Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce: Announces Common Council endorsements

Contact:

Jessica Burda, 608-443-1952

jburda@greatermadisonchamber.com

Madison – The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors announced today their candidate endorsements for Madison Common Council. A Chamber endorsement recognizes a candidate’s ability and desire to implement proactive, impactful economic development strategies to improve the business climate and create and retain jobs in the region.

Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce (GMCC) Executive Vice President Delora Newton says all of the endorsed candidates – through prior experience or general philosophy – demonstrated their commitment to creating a climate in Madison that will help businesses prosper.

“Alders regularly make important decisions that impact how easy or difficult it is to run a successful business in the city,” said Newton. “It’s important that Madison voters elect leaders who will take business and economic impacts into consideration to ensure our economy continues to grow.”

Many of the Chamber’s endorsed candidates are incumbents who received GMCC endorsements in previous elections. Newton says the number of incumbents endorsed by the Chamber is a reflection on the current Council’s pragmatic leadership and appropriate focus on job creation.

“We’ve witnessed a dramatic shift in Council priorities over the last few years,” Newton said. “Leaders on the current Council have regularly proven their commitment to creating an environment that encourages business growth and retention. We are proud to endorse these incumbents and commend their many accomplishments.”

The Chamber endorsement process was based on candidate responses to a questionnaire on business issues, interviews with members of the GMCC Board of Directors, Small Business Advisory Council, Minority Business Advisory Council and Ambassador Program, and final recommendations from the Chamber’s Political Strategies Committee on behalf of the Board of Directors.

Endorsements were not made in every district. In some cases – like district 20 – there is more than one candidate that qualified for endorsement. In other districts, there are no candidates who met the criteria for endorsement.

The Greater Madison Chamber Board is proud to endorse the following candidates in the upcoming Spring Election:

District 1 – Brian Driscoll

District 2 – Bridget Maniaci

District 3 – Lauren Cnare

District 5 – Shiva Bidar-Sielaff

District 7 – Steve King

District 9 – Paul Skidmore

District 11 – Chris Schmidt

District 14 – Tim Bruer

District 15 – Larry Palm

District 16 – Jill Johnson

District 17 – Joe Clausius

District 18 – Peng Her

District 19 – Mark Clear

Chamber President Jennifer Alexander expects the message of GMCC-endorsed candidates to once again resonate with voters on Election Day.

“There’s no question that the economy remains first and foremost on everyone’s minds. Voters are looking for pragmatic, focused leaders who will work to create more job opportunities in Madison.

Alexander continued: “It will take continued leadership to move Madison forward as a world-class city and destination for business. The candidates who received GMCC endorsement will stand up for business and help to get the job done.”