Oscar Mayer Committee Members and 2018 Budget

Oscar Mayer Strategic Assessment Committee Members

The Mayor has proposed, and the council has accepted, the following recommendations for mebers to the new Oscar Mayer Stategic Assessment committee.

• ALD. STEVE KING, District 7 - appoint to the position of Common Council Member. 
• ALD. LARRY PALM, District 12 - appoint to the position of Common Council Member.
• ALD. REBECCA KEMBLE, District 18 - appoint to the position of Common Council Member.
• MAURICE C. SHEPPARD (15th A.D.) - appoint to the position of Member. Mr. Sheppard is a political science instructor at Madison College. He served as a city planner for the city of Minneapolis and is a former member of the Plan Commission.
• SYED M. ABBAS (12th A.D.) - appoint to the position of Member. Mr. Abbas is a project manager at Seventhwave, a non-profit focused on advancing economic and environmental sustainability. He is the co-chair of the Eken Park Neighborhood Association.
• SATYA RHODES-CONWAY (12th A.D.) - appoint to the position of Member. Ms. Rhodes-Conway is the managing director of the Mayors Innovation Project. She lives in the Eken Park neighborhood and served as the district 12 alder for six years.
• RENEE A. WALK (12th A.D.) - appoint to the position of Member. Ms. Walk is the strategic health policy advisor for the Wisconsin Department of Employee Trust Funds. She is a co-founder/organizer for Organizing for Strategic Action & Representation (OSCAR) group, a neighborhood organization focused on the Oscar Mayer property transition.
• DOUGLAS LEIKNESS (16th A.D.) - appoint to the position of Member. Mr. Leikness is the president of United Food & Commercial Workers, Local 538. He was employed with Oscar Mayer for 32 years.
• KEN OPIN (18th A.D.) - appoint to the position of Member. Mr. Opin is retired from the Wisconsin Federation of Teachers. He is the current chair of the Plan Commission.
• CHANDRA MILLER FIENEN (6th A.D.) - appoint to the position of Member. Ms. Miller Fienen is the director of operations & programs at StartingBlock Madison, Inc. She is a co-founder of FoodWorks, a community-service organization, and serves on the boards of several non-profit organizations.
• ANNETTE M. GELBACH (17th A.D.) - appoint to the position of Member. Ms. Gelbach is a co-founder and owner of Property Drive, LLC and Key Commercial Real Estate, LLC. She has been involved in commercial real estate for the past 30 years.
• GARY J. WOLTER (14th A.D.) - appoint to the position of Member. Mr. Wolter is the chairman of Madison Gas & Electric. Mr. Wolter serves on several boards, including the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce and UW Hospitals & Clinics.
• PAUL JADIN, Fitchburg - appoint to the position of Member. Mr. Jadin is the president of Madison Region Economic Partnership (MadREP). He previously served as the Secretary of Commerce and Secretary/CEO of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. He is the former mayor of Green Bay.

In May, the Council adopted a resolution calling for a 13 member committee including neighborhood residents and persons with labor and business experience appointed by the Mayor and approved by the Council. The ultimate charge of the committee will be:

• A full and detailed description of the site and surrounding area, 
• The area's current role and potential future impact in the region's economy,
• The recommended boundary for the Special Area Plan and identification of the properties that need future study and consideration,
• Objectives for the area's long term redevelopment including desired outcomes,
• The use of the City's Racial Equity Social Justice Tool to assess the impacts of the area's redevelopment,
• Consideration of transportation linkages and infrastructure needs,
• Recommendation regarding natural resources and green space that should be considered as part of the Special Area Plan.

I look forward to the first meeting and the full effort to begin planning for a new future for the Oscar Mayer site.

2018 City of Madison Operating Budget

The 2018 Executive Operating Budget has been released by the Mayor of Madison. Overall the budget expects to spend $551.6 million on operating (day-by-day) aspects of the city. 

The city's new Budget website offers new features to understand the changes in the city's budget through the year. I invite you to review the budget and forward to me and other Council members your opinions.

Alder Kemble (District 17) and I are looking at dates for a public budget meeting for Madison's Northside to receive your feedback.