Fitchburg Common Council – Elected April, 2011 to represent District 1, a highly diverse district which includes portions surrounding Madison’s Allied Drive area.

Allied Area Task Force (Madison City Committee) – regular attendee for 3 years, involved with many related sub-groups working on everything related to the Allied Area. My personal passion within it is advocating making the Allied area a sustainable community where residents can earn a living within the bounds of the neighborhood. Since this is a border community, I’m also active with other city bodies in both Madison and Fitchburg.

AmeriCorps Member – Accepted a membership in November 2010 with an obligation to fulfill various roles in volunteer organizations.

Madison Freecycle – Owner since 2005, currently supervising 3 other moderators. Online gifting group where members can choose the recipients of items they no longer need. Recently moved to Freecycle.org from the Yahoogroup site which consisted of 20,000 members posting approximately 1000 items per month. Also served as member of inter/national Administrative Team for Freecycle wearing various hats over time.

Prairie Unitarian Universalist Society – since 2002. Past Chair of Communications and Program Committees and still an active participant in a predominately lay-led church. Responsible for online presence in addition to all other forms of communication. Program committee arranges and presents 3 Sunday services per month. Participates on committee to hire ministers. Also organized an annual public festival for 5 years for a spiritual organization.

Marlborough Park Community Gardens – Active gardener for 5 years in large multi-cultural garden, Garden Treasurer, Lead on Edible Landscaping with Madison Fruits and Nut for Marlborough Park, Participates in all community service days in the gardens, serve as advisor to newer gardeners.

Adobe Systems, Inc – Adobe Community Expert, volunteer forum host since 1997. Opted out of participation in 2011.

F1 Data Consulting Service – established 1991. Owner of business contracting for computer and online based services. The most significant contract was to manage the online forums for the Financial Times. http://ft.com

Dane County Timebank – Member of barter program for the free exchange of services. Also holder of accounts for Madison Freecycle and Marlborough Park Community Gardens to enable volunteers in those programs to receive Time Dollar credit for their efforts in helping others in the community.

Member or participant over time in many other organizations, interests, and issues in Madison, Fitchburg, and Dane County, including Communities United, Growing Power, Center for Resilient Cities, and the Badger School project, Drumlin Gardens, various permaculture interest groups, Fitchburg SmartCode zoning (walkable community zoning development), RTA and High Speed Rail, Hwy 151 / Beltline / Verona Road construction project.

Article written for the Jamestown Neighborhood newsletter

As an extension of a Safety and Security document generated by Madison’s Allied Area Task Force, the Southwest Commuter bike path behind Allied Drive has been receiving a safety facelift. The undergrowth along the path had been previously identified by the Neighborhood Watch program as a safety concern. With recent news reports of problems on bike paths around the city, area residents kicked efforts into high gear to get the path mowed more effectively.

When a member of an area bike email list posted information expressing concern about safety on the path near Allied, Fitchburg Alder Dorothy Krause responded, noting efforts already underway in the neighborhood and encouraging members to write to area elected officials as well as city staff, requesting that the under growth be cut back. Mowing was done within a week of the post. It might have also helped that the reply was copied to those officials.

Alder Krause is currently writing a proposal for the USDA’s People’s Garden grant which will include clear cutting of the underbrush along most of the hillside on the path between Lovell Lane and the Verona Road underpass. The proposal will also include landscaping of the hillside as well as the opportunity for area residents to establish gardens on appropriate areas in the right-of-way as is common in other areas in Madison.

Looking at area city maps, it becomes obvious that Allied Drive is physically located within the City of Fitchburg, though it ‘belongs’ to Madison. If you ask residents in the area whether they live in Madison or Fitchburg, they generally don’t know. Nor are they aware where the lines are drawn, or what property is on which side of the line. An interesting note is that the Boys and Girls Club building is in Fitchburg, while their parking lot is in Madison. Allied Drive, the bike path, and Carling Drive on the west side of the path are all in Madison, while the entire Chalet Gardens area next to Carling Drive, off of Verona Road is again Fitchburg.

No wonder people are confused. But, that means the community really needs to be taken as a whole, regardless of city lines. Alders in both Madison and Fitchburg understand this fact, as does the Police and Fire Departments, and other services that end up straddling the lines. As a resident in the Allied area for more then nine years now, I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of people living in chronic poverty. I’ve also seen that the long term answer to helping people out of poverty is to give them opportunities to become productive. These are people with pride, but their pride has been ground down by their circumstances. In working with groups of Allied residents, I’ve seen that sense of pride begin to emerge in beneficial ways. And it has been my intent to promote that pride of community, in ways that benefit the greater community of which we all are part.

The Allied Area Task Force was established by the City of Madison in 2005 in response to rising crime rates, and includes city officials from both Madison and Fitchburg, area residents, and area service providers. Over time it has been the springboard of much of the good work that has been accomplished by residents, including the Neighborhood Association, the Neighborhood Watch program, a Welcomer’s group, Mothers in the Neighborhood, and GEMS (Girls Empowered by Motivated Sisters—an education and support group for preteen and young teen girls, led by women in the neighborhood). The Boys and Girls Club has become an asset to the community, which hosts many community meetings and events, in addition to its core service of providing excellent programming for area youth. The MSCR Learning Center, the JFF office, the Wellness Center, the Wellness Coop, Allied Partners, and other groups in the community all work in cooperation with residents to help them help themselves.

I have learned a lot working with this community, work that has helped me to better understand the challenges that they, and people in other similar areas, face and which is an understandable dilemma to the city… and to society as a whole. What we can, and should, do about chronic poverty is a multi-million dollar question. The way I see it is that we can either continue providing money for their basic needs, or, we can (and should!) find ways to help them to provide for themselves. How to do that is a huge question in itself, but one which we must explore.

Because this topic has become so important to me, I’ve been attending all of County Executive Joe Parisi’s Jobs and Prosperity Project meetings the past month or so. I want to get a sense of what is possible in various industries, and work within those possibilities to help good things happen. I am especially interested in helping to create jobs in the $12 to $15 range, as well as working toward more affordable housing options, not only for people living in chronic poverty, but also for those teetering on the edge in these economic times. I know it’s not going to get easier, but I have faith that it will get better.