77 Square Miles

09/10/2026

The mayor's race now has seven candidates, with the addition of former Dane County Supervisor April Kigeya, Monkey Bar Gym founder Jon Hinds, and Larry “Ace” Williams.

Read about it on 77SquareMiles.com: who has filed, who has not, and the issues every candidate will have to answer for, from the $11 million budget gap to the Corey Ruiz shooting to a mayor who calls herself “the chief policymaker in Madison.”

What do you think the most important issues in the race will be? Read the post and tell me in the comments.

https://www.77squaremiles.com/post/madison-s-mayoral-race-grows-to-seven

Three new candidates have filed paperwork with the Madison City Clerk to run for mayor: April Kigeya, Larry Williams, and Jon Hinds. They join Syed Abbas, Brian Benford, Kaleem Caire, and Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, bringing the total to seven candidates for the April 6, 2027 election.

07/16/2026

Friends, before this goes wide, I need your help, and I wanted you to see it first. Please sign the petition in the link below to save the Wonder Bar: Landmark Madison’s prohibition roadhouse and build new housing.

Henry Doane, Joe Lusson, Jackie Suska, and I filed the landmark nomination, and we just launched a petition. The first signatures matter most, so I’m starting with you. Two minutes, two things:

1. Sign the petition.
2. Share the petition or this post.

https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/save-the-wonder-bar-landmark-madisons-prohibition-roadhouse-and-build-new-housing?source=direct_link&

07/07/2026

I support more housing and density, but the build-anything-anywhere ethos is slowly eroding an important aspect of what makes Madison a great place to live, work, and play. Tonight, the Common Council is set to approve 50-foot buildings in every residential zoning district and high-traffic driveways on local streets, on its consent agenda, without discussion, backed by staff reports that do not fill a page; here is what the record actually says and what you can do before the vote. If this resonates with you, please like and share.

Both changes are set to pass the Common Council on its consent agenda Tuesday, backed by staff reports that do not fill a page. In twelve of fifteen residential districts, the proposed height text contains no nonresidential limit. Key Points • On July 7, the Common Council votes on two citywide zo...

06/21/2026

Make it a funky Father's Day! Join me Sunday, June 21, for some classic Mad City Funk. I'm hosting them at Rennebohm Park Shelter to celebrate the Summer Solstice and Make Music Madison. It's free and their show starts at 12:30 PM. Bring a chair, bring a picnic, and bring your beverage of choice. Please like and share to spread the word. Hope to see you there.

06/20/2026

Join me Sunday, June 21, for the Big Band Jazz Spectacular, which I'm hosting at Rennebohm Park Shelter to celebrate the Summer Solstice and Make Music Madison. It runs from 4 PM to 9 PM, and it is free! Bring a chair, bring a picnic, and bring your beverage of choice. Spend Father's Day evening with great music in the park. Please like and share to spread the word. Hope to see you there.

05/15/2026

Trust in police is built and lost in the everyday encounters that matter. Is Bread & Badges one of them? New post at 77SquareMiles.com.

https://www.77squaremiles.com/post/madison-police-department-pilots-bread-badges-program-amid-research-challenging-its-approach-to-bu

Key Points • The Madison Police Department launched Bread & Badges on May 10, a Midtown District pilot during National Police Week that pairs officers with volunteer hosts for meals in residents’ homes. • The premise in the launch release, stated by Officer A. Lewis, is that trust is built in ...

04/18/2026

Madison's police oversight office got off to a rough start. It is not perfect. But the OIM is making real progress, the work matters, and the need has not gone away. On Tuesday, the Council votes on changes that would gut it. If there are security concerns, fix them. Don't tie their hands. If there are problems, work with them. City hall should treat these folks as partners serving the public interest, not the enemy. What are they afraid of?

Key Points • On April 21, the Common Council will vote on proposed changes to Madison’s police oversight ordinance that would subject the Office of the Independent Police Monitor to mayoral control and restrict its access to MPD records and independent legal advice. • Taken together, the propo...

03/10/2026

I posted yesterday about the city's proposed $6.2 million acquisition of 17 parcels at Royster Corners and wrote about the appraisal, assessed value, and purchase price. Today's post covers what the Finance Committee didn't ask before voting unanimously to recommend approval: 11 of the 17 parcels are not developable, the $6.2 million is just the down payment on a project with no cost estimate or written plan, and the city isn't applying the same financial standards to itself that it requires of private developers seeking TIF assistance. The Council votes tonight.

Key Points • Eleven parcels included in the acquisition have no economic value and are liabilities, not assets. • The city is paying top dollar to take over a project the developer is abandoning after 15 years, in a disposition sale in which all remaining parcels are being sold in a single trans...

03/10/2026

Tuesday night the Madison Common Council votes on a $5.2 million land purchase at Royster Corners. The City's own Assessor values the same land at $1,481,000. The appraisal backing the price is the wrong type for this kind of transaction, covers only 6 of the 17 parcels being bought, and has significant deficiencies that inflate the value. The other 11 parcels have no appraisal. This is part of a broader pattern of large expenditures coming to the Council without the documentation needed to evaluate them. Read the full story at 77SquareMiles.com. If you have thoughts on this legislation, please write your alder or all 20 alders at [email protected]. The Council votes Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. The council needs to refer this for 60 days until an appraisal of disposition value is completed for all parcels, and any deficiencies in the first report are addressed.

https://www.77squaremiles.com/post/the-city-is-about-to-pay-5-2-million-for-land-its-own-assessor-values-at-1-5-million-what-the-cou

12/13/2025

On Tuesday, December 9, the Common Council unanimously approved an ordinance to enable cottage courts. The ordinance creates a new housing type I support in concept, but it contains significant deficiencies: it permits parking ramps and 16-car surface lots by right in residential neighborhoods with no screening requirements, and it bans attached garages (unique among cold-climate cities). It sets a fixed 400-square-foot courtyard regardless of whether a development has three units or eight. No one from the building or real estate industry was consulted when it was drafted. Veridian Homes, Wisconsin's largest homebuilder, submitted comments identifying problems with the ordinance and stated that they will not build cottage courts as it's currently written. Here's a link to my detailed analysis of the ordinance.

What can you do? Any alder who voted for the ordinance can ask that it be reconsidered at the next regular Council meeting. If you share these concerns, contact your alder and ask them to request reconsideration. Find your alder's email at this link. And you can write all alders at [email protected].

The Common Council should refer this legislation back for meaningful stakeholder engagement before creating unintended consequences for residential neighborhoods.Key Points • Ordinance creates low-density housing and is unlikely to accomplish the city's stated goals. • Key provisions contradict ...