tag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-229530 2013-05-03T15:26:36-05:00 A candid examination of right-wing policies and the Democrats who play along and the horrid liberal policies designed to assuage the moderates but end up irritating everyone. And other stuff. And now, Authorized and paid for, Soglin for Mayor,Scott Herrick Treasurer. Yeah. TypePad tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c52aa53ef01901bcea97a970b 2013-05-03T15:26:36-05:00 2013-05-03T15:26:36-05:00

Join Madison Common Council members and me for the 2013 Community Budget meetings at locations throughout the City. The budget debates continue to be difficult as our needs grow, but our dollars do not keep up. Your feedback and input is crucial, and these meetings, as well as your on-line participation provide a great opportunity to not only learn how the decisions are made and how taxpayer dollars are spent, but also to have your concerns and comments considered for...

paul soglin tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c52aa53ef017d430c7bca970c 2013-04-24T06:44:00-05:00 2013-04-23T15:35:28-05:00

A reporter recently asked me how often I planned to meet with Madisons' new school Superintendent, Jennifer Cheatham. I do not know and frankly, I am wondering why it matters. How often we meet will be driven by a number of yet to be determined factors. And more important than how often we meet, is the matter of improved performance for Madison school children. It is the difference between outputs and outcomes. The number of miles of street we plow...

paul soglin tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c52aa53ef01901b6a4a30970b 2013-04-19T17:58:23-05:00 2013-04-19T17:58:23-05:00

Considering the weather we have faced this winter and spring, the thought of summer might be hard to grasp, but I am looking forward to it for a number of reasons. One of them being we will be participating in our very first Make Music Madison! Make Music Madison will be an annual one-day citywide, free, outdoor music festival to be held on the Summer Solstice, June 21. The goal is to generate a continuous wall of music as people...

paul soglin tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c52aa53ef017c37fe12ae970b 2013-03-21T17:03:21-05:00 2013-03-21T17:03:21-05:00

Recently four area hospitals released the results of a community health needs assessment in launching healthydane.org. From this data, “organizers hope that the website will encourage visitors to find solutions to existing health needs.” In order to begin that process, we must first understand where we are as a community. There are some well-publicized figures that demonstrate areas of great concern: About one-half of our students in MMSD are eligible for Free or Reduced Lunch; 86.1% of our African-American students...

paul soglin tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c52aa53ef017d400c69e5970c 2013-01-16T12:10:29-06:00 2013-01-16T12:10:29-06:00

I support President Barack Obama’s plan to make our country safe and to institute these very reasonable firearm controls. When the founding fathers adopted the Second Amendment to the Constitution, they envisioned a well-regulated state militia. They did not envision high capacity firearms in the hands of irresponsible individuals. Most hunters acknowledge that a Bushmaster semiautomatic rifle is neither necessary nor reasonable to take down a deer. Responsible gun owners must regain control of the NRA. I agree with the...

paul soglin tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c52aa53ef017c34fd68be970b 2012-12-25T10:41:59-06:00 2012-12-25T10:44:33-06:00

The Nation Rifle Association (NRA) in its century long romance with violence violated the American people, their children, and our liberty, peace and tranquillity in classrooms from Columbine to Sandy Hook, from Oregon to Virginia. Since 1992, 386 school shootings in the United States and 493 dead. The more weapons, the more firepower, the more dead. The NRA tells us that the solution is more armed guards and teachers in the classroom. After perverting the Second Amendment, ensuring more guns...

paul soglin tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c52aa53ef017c34ac3102970b 2012-12-16T09:25:11-06:00 2012-12-16T09:25:11-06:00

Put a gun in a home and it is seven times more likely to be used: In a suicide by a member of the family To shoot a member of the family either purposefully or by accident. To shoot the owner of the weapon. than used to defend the household.

paul soglin tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c52aa53ef017d3ebb504a970c 2012-12-12T13:03:47-06:00 2012-12-12T13:03:47-06:00

The City Education Committee has submitted a series of questions regarding education and the challenges we are facing. I know this is not a problem that will be solved overnight and I know it will take multiple partners, especially you, the residents of Madison. I am sharing my responses with you and look forward to your continued involvement. The City of Madison provides considerable funding through Community Services and Community Development Block Grants, which enhances the educational environment. The following...

paul soglin tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c52aa53ef017c340b7709970b 2012-11-28T14:52:04-06:00 2012-11-28T14:52:04-06:00

Madison’s diversity is one of its many positive attributes. Diversity in residents, neighborhoods, restaurants and businesses and many other areas have all contributed to the quality of life here. Although we have perhaps been an anomaly, that diversity has, until recently, extended to talk radio. In an era where progressive talk is pretty rare, our city and area had the benefit of WTDY’s morning show host John ‘Sly’ Sylvester. As you probably have heard, Sly and the rest of the...

paul soglin tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c52aa53ef017ee42096e9970d 2012-10-12T14:45:59-05:00 2012-10-12T14:45:59-05:00

I am happy to share more national recognition for Madison, this one from USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2012/10/11/madison-wisconsin-best-college-football-town/1628263/ Just another reminder of the many ways residents and visitors can enjoy our city, its parks, lakes, attractions, restaurants, and people. Enjoy the day!

paul soglin tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c52aa53ef017ee3f15bea970d 2012-10-03T15:19:00-05:00 2012-10-03T15:19:00-05:00

On October 13, Madison will host a citywide neighborhood conference that will focus on placemaking, and how we can make, or improve, great spaces within our neighborhoods. Fred Kent, President of Project for Public Spaces is visiting us from NYC. He’s a no nonsense guy who strips away all of the “can’ts” about transforming places and instead focuses on the “how to’s” of creating great environments for neighbors, businesses, and the community. Don’t think placemaking is just about making a...

paul soglin tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c52aa53ef017ee3c5f400970d 2012-09-25T14:12:00-05:00 2012-09-25T14:57:07-05:00

I had the opportunity to see a preview screening of Won't Back Down; feel free to skip it. To understand the premise of the film we have to understand 'parent trigger.' As Will Dooling and Brendan Fischer write in PR Watch, What really happens when parents pull the "parent trigger," "...Parent Trigger laws allow parents at any persistently failing school to gather a majority and either fire the principal, fire half of the teachers, or turn it into a private...

paul soglin tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c52aa53ef017c31afff2e970b 2012-09-06T15:19:32-05:00 2012-09-06T15:52:10-05:00

Years ago when I first watched the CBS news magazine "Sixty Minutes" there were plenty of stories featuring people who knew things had gone awry but failed to act. From that I came up with my Sixty Minutes rule. When a reporter asks, "What did you know, when did you know it, and what did you do about it?" I wanted to always be able to answer that I had taken responsibility. I did not want to be in the...

paul soglin tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c52aa53ef012877598d81970c 2012-08-14T19:42:00-05:00 2012-08-14T19:39:05-05:00

On election night 1994, I was sitting in the bar at the Inn on the Park with buddy Ron Domini watching the election returns. The networks reported that young George W. Bush upset Ann Richards in the Texas gubernatorial race. I turned to Ron, and said, "We have to defeat these guys now. They take an election like this and then next thing you know they are a viable candidate for President." When Paul Ryan slipped in to Congress though...

paul soglin tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341c52aa53ef016768f4734c970b 2012-07-31T11:26:39-05:00 2012-07-31T11:26:39-05:00

It is not every day that a city has an opportunity to vie for a $5 million prize as it works to improve the lives of its citizens, but that is what New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has recently announced. Mayor Bloomberg has unveiled his Mayor's Challenge. Through his foundation, he is searching for innovative local solutions to national problems. He developed the Challenge to celebrate creative problem-solving through innovation that's happening in cities from coast to coast. The...

paul soglin