Politics

Madison's 'New' Mayor Looks Back, Ahead

Monday, April 18th, 2011, 11:05am

Even though he won't be officially sworn in until noon on Tuesday, Madison Mayor-elect Paul Soglin has been busy with some very mayoral tasks in recent days.

And why not? Having already served two terms as Madison mayor for a total of 14 years, the argument can't be made that Soglin doesn't know what he's doing. Despite being experienced in the role, Soglin promises to not to fall into a rut, saying he'll keep innovating and at the same time keeping Madison innovative.

After all, Soglin has said many times that he never felt like his work as mayor was ever finished. He said many times on the campaign trail, the growing and often overlooked level of poverty in the city makes him uneasy. He said he'll make doing something about it one of his first priorities.

"It's hard to believe that at my age, having done this twice before, that it is as exciting as its become," said Soglin.

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Mayor Dave Blogs About Time In Office

Submitted by Scott Beedy, Channel 3000 Community Editor

Wednesday, April 6th, 2011, 3:35pm

It's a job I have loved. And I believed I was just getting really good at it. There were so many things I wanted to do over the next four years. The Capital East District, Central Park, the Central Library, completion of Allied Drive and the Truax redevelopments, Public Market Square, compost recycling, making Madison the bike capital of the nation, more neighborhood centers, the RTA and there was a lot more.

But all of that now will be in the hands of Paul Soglin. The city is in fine shape ...

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Parisi Wins Dane County Executive Race

Submitted by Channel3000 Web Staff

Wednesday, April 6th, 2011, 11:41am

Democratic state Rep. Joe Parisi has won the Dane County executive race, breezing to a win over a fiscally conservative opponent.

"The good news is, the results are coming in and it looks like i have a new job," Parisi told supporters at his victory party to a wild ovation.

Parisi said even though he's from Madison, he won Tuesday's election because he ran a countywide campaign. Parisi defeated 62-year-old Eileen Bruskewitz, a member of the Dane County Board of Supervisors. She conceded the race just before 10 p.m.

Weeks of protests at the state Capitol focused on Gov. Scott Walker's budget repair bill might have distracted some from the country campaign, but it also might have awoken the voting public to some of the differences between Parisi and Bruskewitz.

Both candidates said that they think the protests had an affect. Parisi said that the he believes the protests galvanized support.

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Soglin Wins Madison Mayoral Race

Submitted by Channel3000 Web Staff

Wednesday, April 6th, 2011, 11:34am

Former Madison Mayor Paul Soglin has defeated incumbent Dave Cieslewicz in Madison's mayoral contest on Tuesday.

VIDEO

Cieslewicz Speaks About Election Loss

VIDEO

Cieslewicz Addresses Supporters After Conceding Mayoral Race

Cieslewicz was seeking a third term, but Soglin won the tight race after running a spirited, aggressive campaign. With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Soglin had 44,542 votes to Cieslewicz's 43,829 votes.

Soglin served as Madison's mayor from 1979 to 1986, and again from 1989 to 1997. Many considered this election a rematch as Ciewlewicz and Soglin faced off for mayor in 2003. Cieslewicz won that contest and nabbed a second term in 2007.

Both men are Democrats, liberals and share similar position on many issues. They both promised to steer a course for the state's capital city despite Republican control of the governor's office and both chambers of the state Legislature.

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