A measure to ask Madison voters whether City Council members’ terms in office should be increased from two years to three is dead for now after the city attorney determined it did not get the required amount of support at the council’s Tuesday meeting.
The council voted 13-6 to put the referendum on the spring ballot. But on Friday, city attorney Mike Haas said that because the proposal involved a change to the city’s charter, it required a two-thirds vote, or at least 14 ayes, to pass, under state law.
The measure could come back to the 20-member council for another vote if a council member who wasn’t at Tuesday’s meeting or voted against the measure makes a motion to reconsider it before the council’s next regular meeting Nov. 22, Haas said.
The measure’s four sponsors did not immediately respond to an email asking if they knew of anyone who would move to have it reconsidered.
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Under the plan first proposed by Ald. Grant Foster, council members would be elected to staggered three-year terms. To get on that schedule, in the 2025 election, candidates running in seven districts would run for two-year terms, candidates in seven other districts would run for three-year terms, and candidates in six districts would run for four-year terms. Terms for all elections after that would be for three years.
A nonbinding referendum last year to increase terms to four years failed 55.5% to 44.5%. Another found voters favored, 71% to 29%, limiting council members to no more than 12 years in office. There currently are no term limits for the council.
See who the Wisconsin State Journal editorial board is endorsing in Tuesday’s election
Jill Underly for state superintendent of public instruction
JILL UNDERLY has shown better judgment during her campaign and is intensely focused on early childhood education to get ahead of racial and economic achievement gaps in later grades.
Read the full endorsement here.
Patrick Heck for Madison City Council, District 2
PATRICK HECK was deeply involved in his Isthmus neighborhood before winning a seat on the council two years ago, and now he has more knowledge and ability to get things done for his constituents. A climate and weather researcher, Heck respects data and does his homework before voting. He also brings a balanced approach to complicated and controversial issues.
Read the full endorsement here.
Lindsay Lemmer for Madison City Council, District 3
LINDSAY LEMMER has been an energetic member of the City Council during her first term. And she’s kept her East Side constituents well informed during the pandemic through weekly newsletters, online events and even informational videos. She wants to continue funding police to protect neighborhoods. Yet she helped convince city officials to create a team of paramedics and crisis workers to handle some lower-level calls.
Read the full endorsement here.
Paul Skidmore for Madison City Council, District 9
PAUL SKIDMORE has defended Madison’s progressive and professional police department against excessive criticism during last year’s protests Downtown that were sparked by police brutality in Minneapolis and Kenosha. He also joined a pair of Black women on the City Council in pushing for body cameras on patrol officers to provide greater transparency and accountability in law enforcement.
Read the full endorsement here.
Mara Eisch for Madison City Council, District 10
MARA EISCH’s background in nursing, including teaching at a medical college, will help inform City Council discussions during the pandemic. She also cites public safety as a top issue. She wants to support police as well as alternative responses to mental health crises. She would bring more attention to collecting and using data when the city makes big decisions.
Read the entire endorsement here.
Syed Abbas for Madison City Council, District 12
Syed Abbas is a rising star on the Madison City Council after just one term and deserves reelection. A Pakistani immigrant who speaks five languages, Abbas brings sincerity, hard work and a disarming personality to his public service. He is appropriately and intently focused on the redevelopment of the former Oscar Mayer site in his North Side District. Cleaning the contamination and revitalizing the giant property is a top concern.
Read the full endorsement here.
Sheri Carter for Madison City Council, District 14
SHERI CARTER has been a superb City Council member and president, representing the South Side for three terms. She wants to keep housing in her district affordable. She wants to ensure residents have access to small business emergency funding and eviction-prevention programs during the pandemic. Carter wants to fund police and rethink how law enforcement is used.
Read the full endorsement here.
Jael Currie for Madison City Council, District 16
JAEL CURRIE has lived on the East Side her whole life and will bring lots of knowledge and attention to the important cause of affordable housing. She’s the housing director for the YWCA of Madison. She wants to improve access to housing for more people, including steering the homeless to better and more stable lives.
Read the full endorsement here.
Charles Myadze for Madison City Council, District 18
CHARLES MYADZE shows a lot of promise as a community leader for the North Side. He wants to help the City Council find more common ground on pressing issues, including encouraging responsible growth, revitalizing the former Oscar Mayer site, and improving the police department. He supports more community oversight of law enforcement. Yet he recognizes that Madison has a well-trained force, which is needed to protect the public from violent crime and increasing gunplay.
Read the full endorsement here.
6 big moments from our State Journal endorsement meetings
Keith Furman for Madison City Council, District 19
KEITH FURMAN supports “proper funding of police,” which his West Side district should appreciate. Yet like many of his City Council colleagues, he wants to send a paramedic and crisis worker — rather than law enforcement officers — to some less serious calls. That’s a balanced approach that makes sense. A former technology executive who spent 20 years running a small business, Furman will advocate for a strong economy for local workers and employers.
Read the full endorsement here.
Christian Albouras for Madison City Council, District 20
CHRISTIAN ALBOURAS is still the best choice in this rematch from two years ago for this Southwest Side seat. If anything, Albouras has become a better candidate because of the experience and knowledge he has gained during his first term. An administrator for the state Department of Children and Families, Albouras is good at working with others and wants to help make Madison more welcoming for people of color and their businesses.
Read the full endorsement here.
Vote ‘no’ to a full-time Madison City Council
Madison doesn’t need a full-time City Council earning five times as much pay with less accountability to voters. City residents should reject an advisory referendum on the April 6 ballot that would turn our citizen servants into professional politicians with longer terms.
Read the full editorial here.
