Yogesh Chawla: County Board District 6 

  1. What top three priorities will you work on if elected?

  • Increase resilience to flooding and reduce phosphorous pollution in our lakes.

  • Reduce racial disparities in the criminal justice system, housing, and provide economic opportunity to all.

  • Emphasize open data and reduce barriers to community involvement/engagement in government.

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?

We should work cooperatively with the city on developing regional transit. The County can provide capital dollars for Bus Rapid Transit. In the meantime, we should increase the number of bus passes that are provided to the homeless and housing insecure and study fare free transit. Although, that is in the city’s purview. Wheel tax money is currently spent on the public works budget for streets operations. We should look into creative ways that wheel tax money can be spent on other initiatives and consider the constraints on how it can be used by state law.

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?

Please refer to this editorial:
https://madison.com/ct/opinion/column/supervisors-wegleitner-chawla-and-kilmer-press-pause-on-new-jail/article_88637a75-274b-5bb7-a83b-6524ecc48dc7.html

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

In my first term, I wrote many of the lake levels task force recommendations. I also worked to change policy to manage lakes at their seasonal minimums rather than medians. My predecessor said this was a big step forward in policy.

 As we improve flow and have more tools to lower lake levels, I support working with the DNR to lower lake levels to allow us to be more resilient to climate change and flooding events.

Please see my detailed video outlining the task force recommendations and my viewpoint and analysis of them:
https://www.facebook.com/yogeshfordanecountyboard/videos/313402819365100/

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

The County needs to work with the city, state, and Department of Defense to ensure that PFAS contamination is contained, that there is plan to clean up contaminated areas and that further contamination will not happen. We must prioritize clean water.

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?

The County is spending $225 million on a new jail. This money could be spent on a mental health crisis center, permanent supportive housing, and investing in our community. I would need to see the specifics on going to referendum before I would support such a move. I think if we prioritize how we spend our money in the budget, we have the resources to invest in the community we want to live in that provides opportunity to everyone.

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?

The County Board can be more transparent. I support video recording of meetings and more engagement in the community. Through my work on the Engage Dane task force, I have worked to increase engagement through various budget tools and trainings for supervisors. I have also audio recorded many meetings include Lake Levels Task Force meetings and quarterly flood updates. I will continue to push for more open meetings, public hearings and through my blog www.yogeshchawla.com/d6-updates and social media platforms, I have provided details information about the work that the county does.

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?

I have read the platform and generally am in agreement with it. It offers many specifics in areas that are out of my expertise so certain portions outside my standing committee responsibilities, I would have to study more carefully. However, I helped develop planks within the platform so I am comfortable with the general framework.

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?

We need to invest in permanent supportive housing, managed by organizations that have local ties to our community and we need to look carefully at policies around eviction and criminalization of behavior in affordable housing developments to help support people staying in their homes.

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 am a long time PD member and sustainer. I see myself providing leadership on issues in my standing committees and on the board in general. As I have lost essentially my entire core campaign team, it will be tough for me to send someone to attend elections meetings but I can stay in touch with PD leadership and assist with election trainings/assisting other candidates.