jeffrey glazer
My name is Jeff. I am a lawyer, professor, and entrepreneur. I have lived in Madison since 2007. I decided to run for office for a simple reason: I believe it is important to be an active and engaged citizen of the community. If I want my community to be better, I need to be an agent of change and do something about it.
Here are some examples of how I have been active in my community.
I currently sit on the City of Madison’s Public Market Development Committee, and actively work with the Madison Public Market Foundation’s Board and Committees to get the Market started, including working working with their Market Ready companies. I am on the Steering Committee for Forward Festival’s Badger Startup Summit. I am an organizer of Startup Weekend Madison. I am on the Board of Directors of the Platteville Farmer’s Market. I was on the Dunn’s Marsh Neighborhood Association for 5 years and its President for 2 years; I sat on the Allied Drive Taskforce; I was also on the Board of Directors for the Allied Wellness Center. I am past President of the Friends of the Arboretum for the UW-Madison Arboretum.
I have a wife, a dog, and a cat. I like reading, board games, camping, and hiking. I am terrible at guitar and am slightly better at spinning yarn.
Dick Wagner was an influential gay rights activist his entire life, but a Dane County Board Supervisor, then Board Chair from 1980 through 1994. Dick was 78 when he passed away on Dec 12, 2021. Indeed, upon his death, Senator (and former Dane County Supervisor) Tammy Baldwin said: "Dick Wagner was a deeply inspiring person in my life as a role model, mentor and lifelong friend ... I may not have ever entered public service if not for the guidance and encouragement he provided me to walk the path he paved."
Madison's has long been a LGBTQ+ friendly place. Or, let me state that more accurately, Madison has long been more LGBTQ+ friendly than the rest of Wisconsin generally, and even the United States. We still have a long way to go for LGBTQ+ people to feel safe and part of the community, but I'm proud to say that Madison, and Dane County, is better than most other places in the world.
There are people in the county, and certainly throughout the country, that see the rights of others as threatening to their own identity, rights, and property. They erect barriers to prevent those that threaten their identity, rights, or property from having access to the same systems, benefits, and assistance that they have.
Our role as legislators is to eliminate the barriers to access. Our role as representatives in our districts is to help our community get the access and help that they need. Our role as administrators to facilitate civic engagement related to our shared resources. Together, we - Supervisors, Alders, Board Chairs, Mayors, County Executives, Governors, Representatives, Senators - all of us owe a duty to our citizens to make sure everyone not just has access to the same quality of life of available to everyone, but that it's actually obtainable. Why? Because we aren't just legislators, we aren't just representatives, we aren't just administrators - we are public servants. We are stewards of publicly-owned assets and we are conveners and facilitators in the community to help each person in our district.
"[Dick Wagner's] leadership in the local gay community helped create a Dane County ordinance prohibiting housing or employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation." [history.wisc.edu] Dick removed the barrier to access. But he didn't just remove barriers to access, but helped the community get the access and help that they need. "Wagner co-founded the New Harvest Foundation, the only foundation in Dane County that funnels charitable contributions exclusively to LGBTQ organizations for community development. He was one of the co-founders of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s LGBT Alumni Association and also served on the board for the Madison AIDS Support Network." [captimes.com] He was a public servant.
On March 2, 2023 the County and City came together to dedicate a portrait to Dick Wagner. For the City, Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and for the County, long-time Supervisor Chuck Erickson together spoke about the influence of Mr. Wagner. For me, who never had the opportunity to know Mr. Wagner, it was an opportunity to learn and be inspired by his public service.
