“(Representatives) have built up their idea of what people in South Madison want. But if they haven’t heard from you, they don’t know what issues you care about. So in order to make sure the things you care about are the things the representatives are fighting for they need to hear from you,” said South Madison Voters organizer Perry Govier.
Govier, along with other members of South Madison Voters, has organized a South Town Hall Meeting to do just that.
From 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21 at the Village Mall Community Center, 2300 South Park Street, State Representatives Shelia Stubbs and Jimmy Anderson and Madison Alders Tag Evers and Sheri Carter will be present answer constituent questions.
The format of the event is majority open-floor discussion. Participants can raise their hands to ask questions directly to candidates or submit questions to the moderator, Susie Koch.
Govier said there are a lot of important issues particular to South Madison. He’d like representatives to touch on lack of transportation, stratification in Madison politics, clean water in the neighborhood, the opportunity gap in Madison Metropolitan School District and the potential food desert South Madison could face.
“Madison is a segregated city, and I hope they can share what their thoughts and plans to address that are,” Perry said.
The event is held at Village Mall Community Center, which is important, said Govier, because the representatives should be present in the place they represent.
“The area is a gathering place for that community, it is only fitting that they meet there,” Govier said.
South Madison Voters is a volunteer-run organization affiliated with the Democratic Party. Their primary goals are to increase voter turnout in Madison and create opportunities for constituents to interact with their representatives.
Anyone who cannot attend the event can still email questions to [email protected] or comment on the Facebook event page.
