WisBusiness: Mayor Dave Juggles Commitments on Night of Sick-Leave Vote

By Brian E. Clark

WisBusiness.com

Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz will have a busy schedule tonight.

He’ll be in his seat for the start of the Madison Common Council meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the City-County Building.

The session will be highlighted by the controversial paid sick-leave proposal. Opposition to the plan, which – if approved – would be the first of its kind in the nation, is led by the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce.

Shortly after the meeting starts, Cieslewicz will hustle over to the Overture Center on State Street, where he will participate in a public discussion with Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. The topic is bridging the so-called “I-94 gap” between Wisconsin’s two biggest cities. Their talk is sponsored by the by the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters.

So will Cieslewicz, who can only cast a vote to break a tie, miss the action at the council meeting?

“We don’t think so,” said spokesman George Twigg.

“He should be back by 9 p.m.,” he said. “And we figure there will be plenty of public comment on the issue that will go well beyond that time.”

Some public comment will start before the meeting, as supporters of the Healthy Families, Healthy City campaign plan to rally on the steps of the City-County Building at 6 p.m.

“It is our hope that our elected officials will listen to the will of the people and pass this groundbreaking ordinance,” said Lisa Subeck, one of the campaign coordinators.

Twigg said Cieslewicz was not trying to get out of attending the council meeting.

“Not at all,” said Twigg. “He’s has already stated that he is opposed to the plan. And the session with Mayor Barrett at the Overture Center was planned months ago, long before the paid sick-leave issue got on tonight’s agenda.”

Actually, Cieslewicz has not attacked the proposal’s merits.

Twigg said the mayor believes paid sick leave should be put on a back burner while the city businesses deal with higher minimum wages, a smoking ban and legislation that requires builders to have lower-cost housing in projects.

Mark Richardson, a spokesman for the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, agreed with Twigg that Cieslewicz was not trying to dodge controversy.

“Schedule conflicts come up,” said Richardson. “We understand that he’ll be coming back to the council meeting. We’re not upset.

“We don’t think this was intentional,” he said. “When you have a job like his, these things come up.”

Richardson said the business community is “cautiously optimistic” the paid sick-leave proposal will be defeated.

“I’m sure there will be a large turnout from the business community and from the sick-leave proponents,” he said.

“Both sides are counting their votes today,” he said. “And it appears there remain some votes to be swayed.”