Reelect Tag Evers

Madison is at a Crossroads

I was sworn into office as District 13 Alder on April 16, 2019. I hit the ground running, working to preserve food access and increase affordable housing in South Madison. We’re now on pace to break ground in the spring for a new full-service grocery store and 150 units of affordable housing at the Truman Olson site on South Park.

Since being elected, I’ve been focused heavily on the Triangle, the part of the district demarcated by Regent, S. Park and West Wash. As you know, the Triangle is home to many of District 13’s most vulnerable residents. I serve on the Bayview Foundation Board of Directors and our collective efforts have paid off – Bayview is scheduled to break ground with a very exciting redevelopment project this spring that will provide an expanded community center, replace aging affordable housing units, and add capacity to house 200 more residents.

Crisis Response

Less than ten months after taking office, the world changed. On February 5, 2020, the first COVID-19 case came to Dane County. The pandemic revealed the cracks in our health care system, with disparate impacts on the more vulnerable members of our community. I am proud to have a been a leader in setting up a mutual aid network called District 13 Cares, where residents came together as the D13 Mask Brigade sewing masks for residents who did not have them, and making donations to meet essential needs for those less fortunate.

Then the world changed again. The slow-motion murder of George Floyd on May 26 forced a long-overdue national reckoning, calling forth a serious commitment to root out systemic racism. As a city, these twin pandemics — COVID-19 and systemic racism — are the source of ongoing crises in public health, jobs, housing, homelessness, and food insecurity, crises that are interlocking and mutually-reinforcing.

Equity and Sustainability

Over the last several decades in this country, we’ve defunded supportive services for residents while shifting more and more responsibilities to the police. I am proud to be part of city budget decisions that have begun the process of reallocating resources to mental health and substance abuse workers as a first-line response to those in need.  We are reimagining public safety, broadening our crime prevention strategies through a public health framework.

Regardless of how uncomfortable it may be to admit, racist policies in Madison’s own past have gotten us to where we are today – a city that is widely regarded as a great place to live for many, but clearly not for all our residents.

With the looming threat of catastrophic climate change, it’s imperative we implement policies within a dual lens of equity and sustainability. My work on the Sustainable Madison Committee drives us toward that goal. As a part of that committee, I am working to update the city’s 2011 Sustainability Plan by the end of 2021. My specific focus in that effort is affordable housing, seeking to expand housing options for all our residents, making sure that we do so in a way that reduces our carbon footprint.

Working for You

As your Alder, I serve on the Community Development Authority (CDA) board, shaping housing policy that impacts hundreds of low-income District 13 residents. Our district has hundreds of public housing units spread across the Triangle and in Bay Creek at Romnes Apartments. Serving on CDA, I am pushing to expand our city’s portfolio of permanent affordable housing for low-income residents. Madison has very low vacancy rates which drives up the cost of housing for all. We need more housing at all price levels, but we cannot rely solely on market forces to get us where we need to go.

This budget cycle I was able to prevent the Monroe Street Library from being closed so that many residents, especially seniors, who depend on that branch location will continue to be served. I sponsored budget amendments that were passed to increase funding for affordable housing, violence prevention, home ownership assistance, and eviction prevention.

The work of being your Alder continues. There are multiple issues in play at any one time. Your voices are important. We will not always agree, but I will always listen. Creating justice and sustainability is a long game, and I am in it for the long haul.

I am deeply honored to serve as your Alder. I ask for your support so we can continue this vital work for a second term.