Dane County offices will be closed on Nov, 28th & 29th 2024
richelle andrae
Thank you for the opportunity to serve District 11, which includes most of Hill Farms, Shorewood Village, and the neighborhoods immediately east of Midvale Blvd. I’ve lived in Madison since 2013, and reside just west of Hilldale. I’ve experienced our community through the eyes of a student, a young professional working in non-profit, an academic, and a volunteer. During the day, I am an advocate for safety net clinics in Wisconsin, working with state policymakers and partners to ensure that all residents have access to quality health care, regardless of income or insurance status. I’ve previously worked on local public health evaluation projects, rural workforce development, and Medicaid policy. After serving an AmeriCorps service term in California, I returned to Wisconsin and worked directly with underserved teens in Madison high schools, helping them find and keep their first jobs.
On the County Board, I Chair the Public Protection & Judiciary Committee, which has oversight for the Dane County Sheriff's Office, District Attorney's Office, Emergency Management, 911 Call Center, Courts, Pre-Trial Services, Medical Examiner, and more. A few of my "success stories" on the Board include navigating the complex jail consolidation project, improving constituent outreach by encouraging implementation of a blog system for Supervisors, and budget amendments to embed crisis expertise in emergency response and improve the pay structure for staff attorneys to support the timely service of justice. I also serve on the Dane County Food Policy Council and Greater Madison MPO, which administers transportation-related funding and programs across the region.
When I’m not at work or engaged in Board activities, you can find me at the Odana dog park with my rescue pup, Roux. I studied Spanish at UW-Madison during my undergrad, and earned a Masters in Public Affairs from the La Follette School, focusing on health policy and administration. Please reach out at any time and I look forward to working with you.
Neighbors –
As Dane County continues to recover from this week’s storm, check out these tips from the state insurance commissioner. If your home is damaged, file an insurance claim right away.
Thank you to everyone that joined me and Ald. Vidaver at our community meeting at The Heights in April. More than 30 residents joined us for conversation and pizza, including residents from the affordable housing development and nearby neighbors. If you are involved with a neighborhood group, book club, congregation, or other local convening where you think folks would like to connect with local officials, please let me know, as I would love to join you this summer and share what the county is up to and how we can connect.
This week, I’m providing updates on:
Changes in Administration: Last month, we started our new 2-year term by welcoming 10 new members of the County Board. One race was decided by only 5 votes, which is a reminder that every single vote matters in local elections. Thank you to all those that showed your support and voted in April. When Executive Parisi stepped down on May 3, County Board Chair Patrick Miles assumed his duties temporarily, and can serve in that role for 30 days. Just last week, Patrick Miles nominated Jamie Kuhn to serve as the interim County Executive, a role that she will have, if confirmed by the County Board, through November 2024. Jamie previously served as a Dane County Board Supervisor, plus state Medicaid Director, and is a Social Worker by training. The has insights into the county’s budget process, which will be the interim Executive’s primary role this year. Then there will be a special election for County Executive on November 5, and then finally a general election in April 2025 to officially elect the County Executive to a 4-year term. With a lot of attention on national, Congressional, and state legislative races this year, don’t forget about this important local election.
New Term Priorities: With the new term starting, I am prioritizing work for the next few years. I was honored to be re-elected to serve as the Chair of the Public Protection & Judiciary Committee which has oversight for justice system agencies like the Sheriff’s Office, 911, Juvenile Detention, and Medical Examiner. This is a role I take very seriously, recognizing that we need to find practical solution to complex systems problems in the county. I am acutely focused on the intersection between mental health and the justice system, and plan to prioritize implementing mobile crisis options, along with advancing the coordination of services and supports for justice-involved individuals. Note that the CJC has new data dashboards on the DA’s office and on cash bail, which help inform the work.
I am also starting conversations with colleagues and staff about a long-term capital improvement plan for the county. We don’t have one right now, and I feel like it’s an important strategy to consider both in terms of planning for projects to smooth the tax burden on residents and to help prioritize and coordinate projects. Right now, I am also hearing a lot about food insecurity in our community. Meeting with a local food bank recently, I understand that there are multiple factors at play limiting access to food for those that are food insecure including the end of federal ARPA $ which helped purchase food, reduction in available reduced cost food for purchase, and an increase in demand following the end of pandemic food aid. We need to take these issues seriously, and look at systems solutions like eliminating waste, connecting growers/farmers directly with distributors, and creating more efficiencies in the system. Donations of food or funding are essential, but the need is so great that we will not be able to meet the need through those efforts alone. It is unacceptable that in a well-resourced community like Dane County, our neighbors are going hungry.
Regional Housing Action Plan: In early May, a collaborative of local governments, business leaders, non-profit, and others, led by the county, released the Dane County Housing Crisis Regional Action Plan. The roadmap sets development goals to meet the needs of a growing population, provides specific strategies to achieve more affordable housing options and sustainable development. I encourage you to read the executive summary. Housing is an issue that impacts each one of us, whether you’re a home owner or not. Did you know…
Every single government entity needs to prioritize housing issues, from Madison to our small rural communities, or we will not see progress. There’s been really great coverage of this issue recently in the State Journal and Isthmus:
Lake Mendota Bike Path: Recently, I fielded a constituent question about biking around the north side of Lake Mendota, and the progress to complete a trail in that area so I wanted to provide that update to all. I share the hope that we can get this done and progress is being made! Much of the trail segment were completed by the county, including the entire segment that runs through Governor Nelson State Park. The attached map shows the progress:
YGP Program: The Dane County Youth Governance Program (YGP) will be accepting applications for the 2024/2025 cohort from Friday, May 17th until Friday, June 28th. I’ve had the honor of working with 2 students through this program which is a treat for Supervisors, and I believe the students get a lot out of it, too. The YGP, established in 2012, is an annual program that encourages high school aged students to engage in county government decision-making, provide a youth perspective for local projects and community issues, and gain the skills necessary for a new generation of active leaders and professionals. YGP participants have the same opportunities for committee participation and involvement as elected county supervisors, with the distinction that their vote is advisory and non-binding.
Accepted participants of the YGP will develop their skills in civic engagement through close work with their personal mentors, as well as regularly scheduled meetings to discuss projects and work closely with other youth in the program. Requirements for the program include the applicant currently being in grades 9-11 (10-12 in the fall), participation in at least 75% of in-person and virtual YGP meetings, and 6-8 hours of YGP work per month. Applicants will be notified about their application this summer, and accepted individuals will subsequently prepare for orientation and appointment to a Dane County Board committee for the September 2024 – May 2025 school year. For more information on application requirements, program structure and expectations, check out https://fyi.extension.wisc.edu/youthgovernanceprogram/. Channel 3000 also wrote about YGP applications, see: https://www.channel3000.com/news/application-now-open-for-2024-2025-dane-county-youth-governance-program/article_2c7a4144-146a-11ef-a6b7-b3ebbc59de86.html.
See you around the neighborhood,
Richelle Andrae
Dane County Board Supervisor District 11
