Madison District 9 Alder Nikki Conklin says running for office wasn’t really her idea.
“My community called upon me” in 2021, she said in an interview for the 365 Amplified podcast. “They supported and encouraged me because my predecessor was being accused of unethical things…and he had 20 years in the seat, and it was time for a change.”
Listen to the full interview:
The incumbent at the time, Paul Skidmore, was accused of using a misogynistic slur during a virtual Common Council meeting. Voice analysis of a recording of the meeting was not conclusive.
“We needed fresh, new ideas, and I brought that energy.” she said. “I brought representation. Being a Black woman raising my three children in low-income housing, I have the lived experiences firsthand of what District 9 needed … We need representation. That’s what mattered most.”
Conklin narrowly defeated Skidmore in 2021, and defeated challenger Anthony Nino Amato in 2023.
Now seeking her third term in office to represent the city’s far west side, she faces a challenge from retired nursing professor and UW administrator Joann Pritchett. Pritchett finished first in the primary last month with 927 votes to Conklin’s 803, with the general election set for April 1.
Conklin said “the major hot topic” over her tenure on the council was the city’s plan to restore the Sauk Creek Greenway, a one-mile stretch of land and water between Old Sauk Road and Tree Lane.
“We have had six public information meetings. We had three open houses. We sent out 29,000 postcards. We showed up at different places to get surveys directly in person,” she said. “I have spent a lot of time, energy, engagement, collaboration, compromise, and I’m just so proud that we finally now have this high-level conceptual plan of what we envision the Sauk Creek Greenway to look like in 10 years from now.”
She noted that she opposed the inclusion of a paved bike path, an idea ultimately left out of the plan.
Conklin said she’s also been a proponent of the Community Alternative Response Emergency Services (CARES) team, a group of mental health professionals that can be dispatched instead of, or in addition to, police in certain emergency situations. The program, launched in 2021, is expanding its service hours for the fourth time.
“My big push is to see them (available) 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Conklin said. “We need weekend service, late-night service … I will support anything that has to do with CARES, because it’s necessary. It’s important.”
Conklin said safety is the issue she hears most about from constituents, which can take many forms.
Safety is always going to be at the top of the list. That’s the number one priority,” she said. “Speeders are always going to be an issue. Safety, as in securing housing, having secure homes for everybody, having our basic needs met, food security. And then the environment, obviously, is a top concern of mine, too.”
Conklin acknowledged that Common Council meetings have gotten contentious of late, especially around issues like actions against a sitting alder accused of sexual harassment or a member of the Police Civilian Oversight Board accused of ethical code violations.
“If we can just…stop and take a break. Number one, let’s cool down. Let’s get focused,” Conklin said. “I think people are taking things too personally, and nobody should be personally attacking anybody. We’re here to do the work for the city.”
