Northside News

By Satya Rhodes-Conway
Mayor, City of Madison

In roughly 30 years, the population of Dane county will increase by nearly 100,000 residents. In that same period of time we are expecting to create 85,000 new jobs. Those are some staggering figures that could really affect the quality of life in our city and surrounding areas.

In just the past few years 180,000 daily trips have been added locally. We expect to add even more if our region continues to grow as projected. Consider this; if all those new trips are made by automobile, it would require adding one or two lanes — in each direction — to East Washington Avenue, University Avenue, Park Street and other major streets. It would also require doubling the public and private parking spaces downtown. That’s not sustainable or feasible — we literally do not have the land to accommodate widening those streets. 

What we do have is a plan to move forward in to the future and make everyone’s commute better by scaling up our transit system. 

The City of Madison is working hard to plan for a new east-west Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line. BRT uses dedicated lanes where feasible, modern stations, larger specialized buses, and other enhancements to provide fast and cost-effective service to jobs, entertainment and schools. Think Madison’s version of light rail with stops every 10-15 minutes from 6 am‒12 am. Madison’s BRT will complement existing Madison Metro routes and be our city’s next big step toward a more sustainable local transit system. It will ease congestion and traffic on our major arterials and provide a convenient way for current and future Metro riders to get to work, school, shopping, entertainment and more. In addition, investments in our infrastructure, expansions of the regular Metro system and partnerships to get bus passes into the hands of more people will mean everyone benefits. 

The city is conducting a Madison East-West BRT Planning Study to develop a plan and initial design for the city’s first BRT route. The city will use this plan to apply for federal funding to complete design and construction. The planning study will conclude in fall 2019, with construction of the east-west BRT route possible in 2024. 

Visit MadisonBRT.com to:

• Learn more about BRT and access a map of the Madison East-West BRT study area.
• View BRT photos and information about projects in other cities.
• Sign up for project email updates, including public meetings and events.

League of Women Voters of Dane County

Bookmarks in Spanish (and English) about voter registration and voter photo ID are available at most Dane County libraries and from our office 608-232-9447. They are printed with support from the Evjue Foundation, the charitable arm of The Capital Times.

Information about voting procedures and voter photo ID, already available on our website in English, is now available in Spanish as well: Información de Votación y Identificación (ID) con Foto del Votante (lwvdanecounty.org/news/2019/7/24/voting-information-available-in-spanish).

The Pew Research Center reports that 13% of Latinx citizens who are registered to vote in the U.S. speak Spanish as their primary language.

Aileen Nettleton, president of the Dane County League of Women Voters, explained, “Because Wisconsin’s voting requirements have become so complex in recent years, we thought it would be helpful to have nonpartisan information about voting in Spanish for those who are most comfortable with that language.”

The translator is certified by the American Translators Association.

By Nancy Dodge
Northside Action Team

“I just vote for the president and the senators if they’re running that year. They seem like the most important offices, and I can’t keep track of the candidates running for the other offices.”

Northside Action Team (NAT) canvassers sometimes hear comments like this when we are out talking with voters. We totally understand — national races get the most press, and sorting through the positions of candidates running for state and local races can be difficult.

When it comes down to it, though, which elected officials have the most impact on our daily lives? We are probably more affected by local and state governments, and how they administer the laws, than by national events. For example, local spending on schools, road maintenance and law enforcement has a direct impact on our families and neighborhoods. It makes sense that we’d want to have a say in who is representing us in making these decisions. In fact, local officials are often more sensitive to the wishes of their voters.

NAT canvassers also sometimes hear “the candidate I like will win (or lose) by a large margin, so my vote doesn’t matter.” Not true. Officials are aware of the size of their mandates — whether a large margin or a close vote — and it can make a difference in how they vote or do their jobs.

In Wisconsin, elections are often decided by very small margins — sometimes 1% or less. Just a few people staying home or a few infrequent voters getting out can decide who will be elected and making important decisions for our communities. Every vote counts.

Sometimes it seems we have elections often. Local elections are held in the spring, state and national elections in the fall, and there is often a primary election to narrow down the field of candidates. It can be a challenge to be an informed voter. Before each election local newspapers provide information about candidates and their positions, and the nonpartisan League of Women Voters has a helpful website at lwvdanecounty.org. 

NAT canvassers will be out talking with our neighbors this fall, not advocating for candidates, just listening to your concerns. If you have questions about voting, we will be happy to discuss them. 

Remember you can register to vote online if you have a current Wisconsin driver’s license or state ID at myvote.wi.gov. Or you can register in person at your local public library with proof of your address (such as a utility bill from the last 90 days, a government-issued document, bank statement, credit union statement or pay stub).

When you go to vote, you must show a photo ID, such as a Wisconsin driver’s license or state ID, passport, military service card, tribal ID card, certificate of naturalization or student ID card with enrollment verification. If you need help obtaining a valid ID, contact the Voter ID Hotline at 608-285-2141. 

Upcoming election schedule:

• Feb. 18, 2020, Wisconsin Spring Primary
• April 7, 2020, Spring Election and Presidential Primary
• Aug. 11, 2020, Wisconsin Fall Primary 
• Nov. 3, 2020, Presidential Election

Por Juan Pablo Torres Meza
Ciudad de Madison

“De hecho, existe una correlación muy estrecha entre las violaciones de los derechos humanos y la ayuda estadounidense, especialmente en América Latina.” – Noam Chomsky 

El gobierno de los Estados Unidos ha desempeñado un papel importante, y a menudo destructivo, en las realidades político-sociales de muchos países del mundo que dan lugar a situaciones insostenibles, lo que conduce a oleadas continuas de migración fuera de esos países. 

Aunque Estados Unidos no es ciertamente el único país del mundo que trata a los inmigrantes de maneras tan deplorables, pero como la nación más poderosa del mundo, ¿no debería tener la responsabilidad de establecer normas claras y un buen “ejemplo” para el resto del mundo? 

He estado en este país por casi 6 años y he visto gente que conozco, junto con un alto porcentaje de la población, inclinándose hacia la separación en vez de la inclusión. Desafortunadamente, algunos de ellos están muy cerca de nosotros. El clima socio-político actual ha creado divisiones entre amigos, familias y el país en general. Sin embargo, por difícil que sea, sé que tengo que hablar con nuestras comunidades sobre esta cuestión tan importante. 

A medida que el liderazgo nacional actual intensifica sus ataques contra los inmigrantes, se hace necesario mantenernos firmes como comunidad.

El Departamento de Derechos Civiles en la Ciudad de Madison provee servicios para todas las clases protegidas en la Ciudad de Madison. En tiempos cuando la agresión, discriminación, y la intolerancia han incrementado hacia los inmigrantes a través de los Estados Unidos, necesitamos estar al tanto de los sistemas de apoyo disponibles para nosotros.

Es importante conocer los recursos disponibles para apoyar la comunidad. En el Departamento de Derechos Civiles, investigamos denuncias de discriminación, empleo y promovemos equidad a través de la ciudad. Usted puede contactar el Departamento al número 608-266-4910. El horario de oficina es de 8 am‒4:30 pm. 

Siéntase libre de contactar su centro comunitario local y organizaciones como el Centro Hispano y la Academia Latina para aprender como involucrarse para ayudar a la comunidad a superar este tiempo de inestabilidad socio-política. 

Juntos podemos.