Pubdate: Tue, 19 Nov 2002
Source: Capital Times, The  (WI)
Copyright: 2002 The Capital Times
Contact:  http://www.captimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/73
Author: John Nichols

PROGRESSIVE DANE A PRECOCIOUS 10-YEAR-OLD

Progressive Dane Marked Its 10th Anniversary Over The Weekend, And There 
Was Much To Celebrate.

One of the most successful independent grass-roots electoral forces in the 
United States, it ranks with the Progressive Coalition of Burlington, Vt., 
as the rare third-party grouping with the base of support, the resources 
and the skills to compete for power at the citywide level in communities of 
significant size.

Progressive Dane is a major presence on the Madison School Board, the 
Madison City Council and the Dane County Board. More significantly, it has 
driven the agenda on issues such as affordable housing, civil liberties and 
living wage legislation. It has forced a more sophisticated debate on drug 
policy and crime and punishment issues - most recently in the Dane County 
sheriff's race, where the Progressive Dane-endorsed candidate, Adam 
Benedetto, got the Republican incumbent to engage in a serious debate on 
this and other often neglected issues.

Most importantly, Progressive Dane has brought young people, women, people 
of color and people with disabilities into the political process with a 
determination that has changed the face of local government. Progressive 
Dane members stand out because they are not stamped from the same mold as 
most elected officials.

The college student on the County Board, the Hmong immigrant and the 
retired teacher on the School Board, the tenant activist on the City 
Council all won election with endorsements from Progressive Dane - and with 
the strategic advice and volunteer muscle that the group provides to 
first-time candidates and veterans.

Progressive Dane has not merely changed the face of local politics. It has 
forced principled positions to the forefront. Notably, the two Madison 
School Board members who were most outspoken in defense of student rights 
and freedom of expression during last year's Pledge of Allegiance debate 
were Progressive Dane-backed Shwaw Vang and Bill Keys.

At age 10, Progressive Dane is still a young and, at times, immature 
political organization. It has been slow and sometimes unfocused when it 
comes to developing legislative strategies on the City Council and County 
Board, and its caucuses have not always been coordinated forces. The group 
still misses opportunities - particularly when it comes to competing for 
countywide elected posts. When it shoots for the big time, as with County 
Board Supervisor John Hendrick's 1997 mayoral race and 1998 state Assembly 
campaign, Progressive Dane has had trouble extending its reach beyond a 
strong base on the near east side.

The 2003 mayoral race will, of course, be the group's biggest test. 
Progressive Dane has endorsed former Madison Ald. Bert Zipperer, a founding 
member and longtime leading light within the organization, for the city's 
top job. Zipperer's experience in city government and his own personal 
appeal will make him a serious contender.

But Progressive Dane will have to deliver in a major way if Zipperer is 
going to overcome the financial and name recognition advantages of Mayor 
Sue Bauman and former Mayor Paul Soglin, as well as environmental activist 
Dave Cieslewicz's endorsements from popular officials such as Dane County 
Executive Kathleen Falk and state Rep. Mark Pocan.

The Zipperer run is not just an organizational test for Progressive Dane 
but an issues-and-ideas challenge. The candidate and his supporters must 
develop a message that resonates far beyond the isthmus and that makes a 
convincing case for the election of an unconventional chief executive.

This is a difficult endeavor for Progressive Dane. But if the group gets 
Zipperer through the February primary, it will identify itself as the most 
powerful organized political force in the city. And if Progressive Dane 
figures out how to elect Zipperer - in an April runoff that is likely to 
feature the wily and, if polls are to be believed, exceptionally popular 
Soglin - it could stake a claim as the most successful alternative 
political party in the nation.

Needless to say, that would be quite an accomplishment for a 10-year-old.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart