Madison mayoral candidates tackled student issues and fielded questions about affordable housing, preserving a \funky"" State Street and college drinking at a forum sponsored by the College Democrats Tuesday night in the Humanities building.
Candidates and students agreed that affordable housing is a major issue. Paul Soglin, a two-time former mayor, suggested the university seek alternative housing for students, noting the university has not built new housing since the 1960s.
""It is time the university rethinks the kind of housing it supplies. People want something more than a dorm room,"" Soglin said.
The only student candidate, UW-Madison graduate student Davy Mayer, chose not to address the specific student issues but encouraged students to get involved in city committees.
""I'm not campaigning on issues. I'm campaigning on who I am,"" Mayer said.
Soglin and candidate Dave Cieslewicz also focused on preservation of the unique atmosphere of State Street and plans to fend off the invasion of large chain stores.
""State Street is the heart of Madison and what makes it special are the funky, locally grown, eclectic shops,"" Cieslewicz said.
Cieslewicz and Soglin both advocated the use of zoning to keep store areas small, pointing out that large chain stores generally require large store space.
Soglin said he supports city officials taking a ""step back"" from imposing regulations on downtown bars. Alcohol problems lay more in societal attitudes toward drinking, according to Soglin.
Incumbent Sue Bauman was unable to attend, but colleagues Ryan Mulcahy and Enis T. Ragland summarized Bauman's past stances on student issues. In regards to drink specials, they said Bauman has shifted policy from police party-patrolling to providing educational brochures to party hosts. They also mentioned her efforts to improve race relations within the city.
Candidate Bert Zipperer was also unable to attend, due to a family illness. Speaking on his behalf, his wife, Laurie Frank, highlighted Zipperer's commitment to building stronger community communications by creating neighborhood planning councils to increase public input. She also cited children, small business, sustainable development, mass transit and housing as key issues in Zipperer's campaign.
Candidate Will Sandstrom pointed to his activist past and his ability to be a mediator. He also called for a need to make Madison a safe place for students and ensured that when people hear him speak, they have ""heard a guy that spoke right from his heart.\
