The spring 2007 elections may have a decisive effect on the future of Madison, thanks in large part to the unusually large number of new faces on the city council.
Nearly half of the body turned over following the elections on Apr. 3, with 9 new alders joining the 20-member body. The new council emerged from an original pool of 46 candidates: six incumbents runnin unopposed, five challengers taking on another five incumbents, and another 30 candidates vying for nine open seats.
As much as the membership of the council changed, though, many elements of the body remained the same. No incumbent facing a challenge was defeated, while only a singe incumbent-backed candidate lost in the races for an open seat. Additionally, the general balance of power between council factions remained largely unchanged.
Coverage by Isthmus and The Daily Page of this spring's Madison Common Council elections follows::
- Election brings no shakeup on the Madison Common Council
- Snapshot results for the spring 2007 election in Dane County
- Live-blogging the spring 2007 general election in Madison: Results!
- Live-blogging the 2007 spring general election in Madison: Vote!
- Only hours remain until Election Day
- Election Day, 96 hours and counting: Keeping track of late developments in the 2007 spring municipal elections
- A conversation with Terrence Wall: Madison's biggest office developer explains how the city chases away business expansion
- Playing favorites?: State Dem Party used phone banks to help certain candidates
- Saturday in the Fighting 20th: Pham-Rammele, Poulson face off in a westside candidate forum
- Madison Common Council gets a new online home
- Term limits for the Madison City Council?
- Jed Sanborn and Troy Thiel attend a truncated debate for the council
- Summarizing the results for the spring primary election on Feb. 20
- Live-blogging the 2007 spring primary election in Madison
- As District 12 goes, so goes the council?
- Democracy for Wisconsin holds campaign cattle call
- Fond farewells... and good riddance for the Madison Common Council
- A crazy scene at the Madison City Clerk's office: The final cast for the 2007 spring elections gets set
- Austin King retiring, Lauren Woods announces candidacy: Outgoing council president is treasurer
- Council coattails: Other candidates take advantage of mayoral campaign kickoff party for Dave Cieslewicz
- Council is due for an overhaul: Turnover and vulnerable incumbents could mean major change
- District 6: Adam Casey [interview] and Brooks McGrath [interview and interview] and Thomas McClure [interview]
- District 11: Sandra Lynn Saul
- District 12: Mike Basford [interview and interview]
- District 13: Mike Clark [interview and interview]
- District 18: Andy Lindgren and Benito Juarez Olivas [interview]
The Daily Page also conducted Q&As with most of the candidates running in the council elections. These started with individual interviews with 22 of those 28 candidates facing a contested primary. A second round queried both candidates in all 14 contested races.
A complete list of candidates follows, complete with links to campaign websites and incumbents denoted in italics and winners underlined. Q&As conducted with council candidates before the primary may be found linked through their name, while general election Q&As may be found linked through their respective districts.
District 1 [Q&A]
Aaron Backer [votebacker.com]
[District 5 [Q&A]
Troy Thiel []
District 6 [Q&A]
Carl DuRocher [interview]
Marsha Rummel [interview and marsharummel.com]
District 7
Zach Brandon
District 8 [Q&A]
Eli Judge []
District 9 [Q&A]
Larry Pasha [District 10 [Q&A]
Chris Ogden [interview and interview and briansolomon.org]
District 11 [Q&A]
Tim Gruber [interview and interview and District 12 [Q&A]
Mark Deadman [interview and votemarkdeadman.org]
Satya Rhodes-Conway [interview and satyaforcitycouncil.com]
District 13 [Q&A]
Julia Kerr [interview]
District 14
Tim Bruer
District 15 [Q&A]
Larry Palm [interview and larrypalm.com]
Vicky Selkowe [interview and vickyformadison.com]
District 16
Judy Compton
District 17 [Q&A]
Joe Clausius [interview]
Sarah Florino [interview and District 18 [Q&A]
Jon Becker [interview and jonbecker.org]
Michael Schumacher [interview and District 19 [Q&A]
Curt Brink [markclear.com]
District 20 [Q&A]
Gary Poulson []
Isthmus and The Daily Page also conducted Q&As with Madison Common Council candidates running in the Feb. 20, 2007 primary:
There has also been considerable ongoing blogging about the Madison Common Council elections; this may be found Madison Miscellany.
