Madison - I have changed my position on term limits and now support them so long as either the voters or the candidate determines the limit. After 18 years in office, I have decided my limit is 9 terms and will not seek re-election as the 10th District Alder on the Madison Common Council next April. With Sen. Russ Feingold’s announcement about not seeking the presidency, I need time to explore my options in that realm. Someone from Wisconsin with progressive credentials must consider this. Then there’s Pluto, a planet that clearly needs a spokesperson or maybe a TIF district. I’m sure some of my colleagues will endorse my becoming the ambassador to Pluto so long as it requires that I be home based there.

Let me get a bit serious. This is not an easy decision, but its time. The experience I’ve had on the Madison Common Council has been challenging and rewarding. I would have loved to stay and see our work in the Allied Drive neighborhood yield positive results but I know those good results will be achieved because the project is in good hands.

I have many thanks to give. First, to my wife Jeannette and kids, Johanna, Ellie and Leslie for their sacrifice, understanding and continued support all these years. Secondly, I thank the many neighborhood folks who helped me with many of the projects and accomplishments we’ve shared. I also want to thank city staff and acknowledge the excellence of this group of people. The residents of Madison and the region are fortunate to have uniformly excellent managers and some of the best staff I have ever worked with in my thirty plus years in government service with the city and state. Let me single out Council Office staff for their extraordinary help to me and for what they give to the people of Madison by their efforts and initiative. Finally to the many alders and Mayors with whom I have served with - thanks for being my teachers and partners.

That said, now feels like a good time for me to move on to other challenges. I hope not to be completely out of public view and finish some of what I am currently involved with. I will wait to discuss any future public role(s) this might entail in the future. For now, it’s been great!