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Week of 04/13/26: The Next Two Years and Future of the PCOB and OIM

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The Next Two Years

It is my great honor to be re-elected as your Alder for District 6. Over the last year, I have learned a LOT. I have made mistakes and a few missteps, but I have also made more connections and have found room to grow and better understand the needs and wants of my neighbors.

One of my greatest challenges has been staying on top of constituent contacts. The Common Council office recently looked at email volumes of all twenty districts and District 6 is right up at the top. Over this last year I have answered emails about garbage collection, snow removal, parking issues, noise issues, concerns about trees, greenspaces, butterflies and more. Piers, beaches, parks. Development issues, homeless services, policing concerns, parking concerns. This isn't to say, “oh boo-hoo Davy, you've got it so rough!" No no, I signed up for this job and I want to tell you that every inquiry is important and matters to me. Everyone deserves a response and action.

I am testing out a new system to better track constituent contacts. My goal is a 100% response rate for all who contact me. If you have tried to contact me over the past year and I have not responded, please accept my apology and try again. You can email me at district6@cityofmadison.com, or call or text 608-419-7066.

One more thing about the April election: out of the ten alder districts with elections, District 6 had the highest voter turnout! Thank you for being part of the most electorally-active districts in this already electorally-active city!

PCOB and OIM

Straight away I want to say that I fundamentally support the mission of the Police Citizen Oversight Board and the Office of the Independent Monitor. To be clear, the formative years of these bodies have had headline-stealing controversies, but also have had understated successes. They have developed effective reporting and investigative systems, and the Interim Monitor, Meeka Glass, has hit the ground running in her few months on the job, meeting with stakeholders in MPD and the greater community. The recent uproar over the use of AI in building the annual report is worthy of discussion, but I believe that the office has addressed the controversy and that we should move past it and focus on the work ahead.

Recently, Alder Govindarajan has submitted an ordinance amendment that would require quarterly reporting by the OIM and adherence to city procedures. I have filed a potential amendment to this that would add an Alder as a voting member to the PCOB. I am very open to debate on this. My goal is to have a dedicated alder who is following and supporting the actions of the PCOB, because any changes they propose to MPD will most likely need to go through the Common Council. This Alder might be a voting or a non-voting member, or maybe not a member at all but an alder assigned to attend meetings. The point is to have a steady contact who supports the PCOB and relays info to the greater Council, NOT to restrain the PCOB or direct their work. More to come on this subject and I welcome your feedback.

Updates and Notices

Call for Nominations - Reverend James C. Wright Human Rights Award: The City of Madison Equal Opportunities Division (EOD) and the Equal Opportunities Commission present the Reverend James C. Wright Human Rights Award annually. The award honors the late Reverend James C. Wright, who served as the Executive Director of the Equal Opportunities Commission from its inception in 1968 until his retirement in 1992. One or more awards will be presented. 

Boards, Commissions, and Committee Meetings

Note: This is not a complete list of meetings for this upcoming week. All meetings and their details can be found at the Meeting Schedule page.

If you would like more information about becoming a member of a City board, commission, or committee, please visit the page linked here.

Public Information Meetings (PIMs)

Announcements and News Releases

Please visit the City news webpage to find additional news and announcements and to subscribe to receive notification of news releases as they are posted.

Events

  • Wisconsin Virtual TB Summit, Tuesday, April 14 (This event occurs on multiple dates): Join local, state, and national tuberculosis experts as they share their work to understand and improve care for people diagnosed with TB in our community. The Wisconsin TB Summit features free weekly virtual sessions held every Tuesday in April and early May. 
  • Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE) Training, Wednesday, April 15: Come join us for our in-person CRASE Training session where you'll learn crucial strategies for handling active shooter situations. Led by experienced instructors, this event will cover life-saving techniques and emergency response protocols. 
  • Coffee with a Cop - North District, Wednesday, April 15: Coffee with a Cop is a chance for community members to connect with the officers who serve their city. Officers can speak about recent cases to department wide initiatives to lower crime in our community.
  • Vaccine Clinic at Mendota Elementary School, Saturday, April 18:All vaccines are free for eligible individuals. Children six months and older who lack insurance, are under 19, and are either Alaskan Native or American Indian, as well as those with BadgerCare or most other types of insurance, can receive vaccinations at no cost.
  • Bird & Nature Adventures | Starkweather Creek Area, Saturday, April 18: Earth Week Creek Cleanup ~ Join Lance Green and Friends of Starkweather Creek to help pick up trash in and along the beautiful Starkweather Creek greenway that winds through the east side of Madison from Lake Monona all the way to MATC and East Town! Join Friends of Starkweather Creek to help with cleanups by canoe and on foot. 
  • Bird & Nature Adventures | Warner Park, Sunday, April 19: Looking for Spring Ephemerals ~ Join Naturalist Mary Binkley for a free family friendly walk at Warner Park to celebrate the return of Spring! Ephemerals are flowers that bloom in woodlands while trees are still bare and sunlight reaches the ground. Warner Woods is reportedly the oldest uncut woods in Madison.  Recent removal of invasive early-greening buckthorn has resulted in a surprising variety of beautiful native wildflowers and more are being restored.

Additional upcoming events can also be found on the City events calendar.

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Portrait of Alder Davy Mayer

Alder Davy Mayer

District 6
Contact Alder Mayer