Health Madison & Dane County Violence Prevention Speaker Series Event, November 16, 12pm: In partnership with Rape Crisis Center (RCC), PHMDC’s Violence Prevention Unit is hosting a virtual session on sexual assault prevention and services. This is the sixth of a “Violence Prevention & Intervention Speaker Series”. The upcoming session with Dana Pellebon from the Rape Crisis Center (RCC) will provide information about outreach, education, and prevention programs, services and advocacy for those harmed by sexual violence, and information on sexual violence.
• Falls Prevention - Navigating the Community Safely: November 16, 10am. Email TriadEvents@rsvpdane.org to register for this online presentation.
• The Hmong Institute is hosting the Hmong Noj Tsiab (Pre-New Year) Celebration on Thursday November, 17th from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. at 4402 Femrite Drive, Madison. Noj tsiab pronounced "naw chia" is the meal held the night before the Hmong New Year festival begins. Noj Tsiab and Noj Peb Caug (New Year Festival) are traditionally celebrated after the harvest season. RSVP: may.lor@thehmonginstitute.org.
• Teejop & Beyond: Celebrating Native Nations of the Great Lakes, October - December 2022: Eight Native presenters will lead programs highlighting both traditional and contemporary practices, stories, and community relationships. Upcoming programs include:?
  • Nov. 19, 1-2pm: Family History Writing Workshops with Sherman Funmaker (Bear Clan Elder, Ho-Chunk Nation)
  • Dec. 3, 11am-12pm: The Medicine Dress with Andi Cloud, as she shares the Ojibwe story of The Medicine Dress, also known as the Jingle Dress. Andi will also discuss pow-wows, pow-wow etiquette, styles of dance, and how to find pow-wows in Wisconsin and Midwest.
• Shine on Madison – Madison Night Market and seasonal lighting celebration, November 19, 4-8pm. Join Santa & Mrs. Claus for a special ceremony where the Capitol Square meets State St. At 6:08pm (a nod to our 608 area code) we will turn on all the lights! We have many special surprises in store for this very special event! In addition to a special Madison Night Market, dozens of downtown businesses will be open late with shopping specials.

Announcements:

• You know winter is coming when Alternate Side Parking starts. Be ready for the enforcement beginning November 15.
• Downtown Madison Holiday Open House, November 25-27. Support local, take the downtown shopping trolley, and enjoy Black Friday and Small Business Saturday!
• Healthcare.gov Open Enrollment Kick-Off: The Open Enrollment period for 2023 health insurance on Healthcare.gov runs through January 15th, 2023. Consumers must sign up by December 15th for coverage to start on January 1st. Open enrollment events will be held:
  • December 3, 10am-2pm - Hawthorne Library, 2707 E. Washington Ave.
  • December 10, 10am-2pm - Pinney Library, 516 Cottage Grove Rd.

Contact Courtney Harris, Covering Wisconsin Outreach & Partner Relations Manager (608-262-1838) for more information.

• The Center for Black Excellence and Culture will receive a doubling of your gift from the Packers Foundation through the end of the year.
• 2022/23 Refuse and Recycling Calendars have been updated. Check the current schedule to make sure you have the most up-to-date info.

Take care,

Regina Vidaver