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 see the lack of affordable housing as the symptom of
a more fundamental issue. Yes there is a housing
crisis, but I not convinced that IZ is the best
solution. I advocate co housing and longer term
financing to open up ownership opportunities.
Increased home ownership would benefit the city, but
it would come at the out of pocket expense of
developers, realtors, and landowners.
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.]
The lion’s share of the affordable housing in district
13 is in the south end. The south side redevelopment
zone has only one condominium, and the average single
family house price is about $50k below the city
average. So roughly all of the 946 single family
structures are comparatively affordable for Madison.
Several hundred new owner occupied units in multi unit
structures are proposed in the South Madison
Neighborhood plan. There should be more affordable
housing units available, but alternative structure
types will address the problem better. Co housing and
adherence to energy efficiency will make the units
affordable to live in and therefore make them easier
to finance.
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 advocated on my own behalf to get out from under an
unjust levy of flood insurance by my lender. The
next step in solving this problem for good is to
require sellers to disclose to prospective buyers if
their property is in a SFHA (Special Flood Hazard
Area).
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 reference the city of Madison’s website to define
affordable housing: a dwelling affordable on an
income of $35-55K/year. Energy costs, which will rise
in the future, must be factored in as well. All areas
of the city would benefit from modest size houses
built with long lasting materials, energy efficient
designs and renewable energy generation features. The
lowest income brackets would be my priority, but the
city would be well served to internalize the
externality costs of large showcase houses to high
income buyers to encourage exquisitely beautiful, yet
sustainable design.
5. Aside from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and
Inclusionary Zoning, what are your additional new
ideas for addressing the affordable housing crisis?
Adjusting the financing to longer terms can be a tool
to make home ownership possible for more city
residents. Hand in hand with housing price is income
level. We probably can’t concurrently sustain both a
high disparity in wages and high levels of home
ownership. If businesses embrace profit sharing with
employees, we will see more residents qualified and
more money available for home ownership.
Encouragement of entrepreneurs to help the city of
Madison in this way should be pursued, and recognition
of their contribution celebrated. For the times we
live in, the civic responsibility of wealthy citizens
may be insufficiently understood and acted out.
Surges in personal wealth and accumulation of personal
wealth can have undesirable social impacts, and
ethically those impacts are the responsibility of the
successful person.
6. What initiatives in other policy areas could
support more affordable housing (for example,
transportation, economic development, childcare...)?
Profit sharing for business employees and increased
minimum wages could help. Logistics of childcare in
chousing is less daunting. Longer term financing
options as well.
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?
I have not made pledges relative to landlords,
developers, or realtors. I relate to the needs of
residents more than with the business interests of
housing people.
Affordable Housing Trust Fund
8. How much money should be put in the trust fund each
year and where should these funds come from?
I would advocate for $3 million per year pegged
proportionally to the population of 208,000. I don’t
advocate changes to the current funding sources,
except a more vigorous ask from private donations.
9. What percentage of the fund should be used to
create affordable housing each year? Why?
The disbursement schedule is complicated. I would not
advocate a change to the 60% disbursement portion for
affordable housing without more experience on the
performance of the program.
Inclusionary Zoning
10. What is your perception of the Inclusionary Zoning
ordinance? What changes, if any, would you make to
the ordinance?
I don’t advocate IZ as it works currently. In the
short term I would advocate longer term financing for
home buyers to make below market rate prices
unnecessary. In the long term I would continue the
struggle for a more level wage range across society.
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)?
I am eager to maintain open dialogue with tenants and
landlords and to advocate common sense division of
responsibility for needs of both parties, within the
law.
12. Are there any housing ordinances currently in
existence that you would amend or change? Which ones
– how and why?
In reference to chapter 27 of the ordinances, I would
amend the anonymous complaint option. I would
advocate for there to be a neighborhood sponsor for
the complainer for the complaint to be valid. There
needs to be a check and balance for someone who tends
to complain about frivolous issues.
13. How can the City improve enforcement of
accessibility requirements under the Federal Fair
Housing Act in new housing?
A small panel of citizens needing the accessibility
features and trained in the Federal Fair Housing Act
could be convened to meet with the labor crew and at
milestones of construction to inspect the structure.
A video taken by the panel of the inspection would be
available online for the public to view, and feedback
would be available for the builder, panel and city
inspectors to use.
Homelessness
14. What is the role of the City in the homeless
shelter system?
The city should visit shelters often and have a
rapport with shelter staff. The city should track and
post homeless levels and solicit community groups and
individuals to help carry the shelter operating cost
and to advocate/fund homelessness prevention
strategies.
15. What is the responsibility of the City to provide
support services such as case management?
The city needs to invite homeless to participate in
more supervised community labor projects. Keep up on
the personality of the homeless community by
encouraging occasional interviews as an outlet for
their struggle.
16. What can the City do to prevent homelessness?
Continue the struggle for living wages. Provide
community funded, government organized educational
opportunities for underserved people of all age
levels. Developing talent and advertising economic
opportunity with living wage jobs may help.
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?
Education is the long term solution. Perhaps a
comfortable apartment community designed with many
domestic services available for residents would
attract the individual from the shelter. The idea is
that this apartment complex would reduce the amount of
responsibility taken on by the resident to a
manageable level.
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?
I suggest pegging income taxes for the homeowner for
their lifetime in that residence. When the
homeownership changes under “normal” circumstances,
the taxes on the property must be adjusted to that of
comparable housing units.
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?)
Yes. Investment in property is a sound strategy.
