To: Affordable Housing Action Alliance
madisonahaa@yahoo.com
From: Troy Thiel, Candidate for 5th District Alder, Madison Common Council
2514 Chamberlain Ave., Madison h 238-7677
Date: January 27, 2007
Re: Your Organization’s Questionnaire
Dear AHAA,
Thank you for forwarding by mail to me your information and Spring 2007 Questionnaire. Unfortunately, I just received it on Thursday and due to work obligations that cannot be rescheduled, I will not be available to schedule an interview with your organization’s representatives during the scheduled period tomorrow.
Due to time constraints, and the detail of many of your questions that deserve significant and thorough research and thought, I am preparing this statement to address many of your questions and to make you aware of my long time commitment, advocacy and track record of producing positive results through effective action on the issues of affordable housing and diversity issues.
I think you will find that if elected, I will be a strong ally in the fight to implement action plans that help our mutual goals of making Madison a better community in addressing affordable housing, good paying job creation/retention and a stronger educational system that implement real positive results at achieving the goals that we share. A truly great future Madison is one that emphasizes equity and quality of life for all of our residents. “A rising tide lifts all boats” is more than a meaningless saying; it’s a wise axiom and an effective way to plan appropriate policy and a great goal to fight for as we strive to improve the quality of life for all of the residents in our community.
I believe there is an affordable housing crisis in our community…that would be true if there were 10,000 or 1,000 or 1 person who did not have safe and adequate housing. I also believe that it’s the entire community’s role (not to mention in the best interest of our entire community) to work to solve the myriad of quality and affordable housing issues we face.
During my time as a resident in Madison, I have supported Affordable Housing Issues by:
-Donating and raising funds through the Regent Neighborhood Association for the support of the Tenant Resource Center
-Worked with Sonya Newenhouse and David Weisman at the Madison Environmental Group, Howard Mandeville of Movin-Out, Tom Hirsch, Julia Kerr, and others interested in creating strategies to create more housing that is affordable or available to the disabled. In those efforts, I have also discussed with leaders the creation of potential non-profit “Development Authorities” and have linked up people interested in being involved and who are currently working towards creating one…and linked them to developers who may have an interest in partnering.
-Used my long time experience as a successful Real Estate Agent and housing market analyst to encourage and actively solicit for the conversion to condominium ownership of existing apartment buildings in key, higher density, neighborhoods where such conversions would result in the creation of more affordable ownership “workforce” housing opportunities and improve neighborhoods and our community’s quality of life (less road usage, increased density, financial benefits of ownership, access to affordable ownership and much more) as a result.
-Marketed and helped develop strategies for higher density “in fill” projects with affordable units, including the Livingston, Kennedy Point, and Sequoya Commons (Midvale Plaza) that are helping to improve the neighborhoods and am in process of doing similar with others and conversions that are not yet public.
-Provided market data to my fellow City of Madison Downtown Coordinating Committee (where I am the Chair of the “Living Downtown/Land Use” subcommittee) to illustrate markets and the reality that workforce housing price points are the most successful in the 2005-2007 marketplace. I have shared this information with Alders, City Staff, Real Estate and Development community to encourage the continued creation and promotion of the importance, and profitability, of developing workforce price point housing and appropriate infill development. I have also communicated this time and time again in conversations in my neighborhood organization, discussions on the comprehensive plan and at any other appropriate meetings.
-Volunteered and financially supported affordable housing initiatives through Habitat for Humanity and the First Weber Foundation from every paycheck I receive.
-Helped implement improved understanding of the diverse community that Franklin/Randall community has during my time as co-chair, along with my wife Karen, of the PTO through education and liaison connections through our diverse Parent Empowerment Communities that were funded and supported by the PTO. Understanding and open communications can lead to greater team building to address our community’s needs.
-Helped analyze to some of the official participants the suggested changes to the Inclusionary Zoning ordinance to hopefully help to make that program more successful than it was in its initial stage…as well as “pro formas” of projects for alders and citizens involved with discussing amount of TIF to be granted.
During my activities in my former community, Evanston, Illinois, I was also very committed in many of the same ways but also:
-Helped create and was Chair of the “Affordable Housing and Diversity Committee” of the North Shore/Barrington Board of Realtors, the largest Real Estate board membership in the country. During my leadership we implemented several awards to celebrate stakeholders in the community that helped in the creation of affordable housing options, required that each new Real Estate Agent Board training included a program that was run by the Interfaith Housing Corporation during Orientation to make new agents aware of the issues of Affordable Housing and encourage them to assist. Also, I was involved as a representative to the Interfaith Housing Corporation at all of their quarterly meetings to discuss issues with the stakeholders in the community and come up with solutions. I believe much of this should be done here and am willing to help make happen!
-Worked Pro Bono, as well as fund raised, for the Interfaith Housing Development Corporation to assess, analyze and help negotiate the purchase of buildings or sites that helped lead to the conversion of over 200 units of housing that was developed for affordable, disabled or senior housing in the North Suburbs of Chicago, including Morton Grove, Highland Park, Skokie and Evanston.
-Worked on several condominium conversions and consulted (actually still do in that market) others in converting apartments to condominium, very often bringing below market average and more affordable workforce price pointed ownership housing options.
-Advocated for the inclusion of “impact fees” and Inclusionary Zoning policy for Development Projects in Evanston.
-Was a founding member and President of the Coalition for Appropriate Development, which strived to “right think” infill development and City of Evanston subsidies of it, demanding that affordable housing be included in the plans, as well as wise stewardship of City/Taxpayer paid for incentives.
Upon review of my track record, I hope you will find comfort that, if elected, I am, and will continue to be someone who will be part of the “team” to help solve Madison’s housing crisis. Through creation of new or better implementation of programs, fulfilling our City’s commitment to the Affordable Housing Trust fund, effectively marketing down payment assistance programs, rehabilitation grants, tax credit programs, encouraging condo conversions to bring more workforce ownership, encouraging rent to own programs and conversing as a community in respectful dialogue to reach the important goal of making our efforts successful.
Also, a critical component that I’ve not yet mentioned and one that we must put on equal footing as a priority is wise policy creation that enhances new good paying job creation, retention of good employers who are thinking of leaving the city and using TIF as one of the tools to make it so. It’s a “Chicken and Egg” proposition, and we must strive to adeptly implement policy that works with the interrelatedness of housing creation and employment creation and retention.
While I know this letter has not addressed all of your questions, I hope to continue the conversation, and to continuing my exhibited desire and past history of commitment to affordable housing policies that help improve our community. We must do a better job AND we MUST stop labeling people from the building industry, Architects, Real Estate Agents, Developers, and Landlords because they are natural teammates in helping to solve the issues we seek to solve. By labeling or stereotyping we are not making the reality of great effective policy any more possible, but in fact are deterring it.
I am constantly amazed at how progressive minded and committed to this issue people are, in my industry, and in Madison as a whole, to this worthy cause, in fact it is one of the main reasons I and my family decided to move to Madison. But if we are to move forward on these important issues we face and serve the less fortunate in the ways we intend, we must do so in a thoughtful, respectful and productive manner. I look forward to continuing to be a part of that effort.
Very Best Regards,
Troy Thiel
Candidate of the 5th District, Madison Common Council
H 238-7677 C 347-9670
Email: troythiel@yahoo.com
Candidacy Website: www.troythiel.com
