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Thursday, April 8, 2021
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Bennett among winners of Tuesday’s election By Kate Van Dyke STAFF WRITER
Juliana Bennett was elected to represent the UW campus on the Madison Common Council in Tuesday’s city-wide election of local officials. Other victors include Patrick Heck, District 2, and Nikki Conklin, District 9. Bennett, a UW-Madison student and a cofounder of the BIPOC
Coalition, became the first Black alder to represent District 8, which encompasses the UW campus and some surrounding neighborhoods. Bennett received 66.2% of the vote while challenger Ayomi Obuseh received 33.8%, according to Channel 3,000. Fewer than 500 votes were cast in the District 8 election, compared to 4,600 votes from the same seven
COURTESY OF JULIANA BENNETT
Juliana Bennett, Patrick Heck, Nikki Conklin and more were elected on Tuesday.
wards in the 2020 general election, according to data from the Dane County Clerk’s office. In a press release, Bennett expressed her gratitude for the votes and support from the UW-Madison community. “I want to thank every single person who supported me over these past few months. Running a grassroots, virtual and student/ staff has not been easy,” Bennett said. “Despite many obstacles we still put forward a bold, unapologetically progressive platform and have worked to build a coalition of civically engaged young people.” Bennett promised to use her position in local government to advocate for progressive policies that she feels will improve the lives of students as well as the broader Madison community. “This is just the beginning of our movement. We have a long way to go before we win affordable housing, sustainability and other important goals that we’ve set during this campaign,” Bennett said. “I know that with the support of the community, we will continue to make our voices heard.” Obuseh released a statement
on Facebook Wednesday thanking her supporters and congratulating Bennett on her victory. “The support we’ve seen for our vision for Madison shows that change has arrived,” Obuseh stated. “I’m confident that this new cohort will bring the legislation we deserve as a community and want to congratulate my opponent on her big win.” Five days prior to the election, Obuseh denied claims made by an unnamed individual saying that they experienced sexual assault, which potentially placed her campaign in an unfavorable position. Obuseh told The Daily Cardinal her response was “reactionary.” “When I wrote those words, it was because I was deeply hurt by my own experiences,” Obuseh said. “I [felt] as though someone was doing something that wasn’t ok.” In District 2, which encompasses a large portion of Langdon St. and East Johnson, incumbent Patrick Heck received 61.8% of the vote, gaining his second term as alder and defeating local activist Benji Ramirez. Heck stated that while in office, he will pursue progressive change
while also maintaining what he feels to be the positive qualities of the Madison community. “I believe we can focus on racial inequities and social justice while maintaining the aspects of Madison that have made it a wonderful place to live for so many people,” Heck stated. “I will advocate for everyone in all District 2 neighborhoods while doing everything I can to make sure that as we emerge from the challenges of 2020 we don’t simply strive to go ‘back to normal.’” In District 9, longtime incumbent Alder Paul Skidmore was defeated by Nikki Conklin. Conklin won the seat against Skidmore, with 55.9% of the vote. Conklin released a statement on Facebook voicing her excitement for her upcoming term and thanking those who supported her campaign. “As your new elected Alder I will fight for quality affordable housing, equity and justice and safety for all among other things” Conklin said. “I want to thank everyone for all the support, love and encourage-
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Alliant Energy Center becomes FEMA vaccination site By Elena Price STAFF WRITER
Gov. Tony Evers announced Tuesday that the vaccination clinic at the Alliant Energy Center will receive federal support from FEMA beginning Wednesday. With guidance from state and local leadership, FEMA will provide 26 federal staff and support services to help administer more vaccinations, allowing the Alliant Energy Center to expand its vaccinations from 5,600 to 7,700 per week depending on vaccine supply. “This site will expand access for residents of the state’s capital and second largest city, and for those living in south central Wisconsin,” Acting Regional Administrator for FEMA Region 5 Kevin M. Sligh said. Dane County Executive Joe Parisi said that Dane County “aggressively pursued” the partnership with the state and FEMA to expand vaccinations. Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway also said she is thankful that the partnership will speed up the vaccination process. In Dane County, 44 percent of residents have gotten at least one dose and 26.5 percent have completed the vaccine series, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS). Over 28 percent of the 18-24 age group in
Dane County have received at least one dose. Statewide, 34.1 percent of residents have received at least one dose and 21.1 percent are fully vaccinated. Eligibility opened up to all Wisconsinites 16 and older on Monday. Racial disparities are still apparent in who is getting vaccinated, with 41 percent of white Dane County residents and just 16.5 percent of Black residents receiving at least one dose. Registration for the site is available at https://vaccinate.wi.gov/ en-US/, with the opportunity to schedule free transportation while scheduling appointments. While the new assistance from FEMA should increase vaccine availability, finding and scheduling appointments has proven challenging for some residents. Although hopeful for the rise in vaccinations, UW-Madison student Lauren Flaschenriem discussed her struggles with finding and keeping an appointment. “For me, it was just like waking up super early because Walgreens drops appointments at like 6 in the morning,” Flaschenriem said. “I’d be waking up really early to try and get one because they would go so quick. It’s especially an issue in Dane County because there are so
many people living here.” Flaschenriem became eligible on March 22, but was not able to schedule and receive her first dose until March 31. Flaschenriem joined the Facebook group Wisconsin Vaccine Hunters and Angels to try to find an appointment quickly. She later posted in the Class of 2024 Facebook page sharing what she learned during the vaccine search, including transportation information and when appointments are added at different locations. “I can’t imagine a working parent trying to do everything I did, to like refresh pages and get up early. It takes a considerable amount of time out of your day. If you had to take care of other people, I feel like it would be really hard,” Flaschenriem explained. Once people do make an appointment however, transportation to multiple vaccine providers in the area can become another issue. Students who are far from home or residents without access to a car may find it difficult to get to their appointments. While students can use WisCards to ride city buses, other residents must purchase bus passes that cost up to $65 for a 31-day pass or $2 dollars per trip for adults.
Along with finding transportation, some residents say they are being required to show their IDs to get a vaccine at Walgreens and HyVee. “Federal guidelines pre-empt
[this action]. People are being turned away and you’re actively dissuading vulnerable demographics from getting the vaccine,” Nada Elmikashfi wrote on Twitter.
GRAPHIC BY LYRA EVANS
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”