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,
Last week, I had the privilege of joining Girl Scouts of Wisconsin leaders, along with a representative from the League of Women Voters, Dane County Circuit Court Judge Diane Schlipper, and State Rep. Lisa Subeck on a panel discussing servant leadership. Over 700 Girl Scouts met in the Capitol to discuss civic responsibility, helping your community, and practice leadership skills. Speaking with these young women was a powerful reminder of the next generation’s passion and empathy, and an important moment for me to reflect on our own community, our strengths, and the call to continue working toward a future that the Girl Scouts would be proud of.
Spring Election in 2 Weeks
Did you know there’s an election on Tuesday, April 7? Absentee ballots have started to arrive! Ballots for district 11 residents will include options for nonpartisan local and state judges, county board, and school board. There are several competitive races to look into. The Cap Times Spring Voter guide is a great resource: https://captimes.com/news/government/dane-county-spring-voter-guide-who-s-on-your-ballot-and-what-to-know/article_a270a65c-dc48-42dd-9709-2434606f389f.html; and the League of Women Voters publishes candidate answers to important local questions: https://www.vote411.org/ballot.
Visit https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/ for all voting details. See you at the polls!
Today, I’m sharing several other county updates with you:
Alliant Energy Center – Coliseum Redevelopment Meeting
On March 19, the County Board held a meeting to discuss updates to the Alliant Energy Center Coliseum. See the presentation from county staff here: https://dane.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=15326271&GUID=B4BB5A5B-5BBC-48E6-A3D6-0995F4773B14. Right now, the county is exploring a public-private-partnership (PPP, or P3) where a private entity would pay for the re-development of the Coliseum, and then there would be shared incentives and cost-sharing structures regarding events hosted there, but the county would maintain ownership of the facility. This is just one piece of the overall redevelopment of the Alliant Energy Center (AEC) which is underway already.
Regarding the Coliseum, we had an RFP for the P3 and Frank Productions was the only respondent. You may know Frank as the entity that runs the Sylvee, and they are proposing to provide significant capital investment in exchange for operations control and eventual revenue sharing. The exact details of that arrangement are being negotiated now, and once that concludes then the County Board will have an opportunity to vote on the negotiated contract. That will be a very, very big deal. The meeting on March 19 was an opportunity for Board members to flag questions, concerns, and hopes for elements to be negotiated in the contract. Now some folks, I know, have a very personal relationship with the Colisuem – first concerts and many other experiences (someone saw Elvis there, I heard!); it’s been a community landmark for 50+ years. I don’t have those intimate personal ties to the site, but I recognize the seriousness of this opportunity and the decision. My goal is to bring long-term, sustainable community benefits to south Madison and the lakefront in a “good deal” for county residents. Frank Productions does have an affiliation with Live Nation, a national promoter and event manager that draws the ire of many for its monopolistic practices. Protecting the interests of Dane County residents, local labor, local entertainers, and bringing financial value to the county is essential. Affordability, protecting the county from risk, and providing access for local residents will all be important components of the negotiated terms. I look forward to keeping you in the loop and hearing your insights on the project.
Learn more about the big AEC redevelopment here: https://aecstudy.danecounty.gov/.
Updates to Chapter 71 regarding Regulation of Icebound Inland Waters
The county is considering updates to how inland waters are regulated, including floatation use and recreational vehicle use on ice. This may be especially relevant for residents of Shorewood Hills.
In general, the proposed changes include:
Learn more: https://lwrd.danecounty.gov/public-comment/review-of-chapter-71 and https://www.danecounty.gov/Ordinances/ViewFile/3bf67761-f384-4def-b771-6493948c902e.
Major Project Updates – New Public Safety (911) facility and Jail Consolidation Project
In early March, we received updates on 2 major construction projects. The county is creating a new Public Safety (911) Center near the landfill (we are totally over capacity at the existing downtown site) and the Jail project, which is underway downtown. See the project details here: https://www.canva.com/design/DAHByrwpNzg/tuDY86uTPuFyTjDvjnnabQ/view?utm_content=DAHByrwpNzg&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=hef6a84b660. PSC is about a $25 million project and we hope to see occupancy about 1 year from now. The project includes major green infrastructure elements, which is exciting. The jail project, very contentious in its multiple iterations over years, is visible if you drive on West Wilson now. That’s a much more complex project with multiple phases and moving pieces, with a price tag of $161 million. I supported and continue to support seeing this project through as it will drastically improve conditions for individuals and staff in the jail, and provide more spaces for programs and services. At the same time, continuing to invest in justice system reforms and upstream diversions and safety net resources must occur in parallel. Substantial completion of the project is expected in late 2027.
Flock Cameras in Dane County
You may be tracking concerns about use of Flock cameras across the country, and in Dane County specifically. We will be considering a resolution to end use of the license plate readers in Dane County. This article is a helpful summary of the issues at play: https://isthmus.com/news/news/does-ice-have-access-to-flock-data/. Here is background info from the Dane County Sheriff’s Office on the county’s existing relationship with Flock: https://www.danesheriff.com/Flock-Info. See the agenda for the Public Protection & Judiciary Committee meeting on 3/24/26 https://dane.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1396353&GUID=162A0354-573A-4C2E-9377-EA7270277E04 for the details. I’m sure we’ll have a robust conversation about this issue, along with jail communications, which is also on the agenda for the same evening. Local advocacy groups are calling for low/no-cost options for residents in the jail, which I support, and must also consider the budget implications for implementation, considering that we are in a significant deficit for 2027.
In service and in this together,
Richelle Andrae
Dane County Board Supervisor District 11
