Public safety has not been a strong suit of Cieslewicz
Joe Conway Jr.
August 4 , 2005

Dear Editor:

Your July 30 editorial praised Mayor Dave Cieslewicz for his leadership in making public safety a priority for Madison. The same editorial claimed the mayor had accomplished more in the arena of public safety than most of his predecessors. We respectfully disagree.

Without a knowledge of the facts, the addition of a new fire station (Station No. 11), staff and a seventh ambulance to the fleet would seem to indicate that public safety is a top priority for the mayor and his party, Progressive Dane.

But history paints a much different picture. Mayor Sue Bauman has the clear distinction of being the mayor who made public safety a priority for the city of Madison. She is credited with the 1998 staffing study that clearly defined the direction and future steps the city should take to ensure that fire and emergency medical needs of the community were met. Bauman negotiated contractual changes that increased staffing levels, budgeted for a third ladder company and began planning for Station No. 11 and our seventh ambulance.

When we and Progressive Dane helped Mayor Cieslewicz take office in 2003, it appeared the new mayor was sincere in his commitment to public safety and the implementation of the 1998 staffing study. But that perception quickly changed as he began shuffling staff, eliminating engine companies, delaying new fire stations and diverting money away from public safety.

I won't bore you with all the details, but the mayor, with the encouragement of Progressive Dane, squeezed $1.5 million out of the fire department and promptly diverted the money away to other non-public safety projects. That $1.5 million was budgeted to improve public safety and reduce response times, not to build pools, parks, rain gardens or the multitude of other Progressive Dane priorities.

Now Station No. 11 is finally complete, but we have added only two new personnel to staff it. Rather than fully staffing our newest fire station, the current city leadership has chosen to re-assign personnel from a west side fire station. We are concerned that this will compromise the safety of west side residents and put them at risk.

Progressive Dane and Mayor Cieslewicz have a long way to go before they can claim public safety is a priority. The Common Sense Coalition has made that commitment. The Madison Fire Fighters Local 311 has joined this group of interested individuals, community leaders, business owners and other representatives of organized labor to help bring about change in Madison. We stand ready to work with the mayor and will assist in other common sense initiatives that help make Madison a great place to live.

Joe Conway Jr.
president
Fire Fighters Local 311