PROGRESSIVE DANE A PRECOCIOUS 10-YEAR-OLD

Progressive Dane Marked Its 10th Anniversary Over The Weekend, And There
Was Much To Celebrate.

One of the most successful independent grass-roots electoral forces in the
United States, it ranks with the Progressive Coalition of Burlington, Vt.,
as the rare third-party grouping with the base of support, the resources
and the skills to compete for power at the citywide level in communities of
significant size.

Progressive Dane is a major presence on the Madison School Board, the
Madison City Council and the Dane County Board. More significantly, it has
driven the agenda on issues such as affordable housing, civil liberties and
living wage legislation. It has forced a more sophisticated debate on drug
policy and crime and punishment issues - most recently in the Dane County
sheriff's race, where the Progressive Dane-endorsed candidate, Adam
Benedetto, got the Republican incumbent to engage in a serious debate on
this and other often neglected issues.

Most importantly, Progressive Dane has brought young people, women, people
of color and people with disabilities into the political process with a
determination that has changed the face of local government. Progressive
Dane members stand out because they are not stamped from the same mold as
most elected officials.

The college student on the County Board, the Hmong immigrant and the
retired teacher on the School Board, the tenant activist on the City
Council all won election with endorsements from Progressive Dane - and with
the strategic advice and volunteer muscle that the group provides to
first-time candidates and veterans.

Progressive Dane has not merely changed the face of local politics. It has
forced principled positions to the forefront. Notably, the two Madison
School Board members who were most outspoken in defense of student rights
and freedom of expression during last year's Pledge of Allegiance debate
were Progressive Dane-backed Shwaw Vang and Bill Keys.

At age 10, Progressive Dane is still a young and, at times, immature
political organization. It has been slow and sometimes unfocused when it
comes to developing legislative strategies on the City Council and County
Board, and its caucuses have not always been coordinated forces. The group
still misses opportunities - particularly when it comes to competing for
countywide elected posts. When it shoots for the big time, as with County
Board Supervisor John Hendrick's 1997 mayoral race and 1998 state Assembly
campaign, Progressive Dane has had trouble extending its reach beyond a
strong base on the near east side.

The 2003 mayoral race will, of course, be the group's biggest test.
Progressive Dane has endorsed former Madison Ald. Bert Zipperer, a founding
member and longtime leading light within the organization, for the city's
top job. Zipperer's experience in city government and his own personal
appeal will make him a serious contender.

But Progressive Dane will have to deliver in a major way if Zipperer is
going to overcome the financial and name recognition advantages of Mayor
Sue Bauman and former Mayor Paul Soglin, as well as environmental activist
Dave Cieslewicz's endorsements from popular officials such as Dane County
Executive Kathleen Falk and state Rep. Mark Pocan.

The Zipperer run is not just an organizational test for Progressive Dane
but an issues-and-ideas challenge. The candidate and his supporters must
develop a message that resonates far beyond the isthmus and that makes a
convincing case for the election of an unconventional chief executive.

This is a difficult endeavor for Progressive Dane. But if the group gets
Zipperer through the February primary, it will identify itself as the most
powerful organized political force in the city. And if Progressive Dane
figures out how to elect Zipperer - in an April runoff that is likely to
feature the wily and, if polls are to be believed, exceptionally popular
Soglin - it could stake a claim as the most successful alternative
political party in the nation.

Needless to say, that would be quite an accomplishment for a 10-year-old.