Madison Area Technical College student and community activist Michael Johnson officially kicked off his campaign to run for Madison's District 8 alder Wednesday night in Science Hall.
Johnson said he is an advocate who can take his experience from the streets to the halls of power to ensure a more equitable community for all Madison residents.""
Johnson said he plans to focus on four areas in his campaign: tenant rights, social justice, economic justice and environmental responsibility. He hopes to work on issues in Madison such as domestic partner benefits, public safety, ""green"" transportation and buildings, responsibility of local businesses and safety of workers.
Johnson said he wants to create a ""safe environment for students to live and learn.""
Johnson hopes to follow the current District 8 alder, UW-Madison senior Eli Judge, by being accessible to the student body and all district residents. He feels his biggest obstacle will be getting students involved. Johnson said he plans to go door to door to make sure students know and understand his campaign.
Dane County District 5 Supervisor Wyndham Manning introduced Johnson and said he is hopeful Johnson will be his ally. Manning said Johnson ""shares [his] passion, enthusiasm and dedication for moving Madison forward.""
Chynna Haas, Johnson's campaign treasurer, echoed Manning's support for Johnson.
""I felt it was time that we had someone who was willing to bridge that gap between student activism and actually getting legislative change through,"" Haas said. ""The activist community on our campus is phenomenal '¦ Michael is very passionate and committed to that work [and will be able] to take it into what the city council is doing.""
Johnson is currently in the MATC transfer program and planning on majoring in political science and social work at UW-Madison, and he has also been active in the Madison community. He is co-founder of Student Progressive Dane, which uses political activism to mobilize students on key community issues. He has worked in immigrant communities and addressed concerns for tenant rights and the homeless.
""The district deserves a progressive activist who can be aggressive and be strong,"" Johnson said.
