José Rea: County Board District 5

What top three priorities will you work on if elected?

As the only candidate in the race for Dane County’s Board of Supervisors District 5 who was born and raised here I know ﬁrst hand the challenges marginalized communities are dealing with. I grew up in a low income house hold with two very hard working parents who did their best to make ends meet, but there were many times I went to the food pantries with my mom to make sure there was food on the table for my brothers and I to eat. I have experienced ﬁrst hand these struggles that many others talk about.

That is why my top priorities I plan to champion when elected are housing as a right, creating a public safety system that’s safe and just for all, and protecting access to mental health services. I believe that any topic that is talked about in government must be centered around those it will eﬀect the most. I want to work side by side with those in our community that have already been doing this work and do my part to amplify the call to action in order to see radical reform of a system that has been built to up hold white supremacy, the patriarchy, and heteronormativity. Through the power of community I believe we can accomplish anything.

2. What strategies would you support to advance transportation equity and eliminate transportation barriers? What should the county be spending its wheel tax money on?

As someone who took the bus to and from school and work here in Madison for the majority of my life I know that the bus needs to come by more often then it does. Every half hour just doesn’t work for many people in our community. Cutting down on travel time for passenger destinations is also a must. I remember it used to take almost an hour to get from the south transfer point to West Towne Mall which is outrageous! That’s two hours of travel time every day or 10 hours each week just to get to and from work. We all know time is valuable and even more so for those who are struggling.

I of course would love to learn more about this topic as I am not an expert in this ﬁeld nor do I pretend to be. I want to listen and learn from those who have been giving suggestions and input on this topic for years and I want to be able to cast a well informed decision as to what the next steps for wheel tax money spending should be. In my heart I do believe that the right thing to do is fund bus passes for those who aren’t able to aﬀord a car or cant aﬀord to purchase monthly bus passes.

3. Do you think there are options not being considered that should be pursued to reduce the jail population by diverting people from jail, reducing length of jail stays, and advancing criminal justice reform recommendations provided by the 2014 Res 556 work groups?

I believe one of the key recommendations could have included building and funding community. How can we as community work together to make sure those who are struggling have access to the resources needed in an eﬀort to prevent any chance of entering the criminal justice system? There has to be a radical shift in the way we are funding programs that help families with transportation, education, housing, nutrition, mental health, and employment assistance. Incarceration should be an absolute last resort.

I also do not believe investing millions into a new jail was appropriate given many of the racial and economic disparities that exist in Dane County. To not address the racial disparities that exist in our county will promote the prison pipeline further. I look forward to learning more and hearing from the members of our community that have been researching and working on this important issue and when elected I will vote against any proposal or budget that further expands or promotes an unjust criminal justice system without any kind of radical change.

4. Which of the Lake Levels Task Force Recommendations should be prioritized? Do you support petitioning the DNR to further lower the lake levels?

It seems to me that there was a big focus on dredging and storm water & inﬁltration. The Lake Levels Task Force seemed to have a clear guideline of what next steps should be taken to implement a successful dredging program and how best to deal with storm water and inﬁltration. I really liked the recommendation to purchase more wetlands and other land to restore and help preserve them. I will support any proactive approach needed to reduce the impact that climate change will have on communities across Dane County.

5. What role do you think the County has in monitoring and remediating PFAS contamination in urban and rural areas?

I believe that if there is little to no regulation of PFAS contamination then it is the duty of local governments to monitor and remediate in whatever capacity we can. Allowing experts on this topic to take the lead and give recommendations should be a top priority. As decision makers we must listen to those who have been studying and researching this topic and take their recommendations seriously and implement them appropriately.

6. What other ideas do you have for raising revenues or reducing spending? Would you support going to referendum to raise the levy? If yes, what conditions do you place on your support, if any?

I would work with local and state oﬃcials to promote the legalizations of marijuana and to clear the records of those who have been convicted for petty non violent drug oﬀenses. Reviewing the spending of departments to make sure there is no inconsistency or redundancy in their budgets would be one approach to reducing spending and also making spending more eﬃcient. I would like to learn more about any plan to raise the levy. I do believe it is important to fund our schools and communities so that they are safe and are able to support all residents that call these communities home.

7. Evaluate the issue of transparency in the way the County Board currently operates. What problem areas do you believe need to be addressed and how will you work to address them? Do you think the county board is responsive to public input and values the role of resident and non-standing committees?

As a millennial I believe that Dane County has to seriously upgrade the technology that we are using online. There should be phone applications for every department or a universal app that also hosts the other county departments in it as well. Residents should be able to accomplish a lot more online and on our phones than what our current capacity allows. We should be able to submit any and all forms online as applicable by law. Online submissions for public comment for any agenda item that comes up in committee or during a board meeting should be able to be asked or read out loud as well.

I believe we must elect individuals like myself who do value the input and roles of resident and non-standing committees. I currently serve as the Vice-Char of the Dane County Equal Opportunities Commission and I feel that there are many items that don’t get referred to us and it is especially important given the times that we live in that the EOC of Dane County be taken seriously.

8. Have you carefully read the Progressive Dane County Platform? Do you have any questions or concerns about the platform? Are there issues that we should add or that you particularly want to work on?

The ﬁrst time I ran for public oﬃce was in 2016 when I was running for the 14th Madison Common Council district. I sought the endorsement of Progressive Dane because of the beliefs and values the party held. The platform speaks to me because it was written to support people like me and my family.

The entire platform speaks to me on a personal level in one way or another because I have lived experience with many of these issues. When elected it is my hope to champion and support initiatives that will help those in our community that are struggling and to make sure that support isn’t just give when folks are in desperate need because to prevent the disparities I and so many others have experienced should be the ultimate goal of government.

9. The County has made investments in housing and homelessness yet we still have some of the worst racial disparities in housing and homelessness. What would you do to address this?

I believe the Progressive Dane platform has many good ideas in regards to this topic. This is one of the reasons I am seeking the endorsement of Progressive Dane. Some of the key agenda items listed in the “Housing Justice” section of the platform that I would like to see prioritized would be “support the right to publicly funded legal representation for residential tenants facing eviction or termination of subsidized housing (a.k.a. right to counsel)”, “prioritize vacant public property for housing the homeless”, “support eﬀorts of the Zero Initiative campaign to eliminate veteran, chronic and family homelessness”, and “urge the state legislature to repeal laws limiting local governments' ability to expand housing opportunity and tenant protection”.

10. Why are you interested in the Progressive Dane endorsement? What role do you see yourself playing in Progressive Dane and do you agree with the accountability expectations document?

I’m running for County Board because I know what it’s like to grow up poor in Dane County. I remember going to the food pantries with my mom to make sure there was food on the table for my brothers and I to eat. I remember the lights getting cut oﬀ and my parents having to work hard to make sure they got turned back on. I personally know what it feels like to receive a 5 day notice and overwhelming feeling of anxiety trying to ﬁgure out how I’m supposed to make things work. One of my ﬁrst memories at James C. Wright middle school was the fear that spread throughout the Latinx community and my family because there was a rumor of an ICE raid. The Progressive Dane platform talks about every single one of those issues me and my family faced growing up. That is why I am seeking the endorsement of Progressive Dane because I am the only candidate running in District 5 of the Dane County Board that has grown up in Dane County and fully understands on a ﬁrst hand basis just how much is truly at stake for others like me who live here.

I agree fully with the accountability expectations document and I look forward to working with Progressive Dane to champion an agenda that values the dignity and humanity of everyone that calls Dane County home.

11. In what ways are you currently active in your district and the community at large? (new candidates only)

Currently I serve as the Vice-Chair of the Dane County Equal Opportunities Commission. Before this my main form of public engagement was through organizing protests for immigration rights and while in high school I was a part of the core group that led the West High School student walk outs during the ACT 10 protests. As I mentioned earlier I also ran for city alder in 2016 in an attempt address the rising cost of living on Madison’s south side and the increased gentriﬁcation that is taking place. During my run for alder I had the honor of speaking at a forum to advocate for the construction of a Madison College South Side campus.

I love Dane County because this is where I grew up. As the only candidate running for District 5 of the Dane County Board that grew up here, I believe it is my duty to step up and do my part in whatever capacity I can to ensure no one else has to experience the disparities my family and I and thousands of others have faced here.