THE UNIVERSITY ITY OF W WISCONSIN’S ISCONSIN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1969 Thursday, September 8, 2011
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Volume XLIII, Issue 3
LL SPORTS | MEN’S BASKETBALL
NEWS | EDUCATION
ARTS | REVIEW
Big Ten schedule revealed
A recent study shows Wisconsin ranks number one in education funding cuts, but what is Walker’s reaction? | 6
Moon mystery movie madness
ESPN family networks and CBS set to carry 10-12 Wisconsin games in 2011-12. | 14
Apollo 18 shows excellence in filming, acting though nothing extraordinary in plot | 10
Reps place bids for US Congress seat Dems Pocan, Roys announce runs to fill Baldwin’s spot Matt Huppert State Editor U.S. Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin’s recent decision to join the U.S. Senate race has opened the door for two Wisconsin Democratic representatives to run for her soon-to-be-vacant seat in Congress. Assembly Democratic Caucus Chair Kelda Roys, D-Madison, and Assembly member Mark Pocan, D-Madison, each announced plans to run for the Madisonencompassing district of Congress. They will compete against each other for their party’s nomination of the second congressional district seat currently held by Baldwin. It became evident the congresswoman’s seat would be vacant after she announced she would run in the election to fill Sen. Herb Kohl’s U.S. Senate seat in an email to supporters. Following three terms in county office, Pocan has spent 12-and-a-half years in the Wisconsin State Senate. During his tenure he has served as co-chair
of the Joint Finance Committee. In addition to representing the 81st District in the Assembly for the past two years, Roys was the executive director of National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws ProChoice Wisconsin, a role she said provided her the opportunity to promote stronger health care rights for women. Pocan said his passion for effecting public policy and representing constituents motivated him to run for federal office. He said the main focus for every member of the campaign should be what they would bring to Congress that assists them in improving the economy and creating jobs. Pocan said his experiences as a former co-chair of JFC and as the current owner of Budget Signs and Specialties, a Madison based company, would be beneficial in a time when with dire economy solutions are necessary. “I’ve spent half my life as the owner of a small business,” Pocan said. “I’ve learned a lot in that time about jobs and how to create them, and I believe that’s crucial at a time like this.” The Bush tax cuts, he
Malory Goldin The Badger Herald
Rep. Mark Pocan speaks on the Assembly floor during a Feb. 24 session amid protest at the Capitol. Pocan said he will be in the running to replace U.S. Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin later this year. said, would be one of his main targets if elected to Congress. He said he is strongly against the inability of Congress to raise taxes on the highest percent of wage earners in the United States. Roys said she has worked on legislation with both Republicans and Democrats in the Assembly, but said her record of progressive legislation demonstrates the boldness she would bring to Congress. If elected to Congress, Roys said she would also Megan McCormick The Badger Herald
Rep. Kelda Helen Roys leads a crowd at a February protest against the budget repair bill. Roys said she will run for the open seat when Baldwin runs for Senate.
CONGRESS, page 2
Soglin: State budget, borrowing behind city cuts Madison will confront project cancellations, service decrease with new funding proposal Sasha Hayman City Editor Mayor Paul Soglin released the highlyanticipated Executive Capital Budget Tuesday, revealing several of the cuts that will be felt throughout the city in the upcoming year. Soglin said borrowing
in the capital budget has become a problem for the city because as the money borrowed has increased, the money was not being repaid at an ideal rate, creating an imbalance of debt for the city. “It’s very difficult for me to come before the people of Madison and have to present a capital budget as sparse as this one,” Soglin said in a press conference Tuesday. In a statement, Soglin said the proposed 2012 capital budget has reduced total authorized spending from 2011 by $52.6 million
and reduced borrowing by $38.7 million over last year’s budget. He attributed many of the cuts to the decrease in state aid cities will receive in the new budget. The statement said Madison has been too reliant on borrowing in the past and to make up for the debt service, Soglin is cutting funds to plow streets, maintain parks and provide public health and safety services. Soglin said although he is a believer in the basic premise that wide spending on infrastructure and human capacity helps create
a healthy economy, these are things that need to be put aside for the current time. Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, said despite Madison’s current recognition as a relatively safe city, that mentality could be taken away by certain budget cuts, lowering the city’s current quality of life and pushing residents away. “If you take away things like infrastructure, it hurts businesses,” Resnick said. “We need to look at it as an all-encompassing picture.” The proposed capital budget also includes plans
Feeling the wind As a member of Hoofers’ intermediate windsurfing class, first-year master’s student Anna Merry spent Wednesday catching waves and fighting the wind on her board. Merry said she joined the club because her dad was a member of Hoofers when he attended UW. Megan McCormick The Badger Herald
for creating a new Tax Incremental Finance district. TIF districts increase the property value of a part of the city that houses capital projects, creating an increase in return finances for the city. The new TIF districts would be at Whitney Way and University Avenue, as well as the vacant Bancroft Dairy site at the intersection of Park Street and Fish Hatchery Road. Soglin is proposing up to seven TIF projects be approved in the Capital Budget, which is almost twice as many projects as
were seen in the current legislation. Resnick said TIF districts can be strong tools for raising money around capital projects and that Soglin is proposing to make some changes to TIF district structures. He said he thinks TIF districts can be a helpful tool in the budget but they can sometimes be a “dangerous game.” “Not all TIF district have worked out in the past,” Resnick said. “You can look at Monroe Street to see a TIF district that struggled. When
BUDGET, page 4
Mifflin permit use to become trickier Council approves legislation to force some street event uses to acquire city approval Sasha Hayman City Editor A decision passed down from Tuesday’s City Council meeting could pose additional obstacles for large-scale street events including the famed Mifflin Street Block Party. The Madison City Council voted unanimously to amend the process of obtaining alcohol licenses issued in conjunction with street use permits and also shot down an action to eliminate the city’s list of repeat alcohol offenders. Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said the amendment was originally proposed by Mayor Paul Soglin in response to last year’s Mifflin Street Block Party. In the past, the process has not included approval by the council, and Verveer said Soglin believed the council should be involved in the obtaining of alcohol licenses in the instance of events such as Mifflin. “It was my feeling that the city ought to know
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when we’re closing streets and issuing licenses,” Soglin said. “There is a serious nature of these permits, one that council should have final authority on.” Alcohol Policy Coordinator Mark Woulf researched the number of major city events that obtain these alcohol licenses and found that only eight events annually would be affected by this process. He said events such as the Taste of Madison already obtain their permits in a timely fashion and adding an extra step would not be detrimental to the event. Ald. Bridget Maniaci, District 2, said she believes if the permit does not fall in the specific district of an alder, it should be in the hands of city staff and the individual alder whom it affects. The motion to approve the amendment was carried 9 to 3 in a vote by the council. Soglin also motioned
CITY COUNCIL, page 2