By Anita Weier
Northside News

Three candidates are vying for election to the District 12 Dane County Board seat: Larry Palm, who was appointed to the board on an interim basis after the death of longtime board member Paul Rusk; Goodwill Chekwube Obieze and Amani Latimer Burris.

Larry Palm served on the Madison Common Council for 14 years but said he did not seek re-election in 2019 because he wanted others to have an opportunity to serve. He has continued to be engaged in our community as the chair of the Capital Area Regional Planning Commission and a member of the Madison Public Market Foundation Board.

“I am excited to run for County Board to allow me to utilize my previous experiences to work on broader, county-focused issues,” he said. “I have an understanding of the history of issues. I also wish to honor Supervisor Paul Rusk, who served as a role model.”

Palm, 47, has lived in Madison for 30 years, 19 of those in the Eken Park neighborhood. He has been married to husband JD for seven years. He is an administrative assistant-senior/registrar for the Madison School District.

Palm supports social justice and environmental issues. He regards his main accomplishments on the Common Council as advocating for an inclusive and engaging Oscar Mayer reuse process, working to expand bike paths and supporting the original Occupy Madison tiny house project near East High School.

Major issues facing the Northside, according to Palm, are dangerous PFAS chemicals from firefighting foam at the airport and the decision to locate F-35 fighter jets here. He hopes to alleviate the impact of both issues with aggressive remediation of PFAS and removal of legal covenants that prevent residents who live near the airport from being eligible for sound-deadening funds.

He also hopes to expand services to those affected by COVID-19.

Goodwill Chekwube Obieze, 26, has lived on the Northside since 2012, after moving from Nigeria to the United States in 2010. He is married and has an infant daughter. “I want my kids to grow up on the Northside,” he said. The family resides in the Northport Apartments at Northport Drive and Packers Avenue.

Obieze has a bachelor’s degree in human resources from UW-Oshkosh and works for the State of Wisconsin in human resources, administering benefits such as health insurance and retirement. He attended Madison College before transferring to UW-Oshkosh.  

He served as student body vice president and a student senator at UW-Oshkosh, working in those posts to continue a tuition freeze and make sure the campus was environmentally friendly. 

Obieze is running for the County Board because of the COVID-19 crisis and its effect on local businesses. “I am tired of waiting for Congress to act,” he said. “Businesses are losing money and cannot afford to pay employees. It is time for local government to act.” He praised the County Board for approving $4 million to help businesses, which he said is moving in the right direction. “I will work to make sure necessary funds are provided.”

Obieze is also concerned about the PFAS contaminants in fish and pledges to work with the Department of Health Services and the DNR to communicate and mitigate that contamination. “I have contacts in state government and knowledge of the issue,” he said.

Affordable housing is another necessity, which is especially important as noise from F-35 jets will likely force people to move, and many will not be able to afford available housing.

“I have talked to people in the district and believe there is a need for more businesses on the Northside. Time and stress are issues if people have to travel to the west side to meet their needs,” he said.

Amani Latimer Burris carries on a tradition of involvement started by her mother, Milele Chikasa Anana, now deceased, who was well known for publishing UMOJA magazine. Her father is Capitol City Band Director Jim Latimer. She is married to attorney Rick Burris, and they have two children.

Latimer Burris, 51, has a bachelor’s degree in communication. She works in the State Senate as a legislative aide with a focus on policy development. Prior to this, she worked in the field for the Biden-Harris campaign and as a staffer for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. She is a Madison native who started her career as a journalist and has been a teacher and a small business owner. As an adult, she lived in Minneapolis and Los Angeles before moving back to Wisconsin. She now lives on the near east side.  

“As an advocate with a depth of experience in law, I have spent more than 15,000 hours logged in eviction, foreclosure defense, housing discrimination and consumer protection. I will work to merge law and policy with real life,” she said.

Latimer Burris previously ran for the State Senate post vacated by longtime Sen. Fred Risser. She lost that race.

“I am running to make a difference in your life and help diversity the terms of engagement. I have the experience and the will to make a difference in our community during these difficult times,” she said.

Latimer Burris looks forward to building bridges of understanding while working towards inclusion and diversity. She looks forward to building coalitions and to getting the work done that the community wants to have done.

She is proudest of raising compassionate children who seek their own voice, and of working with her siblings to provide the best care they could for their mother through a long and difficult illness.