MADISON, Wis. – On April 4, voters will decide who will lead the state's capital city.
Lifelong public servant Gloria Reyes is challenging incumbent Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway. We sat down with both of the candidates to ask about their visions for Madison, Wis.
What do you love about the city of Madison?
Rhodes-Conway: So many things. I love our lakes. I love our parks. I love State Street. I love the Capitol building. And I love our eclectic food scene. I love our little neighborhood business districts. But mostly, I love the people.
Reyes: What I love is the focus on our strong having strong public schools and education ... [Madison] does provide opportunities for people who struggle, and the commitment to social services and support for our most vulnerable populations is really important for me.
What do you think are some of the biggest challenges Madison is facing right now?
Rhodes-Conway: Housing has really got to be at the top of the list, both on the rental and the ownership side. We're just seeing prices go through the roof. It's really difficult for folks who are on fixed incomes, who are low income, who maybe are just getting started out, to find a place to live.
Reyes: I think the fiscal deficit that we will be facing in the next several years. That is a concern for me, because the qualities of a progressive mayor is to be fiscally responsible, so that we can invest in … social services, and invest in education, and childcare, and in safety.
What would your goals be for another few years?
Rhodes-Conway: We still have to be working on housing, we need to be working on reducing our contribution to the climate crisis. New issues have come to the fore. We need to be focusing on public safety in an evidence-based way. We need to be particularly working on traffic safety, we're seeing more crashes.
What would a Mayor Reyes administration look like, what would your priorities be?
Reyes: It's going to be the fiscal impact that we will be facing, that's going to be my one of my number one priorities because I do want to focus on all those areas [like equity, homelessness, and education].