THE CAPITAL TIMES: Candidates jockey to be the greenest

In an eight-way race to fill the seat of retiring state Rep. Spencer Black, a majority of the candidates are echoing the progressive, pro-environmental policies that defined Black’s 26 years in office.

Politically speaking, it’s a smart move.

“This part of the state, this district, has been home to environmental politics for years,” says David Canon, a political science professor with UW-Madison. “It is almost certain that whoever is elected will be pro-environment, pro-regulation and not as sympathetic to business interests.”

The district includes Madison’s near west side, portions of Middleton, Shorewood Hills and the UW-Madison campus. Over the years, it has been represented by other well-known progressives, including the late Midge Miller, causing many to believe progressive politics go hand-in-hand with the district. Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson also represented the area in the state Senate for three terms. With this history, Canon says candidates with similar views to Black’s will have the upper hand with voters.

Which is why a majority of the candidates are banking that their backgrounds in environmental advocacy or their support for Black during his years in office will prove an asset in the race. Some, in fact, are motivated to run because of the recent failure of the Clean Jobs Act, which died in the last legislative session — on Earth Day — without being put to a vote. Nevertheless, Canon says it is likely that whoever is elected will have to put environmental initiatives on the back burner, at least until the economy begins to rebound.

For Black’s part, he would like to see the “strong legacy of progressive leadership” continue under his successor. “This seat is looked to as one of the leaders of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party,” he says.

Black has given the nod to four of the five Democratic candidates running for his seat: Dane County Supervisors Dianne Hesselbein and Brett Hulsey; John Imes, the executive director of the Wisconsin Environmental Initiative; and attorney Fred Wade. In a recent phone interview, Black called them “competitive candidates” who “all have a chance to win and are running vigorous campaigns.” Former two-term Middleton Mayor Doug Zwank, who served from 2003 to 2007, is the only Democrat not to receive a positive informal endorsement from Black.

“In my observations, I just haven’t seen much of the fifth candidate,” Black says.

Zwank, who was the only candidate to enter the race before Black announced his retirement May 9, says that while environmental issues are important, he would not make them an immediate priority if elected to office.

“In challenging times we need to prioritize, and right now we need to get this budget under control,” says Zwank, 62. “We can’t afford to keep growing the state budget. That’s why I entered the race.”

Imes, 49, sees potential to be green and bolster the state’s economy by rewarding businesses that cut their carbon footprint by, among other things, building energy-efficient structures or eliminating runoff at construction sites. He says in cities across Wisconsin it typically takes four to six months for a project to make its way through the permitting process. He says a way should be created to cut the permitting process down to four to six weeks for green builders.

“I think there are opportunities to reward that kind of performance,” says Imes, who owns the environmentally friendly Arbor House Inn in Madison.

Wade admits he may not have as much experience on environmental issues as some of the other candidates, but he says he has been a supporter of Black and environmental groups for many years.

His main motivation to run is to help eliminate the governor’s ability to veto sections of bills without legislative approval; most states require an entire bill to be vetoed.

“I think it’s fair to say I got in the race because of the governor’s veto power,” says Wade, 68. “Whoever represents this district has to focus on a broad spectrum of issues, not just the environment. They have to support public school funding, UW funding, and university and public employees.”

Wade has been endorsed by former Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager, Hulsey by Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk and Hesselbein by Dane County Chairman Scott McDonell.

Hulsey, 51, says his similarities to Black — he’s strong on environmental policies and not afraid to speak out against special interests — are qualities that voters in the district want from their next state representative.

“I want to carry on his environmental, progressive, outspoken leadership,” says Hulsey, who worked with the Sierra Club for 17 years and is the founder of Better Environmental Solutions, an environmental and energy consulting firm. “Spencer is very popular and voters want a proven progressive.”

Despite his environmental credentials, Hulsey has taken some heat from other activists for his consultant work in support of a proposed coal-fired power plant in Cassville. The proposal was ultimately unsuccessful.

Hesselbein, a former Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District board member, is running on a platform that combines clean energy and clean jobs with the need for school finance reform. “We need to teach children to be long-term critical thinkers and supporters of the environment,” says Hesselbein, 39.

Then there is the self-described Ron Paul-style Republican, David Redick, and the Constitution Party candidate, David Olson.

Olson and Redick agree they are facing uphill battles as candidates in a liberal-leaning district. But that’s not stopping them from knocking on doors and campaigning as vigorously as the Democratic candidates and Green Party candidate Ben Manski.

“I feel like I need to do some of the door-opening for the Constitution Party,” says Olson, 28, who served as a Wisconsin National Guardsman in Afghanistan from November 2001 to June 2002. The experience caused him to lose faith in the country’s two main political parties. He says both parties have “trampled on the rights of people and the rights provided in the country’s Constitution.”

Instead, as a candidate of the relatively new Constitution Party, Olson says he would support policies that his party stands for, including “fiscal responsibility, more open government, and providing more life and liberties to the people.” Core party beliefs include upholding the rights and liberties of citizens as defined in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Redick, like Olson, opposes the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He says the Republican Party as a whole has been taken over by the religious right and “war guys.” He says he is pro-choice and environmentally friendly in so far as he is a supporter of individual rights and property rights. Redick says when businesses emit toxins, they are violating someone else’s rights. The owner of Sustainable Energy Earth, an environmental consulting firm, Redick calls himself “sensitive to the environment.” He figures he’s unlikely to win because he is a Republican in a liberal district but doesn’t worry about the odds.

“It doesn’t matter that I don’t have a chance to win,” says Redick, 74. “Running for office is a way to spread the word on libertarian conservatism.”

Green Party candidate Manski says his record of being able to work with Democrats, including Black, is resonating with the voters he has spoken to in the district. He says he shares Black’s views on the environment and worked with him in the late 1990s to pass legislation that banned mining near the Wolf River. The executive director of the Liberty Tree Foundation for the Democratic Revolution, Manski also was the Midwest field organizer for Ralph Nader’s 2000 campaign.

“As far as I’m concerned, there are only two candidates,” says Manski, 36. “Me, and whoever comes out of the Democratic primary.”

Facing no opponents in their respective parties, Olson, Redick and Manski are guaranteed a spot on the ballot in November. The five Democrats will face one another in the Sept. 14 primary, bringing the number of Democrats in the race to one.