March 31, 2011

"Soglin, mayor from 1973 to 1979 and again from 1989 to 1997, narrowly lost to Cieslewicz in 2003 — and it still bothers him."

From the Wisconsin State Journal's profile of Soglin (who is running against Madison's "Mayor Dave" in the April 5th elections):
Asked why he lost, Soglin said, "the enormous impact of (Dane County Executive) Kathleen Falk's endorsement and my opposition to IZ."
Inclusionary zoning, which made developers put lower cost housing in projects, had great appeal to the political left and was a central issue in 2003. Soglin, sensitive to concerns voiced by developers and landlords, predicted — in hindsight, correctly — it wouldn't work. He backed a voluntary program.

"Dave exploited it for all it was worth," Soglin said.

17 comments:

bagoh20 said...

"predicted — in hindsight, correctly — it wouldn't work."

This is exactly what I did with my good friend Carl Marx in London in late 1879 at a lunch we had of brandy and donuts.

Automatic_Wing said...

During his terms, Soglin led with creativity and flair. He talked about past drug use and betting on horses, and gave Fidel Castro a key to the city.

How precious. Is Cuba his idea of "what democracy looks like"?

Harry Phartz said...

The longest running show in show bidness.

Triangle Man said...

Will Meadehouse split on this crucial election decision? Mayor Paul or Mayor Dave?

Meade said...

Triangle Man: Do you know whether or not Soglin was a big supporter of John Edwards for president? That might me the final thing that tips me away from Mayor Cieslewicz.

ricpic said...

Inclusionary zoning, which made developers put lower cost housing in projects...

"Partner" with government and you're government's slave.

MadisonMan said...

I voted (absentee) today.

Triangle Man said...

Meade, I don't know Soglin's position on Edwards in 2004, but here is a blog post that indicates he wasn't impressed with Edwards in 2008.

Sal said...

I believe Soglin endorsed Wesley Clark in '04.

Meade said...

Okay, thanks. I'll probably (grudgingly) vote for Soglin - a (rare) honest lefty.

Meade said...

...unless I write in Thuy Pham-Remmele.

Carol_Herman said...

Can you accidentally hang the sign upside down?

Can you hire a lawyer and sue the union for lost business? (I'd call this a big drop with a safety net on the bottom.)

Like Nixon said, no publicity is bad publicity if they spell your name correctly.

How effective is this "signage in the window" campaign going to be, now that NATIONALLY, the word of this coercion is publicized?

By the way, wouldn't it be smart to hire extra security? Maybe, post a sniper on the roof? (You think I'm kidding.) It took the Rodney King rioting looters 3 free days, because the LA cops wouldn't come out for Korean businesses. Gee, you learn about the wisdom of the Second Amendment in a hurry. I call "3 days" quick.

Triangle Man said...

Write in Laurence Meade!

chickelit said...

Paul Soglin also gave Bob Dylan a key to the City of Madison before or during this visit IIRC.

So I guess Soglin gets two votes at Meadehouse.

chickelit said...

My mother will vote for Mayor Cheeze-Whiz.

The Crack Emcee said...

Soglin, sensitive to concerns voiced by developers and landlords, predicted — in hindsight, correctly — it wouldn't work.

Then it should still bother him:

People did the wrong thing, wasted time and money, and wasted the talent of a good public servant. That hurts a guy trying to do the right thing.

It doesn't bother an asshole.

Big Mike said...

Just because something's foredoomed to certain disaster doesn't mean liberals won't support it.