By Anita Weier
Northside News
Four candidates are vying for the open Madison City Council seat in District 12, where Alder Larry Palm is not running again. Most have been active in their neighborhoods and are dedicated to improving people’s lives in the large and varied district, which stretches from Warner Park to the Dane County Regional Airport to MATC to East Washington Avenue. Summaries of their positions and experience follow, in alphabetical order.
Syed Abbas, 32, is co-chair of the Eken Park Neighborhood Association and has served on several city committees.
Originally from Pakistan, he worked for human rights there and has master’s degrees in public policy and human development from the United Nations University in Maastricht, the Netherlands. He also worked and studied at the United Nations in New York. Abbas came to Madison three years ago and lives with his wife Holly and their daughter in Eken Park. “I quickly fell in love with Madison — the people, the culture, the Midwestern values and the opportunities the city afforded to me,” he said.
“I have always had a passion to serve the community, so I started getting involved. My neighbors gave me such a warm welcome that I wanted to advocate for them, starting in the neighborhood where I’m raising my family. I’m more invested than ever in keeping the north and east sides of Madison a great place to live for all people, regardless of their socio-economic backgrounds.”
Abbas works as an energy efficiency project manager for a nonprofit that advances sustainability. “I worked really hard to get to where I am today,” he said. “It is with that determined attitude and strong work ethic that I will advocate for the people of Madison.”
Abbas serves on the Oscar Mayer Strategic Assessment Committee. He stresses that whatever comes to the Oscar Mayer site must bring jobs back. “It will be a game changer for this part of town,” he noted.
Economic development is important to end poverty in places such as Brentwood Village, which has an 11.7 percent unemployment rate, he said.
The city must address low-income and middle-income housing, according to Abbas. “It is time to focus on how middle-income people can purchase a house. There is a very successful system with cooperatives in New York City. People can buy a share of market value. I see opportunities here,” he said, adding that New York has rent-stabilized apartments subsidized by Tax Increment Financing.
Diane Farsetta, 46, is a member of the Emerson East Neighborhood Association and a volunteer reporter for WORT radio. She is executive director of the Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice and in that capacity has worked with member organizations around the state extensively. For instance, she has organized advocacy days at the State Capitol on environmental, human rights and racial equity issues.
Farsetta is a core volunteer for the Occupy Madison Group and was previously involved with what was the East Isthmus Neighborhood Council. “Because of my community involvement, people encouraged me at various points to run for office,” she said.
She holds a Ph.D. in biology from UW-Madison and has experience in research, teaching and communication. As outreach specialist for the UW School of Nursing’s Center for Aging Research and Education, she facilitates communication and collaboration among researchers, clinicians, students, organizations and community members with an interest in older adult health and well-being.
She has lived in District 12 for 11 years and in Madison 25 years. Her spouse is a public school teacher and union representative. They have a dog and some backyard chickens.
“I have a diversity of experience working with groups in the neighborhood and the city and state that would benefit our communities,” she said.
“Our district is facing some opportunities with Oscar Mayer redevelopment, the Public Market and potentially rapid transit,” she said. “It is important that our area is well represented, and decisions are made in a way that benefits local businesses and affordable housing options. When we moved here it was a sleepy area. Now it feels like we are at the center of the universe.”
Farsetta says she has the skills and experience to make progress on complex issues. She will strive for robust discussions on police practices to find public safety solutions. “I have a passion to make things better for the community,” she said.
Lydia Maurer, 50, is a member of the Berkeley Oaks Neighborhood Association who has been active in local matters, including a successful fight for the affordable Tennyson Ridge apartments. She served eight years as vice president of the association, which she says “has revisioned the Tennyson Lane corridor away from acres of large storage sheds to a mix of affordable housing options, including homes for seniors in need of assisted living, memory care or for living independently.”
The association also worked to expand bicycle lanes and pedestrian routes and participated in city processes leading to commercial and residential redevelopment that minimized environmental impact, she said.
Maurer has lived in the Berkeley Oaks Neighborhood since 2003. “I began meeting with neighbors and friends after purchasing a home there. Because of concern regarding traffic conditions near the local elementary school, I increased my community involvement to advocate for safer pedestrian crossings near the school and throughout the neighborhood,” she said.
Maurer earned a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University and an Administrator Credential from the UW-Milwaukee School of Continuing Education. A former small-business owner, she is now a Program Assistant Supervisor-Advanced with the State of Wisconsin’s Department of Human Services at Mendota Mental Health Institute.
She said that experiences qualifying her as alder include serving on a steering committee that developed the Northport-Warner Park-Sherman Neighborhood Plan.
“I enjoy working with people of all communities and I have experience collaborating with council members, city staff and committees to get projects going and approved,” Maurer said. “I have the skills and experience necessary to increase and improve affordable housing options and to foster communication within and between communities.”
If elected, she would explore opportunities for the Oscar Mayer site; work to enhance public transportation through traffic calming and rapid transit/commuter rail, and strive to heighten emergency preparedness, racial equity and community resiliency.
Mark-Anthony Whitaker, 31, has lived in Madison for about seven years. “I am running for alder because I have gone to quite a few city council and committee meetings, and there just didn’t seem to be everyone’s voices included in the conversation,” he said. “That was concerning. I want to make sure those who currently don’t have a voice in local affairs know they have an alder who will look out for their interests as opposed to the interests of a few folks.”
Whitaker, who works in the technology field, is originally from Buffalo, N.Y., and graduated high school in Chicago. In Madison, he worked in support services for US Cellular and is currently a technician at Meriter Hospital.
He previously served two years in the U.S. Army, including one year in Iraq. “I loved the military, but I was expelled under the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy,” he said.
His fiancé John grew up here, graduated from Shabazz Alternative High School and encouraged Whitaker to run for the city council.
“My introduction to Madison was the protests at state government. The folks here are great and really engaged with local government,” Whitaker said. “There is a lot going on in the north and east sides of town including the F-35s, Oscar Mayer and the Public Market. We have a lot of changes coming and, if we want to be a tight-knit community, I want to make sure everyone feels heard and appreciated.”
Whitaker contends that minorities have difficulty getting into city government and having a seat at the table.
“If you don’t hold a majority view in the city at all, your voice is likely to be left out” he said. For instance, “Republicans have a hard time getting headway with any of the alders. I want to make sure that everyone feels heard and appreciated.”
James Stansfield, 35, an 18-year veteran of the Wisconsin Army National Guard who has deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, recently dropped out of the race. Though he will be on the ballot, he has decided that he could not serve on the council.
Stansfield, currently a stay-at-home dad with his two sons, decided that he could not adequately take care of them and finish the two years remaining in his National Guard service while fulfilling council duties. His wife is a teacher, so he said it was logical that he takes care of their very young sons.