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,
Today I’m sharing updates on:
Spring election
New local businesses coming to district 11!
Flock cameras
Dane County Criminal Justice Dashboards
Spring Election on April 7!
Make a plan to vote on or before the spring election on Tuesday, April 7! I’ll be volunteering at a polling site in Middleton and am always excited to help with our local elections process – it brings me pride every year to see (and be a part of) democracy in action. Absentee ballots arrived last week! Ballots for district 11 residents will include options for nonpartisan local and state judges and school board. All 37 county board seats will also be on the ballot.
Early in-person absentee voting already started, see the details here: https://www.cityofmadison.com/clerk/elections-voting/voting/vote-absentee/in-person-absentee-voting-hours-and-locations. In-person absentee voting begins two weeks before Election Day. It ends the Sunday before each election. State law prohibits voter registration the Saturday, Sunday, or Monday before each election. Madison residents may vote absentee at any Madison in-person absentee voting location. The closest option for district 11 residents:
Sequoya Library -- 4340 Tokay Blvd with early voting available:
11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. weekdays, March 24 – April 3
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Saturday April 4
Recent polling indicates that most voters are not tracking this election or familiar with the candidates. 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 including a ballot preview. See you at the polls!
New Local Businesses Coming to District 11 in 2026!
I’m thrilled to celebrate a few new local businesses coming to our neighborhood in 2026. We’ll soon have a very hopping corner at Speedway and Glenway. You may have heard that Barrett’s Bagels is going into Sunset Yarn. Ben, the owner and baker, takes his bagels very seriously; I’ve been enjoying watching their progress on social media.
Another local business will open next door. I recently met with Patrick who will be opening Grandad's Farm Stop this August at 3802 Mineral Point Rd. It will be in the old Dan Moore Towing building, which you may have noticed recently vacant. Learn more about the farm stop: https://www.grandadsfarmstop.com. Patrick is passionate about local food ecosystems, agriculture, the Farm Stop model and what it can bring to Dane County. For example, in Washtenaw County Michigan, where Argus Farm Stop and Agricole Farm Stop are located, small farm numbers are increasing -- bucking national trends. For comparison, Dane County has lost 64% of its farms making less than $99K since 1974. (thanks for the stats, Patrick!). The farm stop will be like a mini grocery store, connecting local shoppers with seasonal produce and local food. I look forward to grabbing a bagel, groceries, and sitting outside for a cup of coffee this fall. See you there! Let's shop local!
Flock Cameras in Dane County
You may be tracking concerns about use of Flock cameras across the country, and in Dane County specifically. These are cameras used by local law enforcement agencies to identify vehicles (or in other jurisdictions, people) related to investigations, crimes, or active alerts. Last week, the Public Protection & Judiciary Committee, which I chair, held a hearing on a resolution to end the county’s contract with Flock. We voted to recommend ending the contract with Flock. This article is a helpful summary of the issues at play: https://isthmus.com/news/news/does-ice-have-access-to-flock-data/ and see input from ACLU WI here. I anticipate this issue will reach the County Board at its next meeting in April. While there are many important and legitimate law enforcement uses for license plate readers (such as finding missing persons), Flock has lost all credibility and there are multiple reports about poor data sharing practices and access by federal law enforcement for immigration-related purposess. These uses are outside the Sheriff’s control, and I welcome a contract with a different vendor for a similar service in the future.
Dane County Criminal Justice Dashboards
I serve on the Community Justice Council, which helps advance collaborative criminal justice systems change work locally through convening multiple different stakeholders from the Dane County Sheriff’s Office, MPD, public defenders, pre-trial services, municipal judges, social services staff, and partners. We just completed a process to set a new strategic plan in place. The CJC also secures new funding for local initiatives (like Community Court) and publishes robust data on systems issues. Check out the dashboards: https://cjc.danecounty.gov/Data-and-Dashboards. While we could always do more, I am proud that we value transparency and evidence-based decision-making at the local level, and can function collaboratively even with different responsibilities, authority, and resources.
In service and in this together,
Richelle Andrae
Dane County Board Supervisor District 11
