General Questions
1. Do you believe there is an affordable housing crisis in our community? If not, what is your position regarding the need for affordable housing in Madison?
I believe there is an affordable housing crisis and a fair housing crisis. However, maybe we need to come up with a better word than that because I’ve been among the people calling this a “crisis” for the past 10 years. Maybe we should go with “tragedy” or “epidemic” or maybe something that involves that word “terrorism.” It just seems to me that people should respond more urgently to a crisis, and I don’t see that type of response to our housing crises.
2. How much, and what type of affordable housing is in your district? Do you think there should be more or less than the available supply in your district? [Mayoral candidates, please answer in regard to the entire city.]
My district has more affordable housing than most districts, less than others. We do have subsidized housing units at the Northport/Packers Apartments as well as The Avenue along East Wash. My district also includes a large mobile home park off of Packers Avenue, and several standard 4-unit buildings near the Dane County Job Center. For people of extremely low incomes, we also have transitional at SafeHaven and permanent housing for previously homeless persons at Housing Initiatives along Roth Street. In terms of affordable home ownership, many of the small, post-war homes in the Sherman Neighborhood, like the one I own, are great for people of modest incomes working at non-profits or in public service. District 12 also includes the East Bluff Condominiums, which are great for first-time homebuyers.
I think we need more affordable housing everywhere in Madison, including my district.
3. List any housing issues you have worked actively on in the last year, either as an elected official or as a member of the community.
I participated in the recent county effort to end Section 8 discrimination, which was spearheaded by Sup. Ashok Kumar and County Board Chair Scott McDonell.
Beyond that, I work on housing issues professionally through my job as Program Director at Housing Initiatives, Inc. I’m responsible for administrating a federal HUD program called “Shelter-Plus-Care”, so I’m constantly reminded of how serious this issue is, and exactly who is affected by it.
4. What is your definition of affordable housing? Where do you see the highest need, or what would be your priorities in targeting various income levels?
I agree with the common definition that housing is unaffordable when the cost of housing exceeds 30% of household income, and extremely unaffordable when housing costs exceed 50% of household income. That said, I recognize that many income earners are working two jobs to make their housing “affordable.”
When I look at priorities, I think we need to put our greatest focus on housing that won’t otherwise be built in the private market, and that’s for people at the lowest income levels. Of course, new housing that is affordable to extremely low-income people (below 30% of CMI) is very difficult to achieve financially, so I think it’s essential that we make sure any developer destroying affordable housing for a development has to make housing of identical affordability available.
5. Aside from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and Inclusionary Zoning, what are your additional new ideas for addressing the affordable housing crisis?
I just mentioned the idea of a replacement ordinance, which I think can be effective. Beyond that, I think the city needs to better facilitate the expansion of cooperative housing and co-housing opportunities throughout the community.
6. What initiatives in other policy areas could support more affordable housing (for example, transportation, economic development, childcare...)?
The second highest expenditure in family budgets is transportation. I think we need to fully support Madison Metro and our bike path network so that working families can have more options for transportation other than just incurring the high cost of an automobile.
7. What is the position of your campaign on contributions from landlords, realtors and developers? Have you pledged not to accept some or all of these contributions?
My campaign hasn’t established a “no LARD money” policy. Over the years, through my work in neighborhood associations and my family’s consulting business, I have established relationships with some developers and landlords who have made some contributions towards my campaign and know my positions. For examples, principals for a developer whom I still have a business relationship with make contributions knowing full well that I cannot vote on any of their projects due to rules against conflicts of interest. Otherwise, I know the lure of contributors who want to affect my decisions. My values and my votes are not for sale and all of my contributors know this.
Housing Trust Fund
8. How much money should be put in the trust fund each year and where should these funds come from?
The answer to this question has been eluding housing advocates here in Madison for since the Trust Fund was first created 5 years ago. Personally, I believe that the Trust Fund should receive $500,000 a year at the very minimum and should come from whatever source possible, including funding from TIF dollars.
9. What percentage of the fund should be used to create affordable housing each year? Why?
For right now, I would say only about 20%. We need to remember that the Trust Fund is about our future, and not about immediate solutions. We need to allow the fund to expand over time in order for it to have the intended large-scale impact.
Inclusionary Zoning
10. What is your perception of the Inclusionary Zoning ordinance? What changes, if any, would you make to the ordinance?
I love IZ because I’ve seen too often the problems we derive from exclusionary zoning. The only change I would make would be to eliminate the provision in the state constitution that prevents us from making IZ mandatory for rental housing developments as well as for home ownership.
Fair Housing and Tenants’ Rights
11. What resources are you willing to dedicate to increasing and improving enforcement of Chapter 32 (the landlord/tenant ordinance)?
More. A lot more resources. I think we need to devote at least two full-time positions to enforcement of these codes. People will voice concern that two full-time positions will be expensive, but I believe that enforcement involves issuing fines. Heavy fines. We need to demonstrate in a meaningful way that these codes are important and will not be ignored.
12. Are there any housing ordinances currently in existence that you would amend or change? Which ones – how and why?
None come to mind.
13. How can the City improve enforcement of accessibility requirements under the Federal Fair Housing Act in new housing?
Anything involving new housing should be solved at the Plan Commission. The Plan Commission should not approve ANY new housing for development if it does not meet the requirements of the FFHA.
Homelessness
14. What is the role of the City in the homeless shelter system?
The City’s role is helping to fill in where the County’s resources are lacking. Because most state and federal funding is sent through the county government system, the county will always have a greater role in working on homelessness than the city. That said, sometimes the County’s work won’t be enough, and the City will have to step in. I don’t think the City should establish any permanent homeless service infrastructure like what currently exists, but we should continue to use the Community Services Commission and the budget to address needs that have been forgotten like recent funding of overflow shelter or homeless outreach.
15. What is the responsibility of the City to provide support services such as case management?
Again, this is something that homeless people need. If the county comes up short, the city needs to step-in and fill the gap with all the resources we have available.
16. What can the City do to prevent homelessness?
The best way to prevent homelessness is to focus on economic development that brings in more jobs. For people who do lose financial footing, we need to establish an expanded commitment to eviction prevention. The city’s past support of the Tenant Resource Center’s mediation program has also been an essential component to preventing unnecessary evictions, and I will continue to support such efforts.
17. What do you think are primary obstacles to getting out of shelter for those people who do have an income, and how can we eliminate those obstacles?
I think the biggest obstacles are inability to come up with first-month’s rent and security deposit while also trying to meet basic needs, poor landlord references, bad credit, and in other cases, criminal records. Some of those concerns can be addressed by continuing to support the YWCA’s tenant education program. The city also should support the Security Deposit assistance programs at places like Community Action Coalition and the Housing Help Desk of the Tenant Resource Center.
Allied Drive
18. During “revitalization” efforts, what can the city do to prevent displacement of good tenants who currently live in the Allied Drive neighborhood?
The best approach would be to connect current tenants with landlords in new buildings, and ensure that those in charge of administering the new developments give preference to prospective tenants who have roots in the neighborhood. The city has to reach out to families who want to actively take part in making the neighborhood better.
19. Do you believe that the way to “fix” the Allied Drive neighborhood is to have 50% homeownership? (If yes, please explain. If no, what should it be?)
We should be pushing for more home ownership throughout the city, including Allied Drive. Mixed-income housing is the best way to prevent many of the problems that come from high-density poverty. Is 50% the magic number? I don’t think so. Do we need to dramatically alter the identity of Allied Drive in order to see improvements? I don’t think so. Giving more renters an opportunity to own homes of their own should always be our goal.
