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District 6 Items of Interest for the Week of April 21, 2025

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Well hello there!

It was my great honor to be sworn in as your new District 6 alder last Tuesday, April 15 along with six other new and thirteen returning alders. While I am assuming outgoing Alder Marsha Rummel’s seat, I am not replacing her, because who possibly could? What I will do is my very best to live up to the example she has set in terms of accessibility, humility, honesty, transparency and effectiveness.

2025-2026 Common Council
Your 2025-2026 Common Council

I’m still getting familiar with all the tools available to alders, so I apologize for the lateness of this message. In the future you can expect it on Sunday or Monday of each week.

As part of my duties, the Mayor has appointed me to four city committees (the city’s description is in italics, my comments follow each):

  • Urban Design Commission
    To assure the highest quality of design for all public and private projects in the city; protect and improve the general appearance of all buildings, structures, landscaping and open areas in the city; encourage the protection of economic values and proper use of properties …

    I will be looking for ways to get the maximum housing built as efficiently as possible, while following our zoning, respecting historic districts and adhering to the neighborhood approval process.
     
  • City-County Homeless Issues Committee
    Examine, report and make recommendations to the Madison Common Council and the Dane County Board of Supervisors on issues related to homelessness. This includes housing for the homeless, jobs and job training, availability of public toilets and showers, access to storage lockers, and the provision of mental health, drug and alcohol services.

    I specifically requested to be on this committee due to the large number of services for people experiencing homelessness located within District 6, such as The Beacon, The Salvation Army, Porchlight (with new housing under construction), various food banks and other subsidized housing and organizations serving vulnerable communities.
     
  • Sustainable Madison Committee
    Takes a leadership role in the promotion of sustainability and environmental protection for the City of Madison, the Madison community, and the region.

    The city has made great strides in electrifying its fleet and buses and implementing high-efficiency electrical and plumbing and more in city buildings, but there is more to be done! I’ll look to work on flooding mitigation, preserving and expanding the tree canopy and planning for climate change over the coming decades.
     
  • Downtown Coordinating Committee
    A forum for public information and stewardship regarding the uses of public space in the Downtown Area, and to periodically review regulations and policies affecting the Downtown Area, with particular emphasis on State Street and the Capitol Square, as a high-quality urban space for pedestrians in an environment that promotes healthy businesses.

    I’ve been on this committee for twelve years already! It’s being phased out after this year, so we’ll be wrapping up oversight of a number of initiatives, including the pedestrian mall on lower State Street and redesigning the plaza at the top of W. Mifflin St. next to the future site of the Wisconsin History Center.

Breese Stevens Street Use Permit

There has been some buzz on the neighborhood email lists about Big Top LLC’s (the group that operates the city-owned Breese Stevens Field) request to erect a fence around the plaza outside of the main gate and into one lane of Patterson St during concerts. I had a meeting with two of the principals last Friday and had a number of questions answered:

  • The whole block of N Patterson is already closed during concerts around 2pm by request of the city for safety reasons. City-required signage for detours, pedestrian crossings, etc. will be in place.
  • There is a revised map (see below) that shows the fencing does not encircle the Bcycle stations along E Washington, the traffic light or fire hydrant.
  • The other Bcycle stations and bike racks WILL be inaccessible. However, there will be an equivalent number of temporary bike racks placed outside of the fencing / security. There is also a bike valet available on the E Mifflin side.
  • Attendees cannot access the interior of Breese Stevens until the venue opens per agreement with the performer. When the gates open, alcohol sales in the fenced-in area will cease.
  • Alcohol sales within the fence will begin two hours before gates open and cease when gates open.
  • Fencing will go up at noon and would come down by midnight.
Site Map of Breese Stevens Patterson St Plan
Image credit: Big Top LLC

After hearing these details, I am comfortable with the permit. I read all of the citizen-submitted comments to the ALRC request and believe that the majority of concerns have been addressed. Know that I do take seriously the private use of our public spaces and that such requests demand scrutiny. If you have additional questions or concerns, please reply to this email. The streets permitting process is now administrative, meaning there isn’t another public venue for voicing them except through your alder (and I do want to hear them).

Updates and Notices

Celebrate Earth Day in Your Local Park: Celebrate Earth Day with your neighbors and friends by volunteering to clean up your local park! Join this community-wide volunteer event on Saturday, April 26.

Boards, Commissions, and Committee Meetings

Note: This is not a complete list of meetings for this upcoming week. All meetings and their details can be found at the Meeting Schedule page.

  • Transportation Commission: The Transportation Commission meeting will take place on Wednesday, April 23, at 5:00 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include amending Sections 24.02 and 1.08 of the Madison General Ordinances to add Disorderly Conduct directed at a city transit operator.
  • Police and Fire Commission: The Police and Fire Commission meeting will take place on Wednesday, April 23, at 5:00 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include a discussion of the Police Chief hiring process.

If you would like more information about becoming a member of a City board, commission, or committee, please visit the page linked here.

Announcements and News Releases

Please visit the City news webpage to find additional news and announcements and to subscribe to receive notification of news releases as they are posted.

Events

  • MSCR & Madison Parks Hiring Fair, Thursday, April 24: Madison Parks and MSCR are hiring seasonal staff in aquatics, golf, maintenance, conservation and more! Attend the Hiring Fair at Parks Lakeside Offices and apply and interview onsite! Make this a summer to remember!
  • Earth Day Challenge, Saturday, April 26: Celebrate Earth Day with your neighbors and friends by volunteering to clean up your local park! Join this community-wide volunteer effort to help make a difference. Accept the Earth Day Challenge with Madison Parks!

Additional upcoming events can also be found on the City events calendar.

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District 6 - Alder Mayer

Alder Davy Mayer

Alder Davy Mayer

District 6
Contact Alder Mayer