Dave Cieslewicz

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David J. Cieslewicz (pronounced /tʃɛsˈlɛvɪtʃ/[1]) (born on February 17, 1959) is the current mayor of Madison, Wisconsin.

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[edit] Personal life and early career

Cieslewicz was born and raised in the Milwaukee suburb of West Allis, and came to Madison as a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His wife is Dianne Cieslewicz, chief of staff to state Senator Fred Risser, and they reside in the Regent Street neighborhood on Madison's near-west side.

Prior to seeking the mayor's office, Cieslewicz served as executive director of "1000 Friends of Wisconsin," a land use advocacy organization that successfully lobbied for Wisconsin's Smart Growth planning law. He had additional political experience as a staffer in the Wisconsin State Legislature, as a lobbyist for the Nature Conservancy, and as an elected member of the Dane County Board of Supervisors. He also lost a state Assembly race in 1992 to Tammy Baldwin, now representing Wisconsin's second district in the U.S. Congress.

[edit] Election

Cieslewicz was not a household name in Madison when he announced his candidacy for mayor. Although relatively unknown, the prominent support of popular Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk quickly made him a household name, if a mispronounced one (his campaign materials prominently featured phonetic pronunciations of his Polish last name).

Cieslewicz replaced Susan Bauman as mayor of Madison in 2003, after beating legendary activist and former mayor Paul Soglin in a close contest (results). He was easily re-elected to a second 4-year term in 2007, defeating Republican businessman Ray Allen (results).

[edit] Accomplishments in office

Since his election, Cieslewicz has been an active executive and has implemented many of his campaign's promises.

  • In conjunction with Alderperson Brenda Konkel, the city enacted a mandatory inclusionary zoning ordinance, which requires most new housing development to provide 15% of its units at affordable prices to people of modest incomes in exchange for density bonuses and other incentives.
  • A municipal minimum wage was successfully enacted in March, 2004 with the leadership of Alder Austin King. Scaled to rise to $7.75 per hour by 2008 and thereafter to be indexed to inflation, Madison's wage ordinance made it the fourth city in the country with its own minimum standard. Madison's efforts prompted Milwaukee, La Crosse and Eau Claire to establish their own municipal minimum wages. This resulted in a statewide compromise in May 2005, where Wisconsin's minimum wage rose to $6.50 per hour in exchange for prohibiting wage modifications at the municipal level.
  • A number of updates to city infrastructure were also implemented, including new automated recycling and refuse collection programs, a merger of the city's civil rights departments, the creation of a comprehensive city planning process, and the creation of the city's first municipal swimming pool.
  • Supporter of an initiative that eventually defeated the opening of a casino in Madison.
  • Cieslewicz and the city council implemented a citywide smoking ban, that prohibited smoking in any public space, including bars and taverns. The ban went into effect in July 2005.
  • Cieslewicz has also launched the New Cities Project[3], an organization of mayors and chiefs of staff dedicated to fostering progressive metropolitan leadership.

[edit] Criticism

Cieslewicz has his critics, primarily in the business community. Madison's regulatory climate has been called challenging for businesses, and some view Cieslewicz as keeping with that tradition.[citation needed] In response to those critics, Cieslewicz has unveiled a ten-point agenda for economic development with support from the Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development Commission, Convention and Visitors Bureau, and other business organizations.

Some members of the African-American community view Cieslewicz with suspicion because of his past proposals meddling with civil rights enforcement.[citation needed]

Generally, while his roots are in the environmental movement, he has made close allies with organized labor, neighborhood activists, and progressives.

[edit] Trivia

Cieslewicz has appeared in Episode 6 and Episode 8 of the hit web video series Chad Vader.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Miss Pronouncer: Hear how to pronounce; The Wisconsin pronunciation guide for cities, counties, Indians & lawmakers
  2. ^ Mayors Against Illegal Guns: Coalition Members.
  3. ^ New Cities Project.

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Sue Baumann		 Mayor of Madison, Wisconsin
2003 - present		 Succeeded by
incumbent