CAPITAL TIMES: Engaged candidates make for tough choices, exciting race in District 77

The surprise decision of Madison Teachers Inc. to endorse Green Party candidate Ben Manski has, as predicted, shaken up the race for the 77th Assembly District seat.

Manski is, of course, taking full advantage of the development to suggest that it proves his viability in an overwhelmingly Democratic but also overwhelmingly progressive and environmentally conscious district that has for a quarter century elected the Legislature's greenest Democrat, Spencer Black.

The Manski campaign is up with a YouTube video featuring the announcement of the endorsement, titled: "Gamechanger."

Madison West teacher Mike Lipp, MTI's president, is seen declaring: "We rarely endorse prior to primaries and we have never in our history endorsed a third-party candidate. It is time for the state of Wisconsin to embrace Ben Manski for the 77th District."

The pre-primary endorsement has shaken Democratic contenders, which should not surprise anyone, as MTI endorsements usually go to Democrats.

Candidate John Imes complimented Manski while adding a "but." The Imes release begins:

"Democratic candidate, nonprofit leader and small business owner John Imes congratulates Ben Manski for garnering the endorsement of Madison Teachers Inc. (MTI). Due to an MTI oversight, (Imes) was neither interviewed nor considered for endorsement.

" ‘It's unfortunate that MTI members that live in the 77th District will not hear from all the candidates and make their own informed decision on who to support,' said Jackie Woodruff, treasurer for Communities and Schools Together (CAST) and a member of the Wisconsin Alliance for Excellent Schools (WAES). ‘I hope MTI will interview any candidates they missed and forward the information to union members in an effort to be as fair and balanced as possible.' [ED NOTE FROM VOTEMANSKI: This quote from Woodruff was apparently unauthorized by herself, WAES, or CAST].

" ‘I will be dedicated to the education, well-being and success of our children,' said John Imes. ‘We need comprehensive school funding reform to increase classroom spending and invest in teachers and student achievement. Despite Ben's endorsement, I look forward to earning the support of teachers and their allies in the weeks and months ahead.' "

County Supervisor Brett Hulsey, a leading candidate in the Democratic race, took a different tack. He put out a detailed statement highlighting personal endorsements from educators who live in the west side district. "Fifteen teachers endorsed Dane County Supervisor Brett Hulsey for the 77th Assembly District race today," it begins. "Brett is the only former classroom math and science teacher running in the race, and was president of the Glenn Stephens Parent Teacher Organization."

Hulsey's approach seems a wise one, as the 77th is home to a lot of teachers, and not all of them are going to vote as MTI recommends.

Even MTI members who might back Manski in the fall will be voting in the crowded Democratic primary on Sept. 14, so it makes sense to appeal to them.

The complicated calculus that teachers and others are going through with regard to this race should come as no surprise. Most of the candidates are well-known players with long histories of activism in the community. There are lots of personal and political ties to sort through.

I've known a number of these candidates for years. Along with the Evjue Foundation, the charitable arm of The Capital Times, I have for more than a decade been a strong supporter of The Madison Institute and a frequent presenter at events organized by the group that is directed by candidate Fred Wade.

I've known Hulsey for the better part of 15 years and have long valued his insights regarding local, state and national politics; in my first column after this year's spring elections, I discussed "the importance of Hulsey's big win on Tuesday."

I was a huge fan of Doug Zwank during his tenure as mayor of Middleton; he always recognized the meaning of the phrase "think globally, act locally," and his outspoken opposition to the war in Iraq (Middleton passed a strong "Bring the Troops Home" resolution in 2006) distinguished him in my eyes.

Imes and I have been e-mailing back and forth since before he got in the race.

And County Supervisor Dianne Hesselbein, who ran with strong Capital Times backing for her current post, has assembled a list of prominent backers that reads like a who's who of local officials who have earned the editorial backing of The Capital Times in recent decades.

The Capital Times has celebrated the democracy work of the Liberty Foundation, which Manski directs and on the board of which I have served.

And as readers know, Republican Dave Redick has been a favorite of mine for years because of his commitment to old-right Republican values that include opposition to empire and a deep commitment to protecting civil liberties. When Redick ran for the U.S. Senate in 2006, I wrote at length about his candidacy and argued that Republicans made a mistake when they did not embrace him as an agile and interesting prospect in the uphill race against Herb Kohl. Of course, Dave got extra points with me this year when he embraced some of the ideas that I've been writing about with regard to developing publicly owned state banks.

My circumstance is hardly unique. My friend Barry Orton noted at the start of the campaign: "Four of (the Democratic candidates) have been heavily working the Westside Community Market at the Hill Farms DOT parking lot at Segoe and Sheboygan on Saturday mornings, where the highest concentration of 77th District voters can be found, and where I'm a regular volunteer vegetable seller."

Personal ties and knowledge of the candidates can make choosing among them difficult; indeed, I've run into some folks who have officially endorsed one candidate but privately admit they plan to vote for someone else.

Ultimately, however, part of what makes the race in the 77th so exciting is that the candidates are rooted in the community, connected and engaged. It's a great race, and it keeps getting better.