Priorities and Accomplishments

Flooding

Served on Lake Levels Task Force and crafted detailed recommendations to increase flooding resiliency, including aggressive aquatic plant harvesting, coordinated dam management strategies, 5-phase dredging plan and quarterly updates to the public.
Sponsored budget resolution for $2 million to purchase land to increase our flooding resiliency emphasizing purchasing property in the Yahara watershed where possible.
Worked with staff to publish quarterly reports on land purchases and to publish all operational dam changes to the public.
Sponsored budget amendments to fully fund dredging to increase flow in the Yahara River to improve flood resiliency.
Sponsored budget resolution to provide $500,000 to purchase and preserve the Voit Farm property with a community development vision.

Served on the Election Security Review Committee and working on a budget amendment for an additional 4 million dollars for a secure facility with advanced fire protection, insourcing services like printing, secure dedicated access for staff and the facilities to conduct on site recounts.
Authored ordinance making it Disorderly Conduct to harass a poll worker.
Held a voter registration drive at The Beacon homeless day resource center.
Worked with the County Clerk and County IT to improve elections reporting, resulting in fast and reliable elections returns on election night.

Lead sponsor on resolution 125 to provide public information on PFAS tests and results as a result of airport construction related to F-35 beddown. Working on legal strategies to halt construction if PFAS results exceed allowed levels.
Worked to pass aggressive manure storage ordinance to reduce phosphorous entering watershed.
Supported land purchases that prioritized wetlands restoration such as Pheasant Branch Conservancy, while adding additional funds to the land conservation budget.
Sponsored amendment to fund agroforestry demonstration project in Silverwood Park that planted trees among row crops, along with riparian buffers that trap run-off water, conserve soil and produce harvestable crops.
Working on creating a new farmland easement program to preserve farmland in Dane County by purchasing permanent easements with matching federal funds.
Supported funding for harvestable buffer strips, cover crops, manure injection and manure digesters.
Co-Sponsored a resolution in support of a revenue-neutral carbon tax on fossil fuels

Wrote a resolution in support of expungement reform in Wisconsin.
Worked with Dane County and other counties around the state for a cannabis legalization, taxation and regulation referendum that passed with strong support.
Working with clerk of courts to improve trial notifications by allowing for notifications to multiple people, and sending notifications until confirmation received.
Supported Black Caucus jail consolidation plan with numerous criminal justice reforms to reduced jail population.
Worked to get a budget item to build a mental health crisis center to treat mental health issues outside of a law enforcement context
Worked with Sheriff on daily report to publish jail population census data:
- https://danesheriff.com/jailreportlist

Worked to get a pilot project to record two standing committee meetings per month resulting in all meetings being recorded and available to the public.
Provided constituent engagement through detailed blog updates, social media, neighborhood meetings and neighborhood print publications.

Co-sponsored a resolution to double the affordable housing fund from $3 million to $6 million.
Sponsored resolution for county funding of affordable housing developments in District 6.

Sponsored resolution to provide 1 million dollars to artists struggling during the pandemic.
Serve as Dane Arts commissioner and help evaluate grant applications to distribute over $200,000 of funding to the arts, including many projects in district 6.
Developed a special grant program in honor of Liesel Blockstein to fund arts projects aiming to increase civic and political engagement.