In Madison, all 20 Common Council seats will be up for election April 1, with the primary being held Feb. 18.
The two candidates in each district who receive the most votes after the primary will advance to the April 1 general election, but only two seats feature three or more declared candidates.
This year’s Common Council election is also the last one in which all 20 seats are up. Starting next year, alders will serve staggered terms. Alders in even-numbered districts will be up for reelection to a full two-year term in the spring of 2026, while those in odd-numbered districts will serve until 2027.
Campus-area districts: 2, 4 and 8
Current District 2 Ald. Juliana Bennett announced on Dec. 14 that she would not be seeking re-election due to personal reasons, leaving Matt Egerer and William Ochowicz to run for the open seat.
Egerer has worked as a policy advisor for the state for over a decade and is now running on the platform of building a “smart, safe, affordable” Madison. He emphasized access to housing and transportation for all.
“There’s plenty of job opportunities, but there’s always more that the community can be doing to bolster both transportation opportunities and other avenues to make people’s ability to connect with work and to continue to climb up the ladder,” he told WORT FM.
Egerer was also previously appointed as a member of the Dane County Community Development Block Grant Committee, which advises the county board on usage of federal housing and urban funds.
Ochowicz attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has since lived in Madison for over 10 years. His website says his biggest issues are transportation,climate resilience and especially housing.
Ochowicz is the Madison chapter leader of Madison for People, a pro-housing movement that seeks to make housing affordable and end homelessness in Madison. Ochowicz previously served as vice president of the Tenney-Lapham Neighborhood Association and is currently serving on the city’s housing strategy committee.
The two candidates will automatically advance to the general election on April 1.
District 4 Ald. Mike Verveer is running for another term as the city council’s longest-serving member, having served since 1995.
During this term, Verveer passed new affordable housing ordinances, fought to approve the Madison LakeWay Master Plan and pushed for the new bus rapid transit system.
His campaign for this term continues to advocate for affordable housing, public transportation and sustainability as top issues.
Verveer serves on several organization’s boards, including Capitol Neighborhoods, Inc., Downtown Madison, Inc., Madison's Central Business Improvement District, Madison Elks Lodge and the Overture Center Foundation.
His opponent, Elias Tsarvosy, is a public health and public affairs graduate student at UW-Madison.Tsarvosy said he is running on a CARES platform: community, affordability, rights, environment and safety. His vision emphasized affordable housing and neighborhood social connection.
Tsarvosy is currently the president of Capitol Neighborhoods, Inc. and previously served as the president of the Campus Area Neighborhood Association, which represents residents in the State-Langdon area of downtown Madison.
These two candidates will automatically advance to the general election on April 1.
District 8 Ald. MGR Govindarajan is running unopposed for a second term on the Common Council.
District 9
District 9 has three candidates running for the position: incumbent Ald. Nikki Conklin, Rick Cruz and Joann Pritchett.
Conklin has served for two terms and has supported the Community Alternative Response Emergency Services (CARES) program, fought for tenants rights’ on the Landlord and Tenant Issues Committee and supported funds for housing developments on the Community Development Block Grant Committee. Conklin said she hopes to continue addressing housing and the city budget if reelected.
Cruz said his platform builds on the principles of “Report, Reform, and Reignite.” Cruz told The Daily Cardinal his biggest issues are city accounting transparency, eliminating duplicate spending and reducing Mayor’s Office spending.
Pritchett focused on establishing “evaluation plans” for city programs and housing solutions in her campaign. Pritchett is the former assistant dean and director of multicultural affairs at UW-Madison and is part of the faculty at the university’s School of Nursing.
District 10
District 10 also has three candidates: incumbent Ald. Yanette Figueroa Cole, former District 14 Ald. Sheri Carter and Lisa Veldran.
Figueroa Cole, the incumbent, has served two terms on the platform of safe housing, transportation and public safety.
Figueroa Cole worked to expand the CARES program, worked to improve coordination between police and violence prevention programs, and supported the creation of a crime and data analysis team to reduce crime in her previous terms.
Figueroa Cole told the Cardinal she is keeping her campaign promises to center on community members' health and safety issues.
“My approach centers on serving our most vulnerable community members, knowing that our entire community thrives when we strengthen support for those most in need,” she said.
Carter, the former Common Council President and District 9 Alder, said she plans to prioritize housing and community resources and assistance.
In her previous roles, Carter championed the Penn Park Renovation, launched the equity business initiative and advocated for education, business and housing initiatives.
“I’m running again because I feel that the Common Council has moved away from the core elements and core mission,” Carter told WORT FM.
Veldran, a former administrator for the Common Council, said she wants to focus on the city’s budget and finances.
“For me, politics is not about party loyalty or personal interests — it's about ensuring every Madisonian, from children to seniors, has the opportunity to live a happy and fulfilling life,” Veldran said on her website.
These two districts will send the top two candidates to the April 1 general election.
