Local press is dominated by the Madison budget today, no surprise — DRLI passes

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- Ald. Eli Judge is splashed across both front-pages of the Herald and Cardinal today, as his (and Ald. Verveer’s!) Downtown Residential Lighting Initiative passes by a 19-1 vote. The $50,000 (and potentially upwards of $100,000 after private funding sources are consulted) will pay for literally thousands of new lights in the downtown and student neighborhoods. As a pilot program, it has the potential to be continuously funded over the years, setting the template for a private lighting solution that will help (not solve alone) some criminal behavior in Madison.

- Bus fare increase passes as well, with a might tighter vote. It will have an impact on UW-Madison students and their seg fees (as argued by Judge), which is unfortunate and grounds to oppose the measure.

Margaret Bergamini, ASMbus pass advisor, said the proposed fare increase may not immediately impact students because of the contract with Madison Metro that sets fares, however, this will impact what students will pay for bus passes in the long run.

“It’s a matter of policy, it’s not quote on quote free,” Bergamini said. “The student bus passes are currently paid for by student’s segregated fees, so there is nothing free about it.”

- Check this amazing Cap Times live blog of the night. She does an outstanding job; one of the best local live blogs I’ve ever seen.

- The news cycle today (and quite frankly the entire week) is dominated by safety, so other interesting pieces like Wiegand’s ASM overview editorial get lost in the noise. I am pleased to see her commentary on watch programs:

Another goal is to recommence ASM’s Neighborhood Watch program. Neighborhood watch programs are empirically proven to deter crime, and ASM is determined to have a role in this effort.

My major question: who else uses the phrase ‘empirically proven’ nowadays? In the words of a CB fan, “that’s hot.”

- Helping to create this news narrative about safety (catapulting it to the top student issue this semester, for sure) was the impactful student forum last night on Langdon Street. Not sure why the Herald is running the story for the second day in a row, but it serves to amplify the impact of the DRLI which directly addresses a few of the Langdon Street (and other areas of downtown/campus) issues.

But I found this logic potentially troubling:

The Greek System Watch Program, which was implemented on Langdon Street, is solely utilized on weekends.

But the bulk of recent robberies and muggings have occurred on weekdays, where victims walking alone have been targeted.

Is this to imply they do not work? It does not necessarily mean the crime has shifted to weekdays, but rather they were always happening on weekdays, and now have decreased when the watch programs are out in full force. In my experience, the crime was absolutely not sensitive to the day of the week, so as a several-year Langdon resident I can tell you it has worked.

- Roundy’s won’t be in U-Square. Originally broken by the CB, the traditional press gets the last laugh.

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