Nancy Mistele's Challenge to Falk

Update: Mills: "(Q)uite frankly, I have been unimpressed with Falk's leadership, and am deeply concerned by the glaring holes left in her record by the massive fuck-ups with the 911 center." Rath: Falk dodges as Mistele fires

The Dane County Executive race is off and running with the first debate between Nancy Mistele and Kathleen Falk sponsored by the Dane County Public Affairs Council.

Though the political winds of Dane County blow left, this may prove to be a very interesting race in the face of a host of endorsements of Falk and Falk's 911 Center scandal.

As a Dane County writer who penned numerous anti-GOP pieces during the Bush administration reign, I cover the Nancy Mistele-Kathleen Falk race with negative preconceptions about the GOP, and about Falk’s performance in overseeing the 911 Center during and after the murder of UW-Madison student Brittany Zimmermann [ignoring a report that a “catastrophic” failure was possible], among other gripes.

One aspect of Nancy Mistele that escapes many progressives is that Mistele is not a fire-breathing, right-wing monster that is going to cook liberal children over fire pits hidden on endless miles of urban sprawl.

The message that the Mistele campaign is sending is that of a smart, judicious, consensus-building listener with a genuine appreciation for the environment, an indignation over the Brittany Zimmermann murder and Falk’s indisputable lack of candor, and an admiration of independent journalism.

"Falk has failed and I will fix it [the 911 center]," said Mistele at Wednesday's debate.

Mistele's message will animate the campaign with the ghost of a murdered UW-Madison student haunting this race.

What follows is an e-mail interview with Mistele composed of three questions sent to Mistele’s campaign and Mistele’s responses.

Question 1

Press queries into the conduct of the 911 Center have been, it is asserted, obstructed and stymied by Kathleen Falk as noted in an Isthmus piece by Jason Shepard?

Do you agree that Ms. Falk has been less than candid and open on the Zimmermann scandal? And would the Dane County’s Exec office be more open and transparent generally under a Nancy Mistele administration?

Specifically what would you have done differently on answering press queries on the Zimmermann affair?

It was the Isthmus that accused Kathleen Falk of ‘lying’ about the circumstances surrounding the handling of the 911 call from Brittany Zimmermann. Anyone familiar with the facts surrounding this case would not disagree with the Isthmus’ assessment. Within hours of Brittany Zimmermann’s death, Kathleen Falk and others in her Administration knew of the existence of Zimmermann’s desperate call for help. But, it wasn’t until weeks later that aggressive reporting on this incident blew the lid off the case and revealed the existence of Zimmermann’s desperate 911 call. If Kathleen Falk had her way, these facts would have remained hidden from public view.

In a Nancy Mistele Administration, I can assure you that our emergency responders will have every tool they need, that we will look for the most talented and experienced people to lead our critical public safety operations, and that I will not lie to the public when it comes to matters related to how their tax dollars are being spent and what we are doing to keep the community safe.

When it comes to a homicide investigation, obviously all information cannot be released before someone is apprehended and charged with the crime. But the existence of Zimmermann’s call to 911 was something that should not have been concealed from the public.

Our faith in government has been badly shaken by these tragedies. As County Executive, one of my most important duties will be to earn back the public’s trust, and that starts with always being honest.

Question 2

Dane County has a liberal-leaning electorate. If you are elected to the non-partisan exec’s office, what assurances are you willing to make that you will listen to and compromise with liberals holding policy views that seem to be at variance with your own views? In sum, are you the type of person willing to work with stakeholders to get something done?

I’m willing to work with everyone to improve the quality of life in Dane County, to create more high-paying jobs, and to protect the lives and property of everyone living in Dane County. I am not an ideologue. I am a woman who is willing to listen to all points of view and consider differing opinions. I realize that much of what the Executive can try to accomplish requires County Board approval, and I respect the diverse viewpoints each of these County Board members brings to the table.

The common ground that binds us all together is our collective desire to make Dane County a great place to live and work. We may not always agree on how that should happen, but we should be able to discuss and formulate a common-sense approach that protects and enhances our quality of life without trampling on the rights of others.

Question 3

The environment is key to many voters and the environment holds both a quality-of-life aspect and for deeper environmentalists holds a value in itself in that maintaining eco-systems is an objective of policy at all levels of government.

Is preserving the environment a conservative objective, in your view? What do you offer in your policy positions that would reassure Dane County’s many environmentally conscious voters?

Like most others in Dane County, I am concerned about preservation, open spaces, clean air and clean water. We’ve got a proud tradition in Wisconsin, and particularly in Dane County, of respecting our Natural Resources, and I intend to respect and continue this tradition.

I think there are legitimate discussions we can have about how you balance the need for environmental preservation with the need for communities to grow and develop. If elected, I would not make an effort to immediately 'clean house' at our regulatory bodies, such as CARPC [Capital Area Regional Planning Commission], because I think we need to respect the experience and expertise many of these employees carry. Instead, I would ensure that members of my Administration support appropriate regulations for reasonable growth.

The Falk Campaign folks are already trying to caricature me as an anti-environment extremist. Not true. I’m an avid road biker and think there’s no better way to relax than to spend some time hiking in the woods or kayaking on one of our beautiful lakes. I can assure everyone concerned about the environment that as County Executive, my decision-making would be guided by my deep respect for the environment.