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? Yes, I believe there is an affordable housing crisis.
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.] There is a not a lot in District 10. There are a few IZ units in the new Monroe Commons and a few rental properties along Monroe Street. The vast majority of affordable housing in D10 resides within the Allied Drive neighborhood. It is mostly rental, but there are a few ownership possibilities in the new Avalon development. And there are likely to be more in the redeveloped properties recently purchased by the city. I think we need more affordable housing, especially in Allied.
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 have worked on housing issues as a member of the Madison EOC, as a volunteer with AIDS Network, as the former President of D-MNA, through my job at the Department of Workforce Development, and as an observer in some planning meetings related to Allied.
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 define affordable as about 30% of median income. I like the idea of tiering the definition, however, as Allied residents have been trying to do (with the “low income housing” concept). I can envision three or four tiers: tier one at 15-20% of median income, tier two at 20-30%, tier three at 30-40%, and tier four at 40-50%. By doing this, I think we could more effectively target each specific need area, instead of wrapping everything together into a package that doesn’t really work for anyone. I see a high need at all levels, and would like to tailor investments accordingly.
5. Aside from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and Inclusionary Zoning, what are your additional new ideas for addressing the affordable housing crisis? I think we can do more with Section 8, and I’d like to work on it from the income end as well; meaning, if we had more quality jobs with family supporting wages, more families would increase their income brackets and have better opportunities at stable housing. I would like to learn more about other innovative approaches that may work in Madison.
6. What initiatives in other policy areas could support more affordable housing (for example, transportation, economic development, childcare...)? Yes, yes, and yes. Working at the Department of Workforce Development, I have experience in transportation, housing, and childcare each as legs in the foundational stool of stable employment. I consider all three to be components of economic development and consider all three to be essential in order to have a stable, productive workforce.
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 some friends and supporters who are landlords and realtors. I am proud to call them friends and to have forged positive relationships with them. As alder, I will try to work closely with landlords, realtors and developers to make a positive impact in our community and work together to address issues of quality and affordability in our housing sector. I will not solicit (and likely not accept) any donations from real estate groups or PACs. I will absolutely not accept any contribution with even the implication that strings be attached.
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 need to learn more about this issue to answer this question.
9. What percentage of the fund should be used to create affordable housing each year? Why? I don’t know; I’d have to learn more about this issue to answer this question.
Inclusionary Zoning
10. What is your perception of the Inclusionary Zoning ordinance? What changes, if any, would you make to the ordinance? I am not an expert on this. I would like to explore changes that would make it more relevant and have a bigger impact.
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)? This is an important ordinance and I am supportive. However, I am not knowledgeable enough of the program to know how many more resources should go into it.
12. Are there any housing ordinances currently in existence that you would amend or change? Which ones – how and why? I would have to learn more to answer this question.
13. How can the City improve enforcement of accessibility requirements under the Federal Fair Housing Act in new housing? I would have to learn more to answer this question. I will say that I am absolutely opposed to discrimination in the housing sector. I have become aware of this issue both in my job and as a commissioner on the Madison EOC. As you likely know, the Madison EOC has been working on the discrimination / housing issue and I am fully supportive of our work in this area.
Homelessness
14. What is the role of the City in the homeless shelter system? I think the City should take a strong role in supporting the homeless shelter system. I do not believe Madison can achieve its potential until we are able to eliminate homelessness from our city. Until that day comes, we have an absolute responsibility to ensure that our citizens have a safe place to spend the night.
15. What is the responsibility of the City to provide support services such as case management? I am not sure. I’d have to learn more about what the County and other human service providers currently do to answer this question. I would not want to set up another bureaucracy that duplicated administrative functions – I’d rather more resources went into direct service.
16. What can the City do to prevent homelessness? I think there are a number of strategies that the City can employ to prevent homelessness. First, we can work more closely with the County when it comes to human services. Second, we can work with the county to increase diversion programs – such as treatment and counseling – for first time, non-violent offenders. Third, we can work harder to ensure employment opportunities for as many residents as possible. Fourth, we can help provide quality, affordable housing, transportation, and child-care, all of which will help people stay employed and earning wages. Fifth, we could work with banks, credit unions, and the UW to increase financial literacy and connect people to mainstream financial institutions. Sixth, we can work with banks and credit unions to provide micro-loans to people who often need only a few hundred dollars to keep from falling through the cracks. These are just a few strategies that we could pursue.
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? Obviously, affordability is a big issue. Additionally, unexpected bills (broken appliance, car repair, unpaid heating bill, health issues, debt issues, etc) often impair families who are already walking a financial tightrope. Small, revolving loan programs, counseling, and other types of assistance could be utilized to help get people get back on their feet.
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? Revitalization must take into account the fact that numerous residents are good tenants. The income mix for the new developments must utilize a tiering strategy as mentioned above; one in which affordable housing becomes available to those who make far less than 30% of median income. However, properties must be available to people above that as well in order to stabilize and improve the neighborhood. In a perfect world, Allied would be a mixed income neighborhood that allowed most residents to stay, and brought in some new residents in different income brackets. Balancing the needs of affordability with long-term neighborhood stabilization will be the most difficult aspect of the redevelopment planning process.
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?) I would love 50% home ownership, but do not believe it is feasible right now. Obviously, higher homeownership naturally translates to more involvement in the neighborhood, which is of course a good thing. But I do not believe we can achieve 50% homeownership without driving out large numbers of current residents, and while this might “fix” Allied Drive (I’d prefer to use “invest” or “improve” than “fix”), it will hurt dozens of families and, on a city-wide basis, just shift the problem elsewhere. I am learning more about Allied every day (attending meetings, talking and listening to residents, etc) and will continue to do so. Right now, I’d lean toward a lower percentage of homeownership possibilities and a mix of rental properties for those with incomes throughout the 15%-50% of median income range. I do think current residents must have a voice and be part of the solution.
