One Week from Today . . . Election Day . . . Tuesday, April 5

Tuesday, March 29th

In a very short period of time voters will decide who will represent District 1 on the Madison Common Council.

In the past thirteen weeks, I have personally knocked on over 1,400 doors, attended neighborhood and homeowner association meetings, participated in candidate forums, and I have been a part of Saturday morning coffee talks.  I have enjoyed the opportunity to learn about what is important to residents of District 1 and I have received many great ideas and suggestions. 

Moving forward I urge residents to continue to be engaged in the local process.  Please consider attending Common Council Meetings, Committee Meetings, and especially, please participate in public comment meetings for our upcoming budget.

Finally, please vote on April 5th and then on April 6th, begin to hold all of your locally elected officials accountable.  We need to stay engaged now more than ever.

Thank you for your time, and I hope that I earn your vote on Election Day!

Brian

Brian Driscoll
Candidate for District 1
Madison Common Council
http://www.driscollfordistrict1.com/
http://driscollfordistrict1.blogspot.com/
608-345-0581

The City of Madison’s Budget – State Decisions, Local Impacts

Tuesday, March 29th

Lately, we have been reading about the budget cuts proposed for local government programs.  The Wisconsin State Journal and the Capital Times have reported that our city can expect at least $11 million in cuts.  On top of this, our community has seen almost 0% growth in the local job market adding almost nothing for future revenue projections.  Conservative estimates have been stated and we could experience shortfalls of $20-25 million dollars.

This does not even take into account the impacts on local budgets coming from the federal government.  President Obama has proposed cuts to local programs like the Community Development Block Grants, and the House of Representatives leadership has proposed even larger cuts.  So beyond what the State of Wisconsin decides, we can also expect less support from the federal government.  The amount is unknown at this point.

If I am able to represent you on the Madison Common Council my priorities will be:

Public Safety – all residents and business owners need to feel safe.  I will advocate for an increase in human resources to support our police department.

Basic Services – we need to maintain an attractive community for families to raise their kids and businesses to grow and expand their workforce.  We need good roads, and great service.

Economic Development – increasing our tax base by growing existing businesses and attracting new ones will lessen the burden on our homeowners that are currently paying more and more property taxes.

Through our budget process I will look for ways to streamline our government to increase efficiencies.  We need to look at: refinancing our current debt obligations, consolidating our procurement policies, and removing redundant programs that are already being covered by the county or the state.

My goal is to work and represent District 1 in a non-partisan and independent way.  We can work together across the entire city, across party lines and with our mayor’s office to improve the lives of our citizens.

Please feel free to contact me with any comments, concerns or questions.  I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you for your time.
Brian


Brian Driscoll
Candidate for District 1
Madison Common Council
http://www.driscollfordistrict1.com/
http://driscollfordistrict1.blogspot.com/
608-345-0581

"Cocktails with the Candidate"

Thursday, March 3rd - 5:30 to 7:30pm

Babe's Sports Grill  --  http://www.babesmadison.com/

Thanks to everyone that came to Babe’s last night to enjoy cocktails and conversation.  Thanks to Owner Lynn Haker, Manager Scott Peterson and the rest of the staff.

It was great to hear about the issues our neighbors and friends care about most.  

Please join us for more events at Babe’s.  “Cocktails with the Candidate” or “Beers with Brian” will be happening again soon  --  Thursday, March 10th 5:30pm to 7:30pm. 

Also, mark your calendars for:
Thursday, March 24th
Thursday, March 31st

Hope to see you there!

One Week Ago . . . And Six Weeks To Go . . .

Brian Driscoll moves from the Primary Election and onto the General Election.

On Tuesday, February 15th the voters of District 1 decided that there was a need for an independent voice. In six weeks, on April 5th, voters will again make a decision on who will represent them on the City of Madison Common Council.   As voters decide who will best represent all voices - conservative, liberal, moderate, and progressive - I hope that you will vote for Brian Driscoll to do the job as Alder of District 1 on the Madison Common Council.

I have laid out my thoughts on the issues that our neighbors and friends have shared with me. 

For more information please visit other posts on this blog:

Public Safety:
http://driscollfordistrict1.blogspot.com/2011/01/public-safety-supporting-our.html

Community Development:
http://driscollfordistrict1.blogspot.com/2011/01/economic-development-creating-public.html

Budget/Taxes:
http://driscollfordistrict1.blogspot.com/2011/02/budget-taxes.html

In the coming weeks, I will be adding more posts, and sharing more about what is going on in District 1.  Please contact me at:  DriscollforDistrict1@gmail.com with any thoughts, questions, or concerns.

Thank you.
-Brian

The Budget & Taxes

Too many neighbors and friends in District 1 feel that our taxes are increasing too quickly.  In our next budget process we need to push for more public engagement and involvement.  I would support several public meetings during the budget process from June until November.  I would hope we can hear from citizens in all areas of the city, including District 1.

My budget priorities are:

Public Safety
Basic Services
Economic Development

Public safety dollars need to maintained or even grown for the next budget.  Homeowners and business owners in District 1 are asking for increased attention to their safety concerns.  There is a need to increase police visibility in targeted areas, and there is also a need for an increase in human resource support for neighborhood liaison officers to work with citizen groups like our neighborhood watch and business districts.

Basic services such as: recycling, refuse pick-up, and snow plowing need to be maintained or even strengthened through increased efficiency.  There is especially a need for greater attention to residents of District 1. 

Economic development, specifically supporting the existing businesses in our city is most important.  Besides supporting our existing businesses we need to attract new businesses to our city.  We will need to accomplish this so that we can continue to grow of our tax base.

We will be facing a challenging budget.  The State of Wisconsin will likely change the funding formulas for local units of government.  The City of Madison’s debt service payments will be increasing in 2011-2012.  Revenue projections throughout the state are optimistically higher than last year but we must be prepared for another year of nearly flat growth.  When you combine all of these elements, there is potential for serious a conversation about our shared priorities. 

The City of Madison will likely have three choices:

Raise taxes
Cut services and staff
Increase revenues

I believe that raising our taxes is off the table.  For too long we have seen an increase in taxes without an increase in quality of service in District 1. 

I would hope that we would not have to cut services and staff, but we must be open to all ideas when accurate revenue projections are calculated.

I believe we must grow ourselves out of this difficult situation.  We must re-engage with the business community and work together to find public-private partnerships that will enhance our opportunities.  When we are able to help grow existing businesses, and attract new businesses we will be increasing the opportunities for business owners and our workforce.  This will alleviate part of the strain on our city's residents.

 

"Beers with Brian”

Thursday, February 3, 2011 5:30 to 7:30pm

Babe’s Sports Grill -- http://www.babesmadison.com/

Thanks again to Owner Lynn Haker and Manager Scott Peterson for hosting “Beers with Brian.”  It was another great night!  Many residents from District 1 were at Babe’s enjoying the evening and staying away from the cold Wisconsin winter for a few hours.  Again, popular topics of the night included: public safety and basic services.

We’ve got one more event before the Primary on Tuesday, February 15th.

Hope you can join us next week!

“Cocktails with the Candidate” -- Thursday, February 11, 2011 5:30 to 7:30pm at Babe’s Sports Grill.

Economic Development – creating public-private partnerships to find common ground

This is the second blog post in a series.  The first blog post focused on Public Safety.  Other posts will discuss: Communication, and the Budget/Taxes.

Economic Development – creating public-private partnerships to find common ground

Pragmatism, common sense, logic.  These are words that I continue to hear from homeowners and business owners in District 1.  The City of Madison can improve its standing in the Greater Madison Business Community.  First steps would include: more proactive dialogue with stakeholders; continued conversations with businesses that would be impacted positively or negatively by a new or changing code/ordinance; and finding common ground between development and regulation.

A new Planning and Development Director will be starting in a few weeks.  Mr. Steve Cover brings a wealth of knowledge from both the public and private sectors.  Mr. Cover introduced himself at the January 18th Common Council meeting.  At this meeting he focused on how city staff should find ways to say “yes” while working with existing businesses and new businesses looking to locate in Madison.

I appreciate this mindset  - searching for common ground, using common sense, and finding ways to say “yes.”  This all sounds great.  I would look forward to working with Mr. Cover and other city staff to improve the economic development opportunities for businesses and workers in District 1. 

Also, near District 1, there is a new development in the works.  The new “Research Park 2” has begun with infrastructure improvements.  Soon we will be seeing physical structures being built that will house the businesses and researchers of tomorrow.  I will do all that I can to support this wonderful economic engine on our southwest side.  Creating bio-tech, clean-tech and next generation medical companies in Madison will continue to grow the job opportunities for residents.

We must remember, we are just beginning to come out of a major recession.  Many families and businesses are still struggling.  We must do everything we can, within reason, to help businesses create high-quality, family-supporting jobs for Madisonians.

Next week's topic - Budget/Taxes

“Breakfast with Brian” - Saturday, January 29th

Gary and Tanace (on Piping Rock Road) of the Green Tree Neighborhood were wonderful hosts this past Saturday.  Thanks to everyone that took time to share their thoughts and concerns.  Public safety, community collaboration and our schools were popular issues.  We discussed how we could encourage our parent-teacher groups and neighborhood organizations to continue working together.  I appreciated hearing about these items and other important topics.  Thanks again to Gary and Tanace.  Marilen and I value your support!

Mark your calendars, other events coming soon:

Thursday, February 3rd - 5:30 to 7:30pm - “Beers with Brian” at Babe’s Sports Grill

Saturday, February 5th – 8:30 to 10:00am – “Coffee with the Candidate” (TBA)

Please visit my website: http://www.driscollfordistrict1.com/ for more details. 

Thank you. 
 -Brian

Public Safety – supporting our neighborhoods and businesses.

This is the first in a series of blog posts that will highlight the issues and my positions.

Public Safety – supporting our neighborhoods and businesses.

Coordination and collaboration through communication is a good place to start.  If we could increase coordination with the Madison Metropolitan School District, our city/county public health workers, and our neighborhood watch groups we could make additional progress.

The Madison Police Department has seen an increase in staff through the last few budgets.  I would support additional staff for our next budget, especially if we can increase support and staff given to our neighborhood liaison officers.  Combining strong neighborhood watch groups with students’ work in our schools - Classes on Personal Safety (COPS) as well as continued support for our city/county public health workers would lay the foundation for future success.

If I am fortunate enough to represent you as Alder of District 1 on the Madison Common Council I will work to make our streets safer through additional police staff and more coordination.

Future blog posts will focus on:  Economic Development and the Budget.

"Cocktails with the Candidate"

Cocktails with the Candidate

Thursday, January 27 - 5:30 to 7:30pm

Babe's Sports Grill  --  http://www.babesmadison.com/

Thanks to everyone that came to Babe’s tonight to enjoy cocktails and conversation.  Thanks to Owner Lynn Haker and Manager Scott Peterson. 

It was great to hear about the issues our neighbors and friends care about most.  The three issues that continue to be discussed are:  public safety, economic development, and the budget. 

Please join us for more events at Babe’s.  “Cocktails with the Candidate” or “Beers with Brian” will be happening again soon  --  Thursday, February 3 and Thursday, February 10 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm.

Hope to see you there!

A New Tone - "Date Night" at the State of the Union

(Please view previous post for more detail.)

Bipartisan Seating – “Date Night" at the State of the Union.

Many members of the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives are trying to change to tone of politics as usual.  Tonight there will be Republican members sitting with Democratic members while listening to the President of the United States’ State of the Union.  This may be the beginnings of civility in our nation’s capital, and it could be a one night event.  Nearly 60 legislators have volunteered to be part of this historic opportunity.  The author Senator Udall (D-CO) and Presidential Candidate, Senator John McCain (R-AZ) will be sitting together.  Other participants include:: Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI) and Representative Tom Petri (R-WI). 

Historically, this event has taken place in January each year since President Woodrow Wilson in 1912.  Even before President Wilson, our first President, George Washington addressed legislators to update them on the “state of the union.”  Never before have Congressional members mixed together to listen to the President’s address.

Where does this leave the State of Wisconsin?  Will we see Republicans, Democrats and Independents sitting together when the Governor gives the State of the State on February 1^st? 

What kind of impact could this have on dialogue at our local level? The City of Madison Common Council meetings tend to have a collegial tone, with a few exceptions.

As an independent running for a non-partisan, part-time office to represent the residents and businesses of District 1 in the City of Madison, I hope that this is just the beginning. I hope for the sake of Wisconsinites and Madisonians we will see our elected officials crossing the aisle.  I can envision members at the federal level, state level and local level talking with other legislators that they have differ on with issues and opinion.

This is a good first step to establish a new level of civility in our dialogue.  And as the famous saying goes, “We must work to understand that we can disagree without being disagreeable.”  Another important phrase that may be appropriate is, “all politics are local.”  I’m hoping our local politics can also be civil.

Bipartisan Seating at the State of the Union

http://markudall.senate.gov/?p=blog&id=879

UPDATED: Letter to Congressional Leadership Regarding Bipartisan Seating at the State of the Union Address

Dear Majority Leader Reid, Speaker Boehner, Minority Leaders McConnell and Pelosi:

We, the undersigned members of Congress, believe that partisan seating arrangements at State of the Union addresses serve to symbolize division instead of the common challenges we face in securing a strong future for the United States.  As we all know, the tenor and debate surrounding our politics has grown ever more corrosive - ignoring the fact that while we may take different positions, we all have the same interests. This departure from statesmanship and collegiality is fueled, in part, by contentious campaigns and divisive rhetoric. Political differences will always generate a healthy debate, but over time the dialogue has become more hateful and at times violent. But now the opportunity before us is to bring civility back to politics. It is important to show the nation that the most powerful deliberative bodies in the world can debate our differences with respect, honor and civility. We believe that it is not only possible, but that it is something that nearly all members of Congress truly desire. To that end, we suggest setting a small, but important, new tradition in American politics.  At the State of the Union address, on January 25th, instead of sitting in our usual partisan divide, let us agree to have Democrats and Republicans sitting side by side throughout the chamber. Beyond custom, there is no rule or reason that on this night we should emphasize divided government, separated by party, instead of being seen united as a country. The choreographed standing and clapping of one side of the room - while the other side sits - is unbecoming of a serious institution. And the message that it sends is that even on a night when the President is addressing the entire nation, we in Congress cannot sit as one, but must be divided as two.  On the night of the State of the Union address, we are asking others to join us - House and Senate members from both parties - to cross the aisle and sit together. We hope that as the nation watches, Democrats and Republicans will reflect the interspersed character of America itself. Perhaps by sitting with each other for one night we will begin to rekindle that common spark that brought us here from 50 different states and widely diverging backgrounds to serve the public good.

With respect and admiration,

Co-signers (list current as of 3pm ET on Friday, January 21th):

Senate Mark Udall Lisa Murkowski Kelly Ayotte Mark Begich Michael Bennet Barbara Boxer Scott Brown Ben Cardin Thomas Carper Susan Collins Chris Coons Kirsten Gillibrand Kay Hagan Amy Klobuchar Herb Kohl Mary Landrieu Joseph Lieberman Joe Manchin John McCain Claire McCaskill Jeff Merkley Ben Nelson Bill Nelson Mark Pryor Jack Reed Chuck Schumer Jeanne Shaheen Olympia Snowe Mark Warner Sheldon Whitehouse Ron Wyden

House Heath Shuler Paul Gosar Jason Altmire Charles Bass Sanford Bishop Madeleine Bordallo Dan Boren Dennis Cardoza Russ Carnahan John Carney Steve Cohen Jim Cooper Phil Gingrey Richard Hanna Larry Kissell Dave Loebsack Jim Matheson Mike McIntyre Mike Michaud Sue Myrick Grace Napolitano Thomas Petri Chellie Pingree Laura Richardson Mike Ross Niki Tsongas Tim Walz Mel Watt

http://www.politico.com/blogs/glennthrush/0111/Poll_Americans_like_bipartisan_State_of_the_Union_seating.html?showall

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/139353-poll-americans-want-bipartisan-seating-at-state-of-the-union

Poll: Americans like bipartisan State of the Union seating

Americans are sold on the idea of bipartisan seating at the State of the Union address, a new poll finds. Of those surveyed, 72 percent say that Democrats and Republicans should sit together during the president’s annual address Jan. 25, rather than in the traditional partisan arrangement, according to the new poll from CNN/Opinion Research Corporation released Friday. Another 22 percent said they would prefer the partisan seating, according to the survey, which included 1,014 adults between Jan. 14 to 16.
Members of Congress have called for decorum and civility since President Barack Obama’s speech in Tucson commemorating the dead and wounded in the shooting earlier this month. The bipartisan seating has cropped up as one way for members to demonstrate their commitment to the new mood on Capitol Hill. The idea is catching on. Since Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) circulated a letter last week calling for bipartisan seating arrangements, his office reports 59 members of congress have signed on to the effort.  The initiative is undoubtedly more popular in the Senate, where 33 members have officially signed on to sit with members of the opposing party.

The League of Women Voters - Candidate Forum

This morning The League of Women Voters and the Madison City Channel hosted the first candidate forum for Alder of District 1 - Madison Common Council.  Thanks to LWVs and MCC for hosting.

To view this forum go to:  http://www.madisoncitychannel.com/ 

This forum will be played on:

Saturday, January 29 @ 3:30pm
Thursday, February 3 @ 3:00pm
Friday, February 11 @ 8:00pm

Many issues were discussed.  Please comment on my responses, or send me an email to:
DriscollforDistrict1@gmail.com

Coffee with the Candidate

This morning Marilen and I had friends and neighbors over for coffee, kringle and conversation.  I appreciate the insight and viewpoints shared by everyone. 

A few of the topics discussed include:

1.  Development of the neighborhood - single family homes, condos, apartments
2.  Public safety - level of police, fire and rescue support
3.  Basic services - snow removal, garbage, recycling, water and sewer
4.  Economy - budget and tax impacts
5.  Education - Madison Metropolitan School District, Madison College (formerly MATC) 

We are looking forward to the next "Breakfast with Brian" in the Green Tree Neighborhood - Saturday, January 29.  It will be from 8:30 - 10:00am.  Location to be announced. 

Alder - District 1 - Madison Common Council

Hello, my name is Brian Driscoll and I would like to earn your vote to do the job of Alder of District 1 on the Madison Common Council.  I hope that you will read my posts, ask me questions, and look for the answers. While listening to neighbors and friends in District 1 there have been a few main ideas . . . .

Quality - quality of life maintained through efficient government services and support.

Community - community economic development and development of community identity.

Connections - connecting with neighbors, friends and family to support public safety through strong relationships.

Other specific issues that I will be discussing in the future:
Public Safety
Economic Development
Communications
Budget/Taxes

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog.  Please come back and post questions.
-Brian

Brian Driscoll
Candidate for Alder - District 1
Madison Common Council