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 –
I hope that summer is off to a healthy start for you and your family, filled with gardening, grilling outside, camps, or whatever activities bring you joy. I’ll be spending a week in the Sylvania Wilderness in northern MN, kayaking and hiking to my heart’s content.
The County Board of Supervisors has had a busy spring. We finally moved ahead with the long-standing contentious jail consolidation project, authorizing sufficient funding to get the project out to bid. It will take about 4 years to complete, but will result in a safer facility with more appropriate programming and medical/mental health space. In the area of justice reform, the county is also moving forward with a crisis triage center, which is a short-term facility for individuals experiencing a mental health crisis. We also secured a significant national grant to plan a Community Restorative Court, which will create a new alternative to incarceration through a joint venture with the DA’s office, judges, and community organizations.
The County is facilitating a Regional Housing Strategy to move the needle on addressing our regional housing shortages. This group is comprised of many local municipalities, local business and non-profit leaders, and others who share a vision to increase housing access and affordability across the income spectrum. We have a lot of strategies underway already, but unfortunately they only scratching the surface as the County is growing rapidly. I am especially concerned about older adults who aren’t able to age in place as rents rise, and families seeking their first homes who are totally priced out of the market. Learn more at https://www.danecountyplanning.com/RHS.
Another opportunity the County takes very seriously is moving toward clean energy. In April of this year, county facilities achieved 100% renewable energy with the implementation of a 33,000 solar panel field in Cottage Grove. This is a huge accomplishment worth celebrating! We are only the fourth county in the nation to achieve this milestone. We also continue significant efforts to improve the local watershed, including the Yahara Sediment Removal Project, which will be focused summer in Lower Mud Lake and Lake Waubesa. This will improve flow, and, paired with other strategies, mitigate flood risk. A neighbor recently asked me about the health of our local lakes. Check out reports from the Clean Lakes Alliance on each lake in the watershed at https://www.cleanlakesalliance.org/lakes/.
Flagging a few relevant, timely updates from Alders Tishler and Vidaver who represent the near west side on the City Council:
Upcoming events:
As always, please reach out if you would to learn more about the County’s work or touch base on County Board and policy issues.
Richelle Andrae
Dane County Board Supervisor District 11
