This Election Guide was compiled by The Natural Step Monona. The Natural Step Monona is a non-partisan, non-profit organization. It is not responsible for the accuracy of any statements made by the candidates.

Responses from Candidates for Mayor

1. In light of the many threats to safe water for drinking and recreation, what steps would you take to protect our water resources?

Bob Miller: I am committed to water quality improvement both on a municipal and an individual resident level.  At the city level I will work closely with our public works department to achieve the state requirement of reducing street pollution from entering our storm sewer system by 40% by 2013.  We will accomplish this through proper street sweeping, leaf pick-up and snow removal.  As a Natural Step Monona board member and study circle participant, I have helped expand our community outreach by planning a Conservation Contest to coincide with the city’s water rate increase and continued promotion of rain barrels and rain-gardens.

[No photo provided] Jeff Wiswell, Sr.: A major threat to the safe use of water for drinking and recreation comes from blue-green algae, or Cyanobacteria, a group of photosynthetic bacteria that people refer to as “pond scum.” Blue-green algae can cause illness and death by exposure to toxins through skin contact, inhalation, or by swallowing contaminated water.

As mayor I will work with partners in the watershed including citizens, DNR and DATCP to minimize the problems associated with algal blooms. This means working to prevent construction site materials, and yard debris from washing into storm drains by using silt curtains for residential and commercial construction sites.

2. How will you institute policies for sustainability so they are effective in Monona?

Bob Miller: I will continue and promote the work of the City/Sustainability Committee which I have previously chaired and am a current member.  The work of this committee enabled the city to earn an Independent Communities grant worth $30,000.  We also helped Monona obtain an ever larger Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) in the amount of $225,000 for facility upgrades to city-owned buildings. I support the continued sustainability education of city staff.  These steps have certainly touched everyone in our community, whether by making Monona a cleaner, healthier city or by providing tax savings in these challenging times.

Jeff Wiswell, Sr.: In December, 2009, the council adopted a resolution supporting development of a 25 x 25 plan for energy independence, and creating Monona’s energy committee. Recently the council received the committee’s report and approved this plan. This past September the city council officially created the committee on sustainability to review and recommend policies and programs to the council relating to sustainability.

As mayor I will work with city staff to implement various conservation measures contained in this report. I will also work with the council to review other such policies and programs relating to sustainability for their suitability to the city.

3. With alternative transportation vital to Monona’s livability, what would you do to provide more hours of service and more extensive routes to our bus service?

Bob Miller: Increased access for Monona’s mass transit, although important, is not without great economic challenge.  As recent co-chair of the Mass Transit committee, we worked hard to increase the number of stops made by Madison Metro buses on our main thoroughfares, Monona Drive and Broadway.  After several meetings it became apparent the cost of Monona’s transit budget would more than quadruple to gain several more stops and longer hours.  The mass transit committee is currently undertaking a survey to better determine the transit needs of Monona residents.  I await the results of that survey and would no doubt support its recommendations.

Jeff Wiswell, Sr.: The 2011 city budget authorized a review of mass transit, and we’re seeking information on this topic in our spring newsletter. As mayor I’ll review this data, and work with transit commissioners to continue improving service.

We’ll continue meeting the needs of current users of the Monona Express, which provides commuter service each morning and afternoon taking riders to and from downtown Madison and the UW, while seeking their input on any possible service modifications.

We’ll also continue meeting the needs of the elderly and disabled who count on the Monona Lift bus and its six scheduled daily loops.

Responses from Candidates for Alderman

1. In light of the many threats to safe water for drinking and recreation, what steps would you take to protect our water resources?

Jim Busse: As for drinking water, Monona is supplied by an underground aquifer shared with multiple communities in Dane County.  Our labs test for bacteria and coli form among other items 10 times each month.  Our hydrants are flushed twice a year. Continued monitoring of our supply along with findings of neighboring community testing will help us manage for threats.  Regarding recreational water Dane County’s Phosphorus Ordinance is a step in reducing phosphorus runoff that increases algae growth and reduces oxygen in the water.  We must encourage efforts by the Lake and Watershed Commission to encourage further reduction of upstream pollution.

Chad Speight: A healthy Lake Monona improves property values and the quality of life in Monona. Wherever street runoff is diverted into our watershed, the city should continue to invest in retention and filtration, similar to the Lakeside retention basin at the north end of Monona Drive.  These ponds help filter sediments and pollutants.  More importantly, the city should take steps to reduce runoff from public and private lands into our streets and lakes.  By encouraging property owners to collect or retain rainwater, we can reduce flooding, reduce the use of drinking water for irrigation, and help to recharge our deep-water aquifers.

Mike Veserat: I would like to assure you that our city government and its water utility are committed to continued safe tap water for use and consumption. ADA guidelines have been lowered for fluoride. The new guidelines will be on an agenda, in the near future, for Public Works. Our lake quality however, is mostly controlled by non-city entities. That doesn’t mean that we should stop maintaining gutters and retention basin pathways to our lake. If one would like to stop by my store (Village Pedaler), you will find our newly installed rain garden.

Doug Wood: Our drinking water comes from three deep wells (305’ to 775’) in an aquifer that is being drawn down faster than it replenishes.

I support the city’s increasing practice and promotion of water conservation and protection. I support using a new water rate structure that would encourage residential water conservation. Each well has a surprisingly small ‘capture zone’ on the surface where a well’s water comes from. These areas warrant closer examination. The city should also promote practices that increase the recharge of aquifer and reduce runoff pollution.

The city should improve the handling of runoff during street construction projects.

2. How will you institute policies for sustainability so they are effective in Monona?

Jim Busse: There is economic, environmental and social sustainability.  I’ll focus on environmental.   Monona is in the troughs of redevelopment which brings opportunities for improving our impact on the environment.  Our CDA’s Renew Monona program provides interest free loans to improving one’s home.  Energy efficient windows, heating and cooling systems are eligible items that will reduce gas consumption.  On the commercial front our Plan Commission approved the redevelopment of the mini-warehouses along Broadway.  By requiring added green space on the site water runoff will be reducing stress off of our lakes and water department.  I will continue to encourage responsible redevelopment.

Chad Speight: My expertise is energy-efficiency:  transforming older buildings into high performance, low energy- use structures, with excellent indoor air quality.  Our city buildings are wasting thousands of dollars every month, wasting heat and squandering tax dollars.  We can demonstrate savings to taxpayers by properly retrofitting our buildings. The city can also showcase energy savings achieved by homeowners and businesses.  Lastly, we can promote energy-efficiency and alternative energy investments by creating programs that allow homeowners to finance these improvements as part of their property taxes.  Municipalities in other states have adopted these programs, which promote wise long-term investments in energy independence.

Mike Veserat: Capital requirements for this city are high. The term and rate that we borrow those monies will have the greatest impact on the viability of our local government to maintain existing services. As many of you know, we are taxed in arrears, and must borrow any monies that we spend. Call it sustainable or call it thrift, vigilance must be maintained on our checkbook. Without this, increasing interest rates will have a serious impact on our ability as a city to maintain essential services.

Doug Wood: I chaired the Sustainability Committee for the past two years and we have built on previous efforts and achieved significant successes. The city received two state grants: a $225,000 to improve the energy efficiency of city buildings and $30,000 for energy independence planning.

Last year, we made the Sustainability Committee a permanent city committee. Thus, sustainability has been institutionalized as an important and normal part of city government. Staff is getting trained in sustainable principles and practices. Having staff that is committed to sustainability is absolutely key. We have met with success and we intend to keep pursuing it.

3. With alternative transportation vital to Monona’s livability, what would you do to provide more hours of service and more extensive routes to our bus service?

Jim Busse: Increasing accessibility and interconnectivity with surrounding communities would increase usage of our transit system.  How do we cover the added costs ?  Can we link our system to others?  An RTA proposal calls for community systems to remain, be linked by park and rides and transfer systems.  The communities’ cost would be reimbursed by the RTA .  Their funding would come from an area sales tax increase.  I am concerned about the non-elected structure of the RTA and am not a fan of increasing taxes.  However this proposal may provide the improvements Monona needs and should be reviewed.

Chad Speight: Monona Transit offers very limited service hours for commuters, running loops only 4 hours per day, 5 days a week.  We need to expand our hours and connect better with Metro bus routes, so that many more citizens in Monona have options to ride the bus.  The new RTA is particularly important for Monona, by better integrating funding and services.  Our Monona Transit Commission should be actively engaged with the RTA to defend and expand our services.  We should further partner with large employers to increase funding for services.  Lastly, maintaining our excellent Lift service is vital for all citizens.

Mike Veserat: The city is providing a survey in the spring city newsletter. This survey should give the city good information as to the need versus want of increasing a very good existing bus service for those that use it or would like to.  Our existing service is costing the average property tax payer about 5 dollars per person versus Madison Metro’s cost of about 125 dollars.  This is a big difference! My goal is, at a minimum, to maintain existing cost effective services.

Doug Wood: Location, location, location: that is Monona’s advantage – we are smack dab next door to the state capital city where most of us work, but we have not maximized this advantage.

The transit service we provide now is good for those it serves, but the problem is it doesn’t serve enough people’s needs. We need to extend our hours of service and our bus routes. Madison’s buses should stop when they run through Monona!

The RTA is the only way the city will ever be able to provide the improved service we. I support a sensible RTA that serves Monona’s needs.

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Candidates were limited to 100 words per response.

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