Madison – Mayor Dave Cieslewicz joined U.S. Senator Russ Feingold for his listening session today in the Allied Drive neighborhood, and made the following comments:

“Sen. Feingold, thanks for the opportunity to speak with you today and thanks for the great representation you provide for our area. You and your office have always been very open and receptive and we enjoy working with you.

“I’ll be very brief but I do want to be sure to thank you for coming here to Allied Drive and I would like to point out some of the progress we’ve made here. This Boys and Girls Club, opened just several weeks ago, is a great addition to the neighborhood and it provides important programming for kids and adults alike. Very near this building, the City of Madison has made a major investment, purchasing 129 apartment units for $4.3 million. Next month we’ll involve the community in a design workshop to help us decide how those properties might be changed to help the neighborhood. The neighborhood itself has named its goal for that process: Move up, not out.

“And many nonprofit service providers are here to help residents with housing needs, jobs, after-school programs and more.

“But much more progress could be made if our Federal government followed your lead, Senator. Despite our best efforts at the local level, too many Americans go hungry or without adequate housing and health care. There are not enough resources for job training or to help those who have been involved with crime to turn their lives around.

“And the current administration in Washington has attacked two of the most successful programs for community building. In each of its budgets, this administration has sought to dramatically reduce the highly successful Community Development Block Grant Program which provides funding for housing, jobs and community centers. Thank you for opposing those cuts.

“They have also attacked programs that help fight crime. Madison was lucky, thanks to your help and that of Sen. Kohl and Congresswoman Baldwin, to get seven of the last new police officers paid for under the Federal COPS program, which put thousands of new police on the street across America and many right here in Madison. That program has now been all but eliminated by the Bush Administration and the new officers we need will have to be paid for entirely through the already strained property tax.

“At the same time, we are spending billions of dollars on the War in Iraq, with no end in sight. I support your efforts to get us out of Iraq and to realign our national priorities. Imagine what we could accomplish together if the same kind of intensity of effort and commitment of resources that are directed to war in Iraq were directed to wiping out poverty and building stronger communities at home.

“Senator, once again, thank you for coming to Allied Drive, thank you for being a voice of reason in Washington and thank you for listening.”