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 –
Hope you’re taking care with this slippery slushy weather, maybe curling up with a good book (I’ve been adoring Agatha Christie short stories recently) or taking a walk in one of our County Parks.
Sharing a few FYIs for you today. If it’s not on your radar, there are primary and general elections coming up in early 2023, including for Madison Mayor and WI Supreme Court. Please visit https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/ to check your ballot, make an absentee ballot request, find your polling location, etc. There’s an upcoming webinar from the non-partisan group the League of Women Voters of Dane County on Feb. 9, “Wisconsin Supreme Court: Why Your Vote Matters” - https://www.lwvdanecounty.org/forums/2023/3/9/wisconsin-supreme-court-why-does-your-vote-matter. Note that there will be a candidate forum hosted in our neighborhood for the Madison Mayoral candidates on January 30 at Sequoya Library, at 7PM: https://isthmus.com/events/near-westside-mayoral-candidate-forum-2023/.
At last night’s meeting of the Public Protection & Judiciary Committee, which I Chair, we heard from members of the public and representatives of the Commission on Sensitive Crimes. A recording of that meeting will be available here in the next few days. It was an excellent opportunity to hear from various local non-profits that are intimately involved in providing services and supports for survivors of Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Human Trafficking, Elder Abuse, and other sensitive crimes. These are issues that may not be top-of-mind for the general public, but are a community concern I hope we can all learn a little more about. For just a few resources, check out the Rainbow Project, Rape Crisis Center, Unidos, Safe Harbor, and DAIS which are linked here: https://cosc.countyofdane.com/Resources-for-Victims-of-Sensitive-Crimes.
A few new updates and resources I’d like to share:
As always, please reach out if I can help, direct you to resources, or answer questions.
Richelle Andrae
Dane County Board Supervisor District 11
