CITY, PRO-MARIJUANA GROUP APPLY FOR PERMIT FOR SAME SITE

Madison's hopes for a flashy parade of mayors this summer could go to pot.

In a quintessential Madison dilemma, the city is weighing competing permit
requests-one for a rally to legalize marijuana and other issues and the
other for a parade of more than 600 mayors and guests attending the U.S.
Conference of Mayors.

Activist Ben Masel, who leads the legalize marijuana and free speech group
weedstock.com last May applied for a permit to close Martin Luther King Jr.
Boulevard from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on June 14-15 during the U.S. Conference
of Mayors.

The event would offer a stage with speakers and music and a chance for
people to set up information booths or carry signs to "get their message
across" to the mayors.

But two months after Masel's request, the city's conference host committee
applied for a permit to close the street from 2 to 9:30 p.m. for a
half-hour "procession" from 7:30 to 8 p.m. of mayors and guests from a
state Capitol reception to a party on the Monona Terrace rooftop.

The two-block stroll would feature Mama Dig Downs Brass Band, stilt
walkers, a drum and bugle corps, a bagpipe color guard, giant flags and
inflatable figures.

The parade would "showcase Madison's diverse community and rich cultural
arts offerings," and "bring Madison's destination potential to the rest of
the country," the host committee said in its permit application.

The parade is "a significant part" of the city's efforts to showcase
itself, said Ryan Mulcahy, spokesman to Mayor Sue Bauman.

The permit requests are now before the city's Street Use Staff Team.

Making the first request for a permit usually influences who gets one, but
the city is hoping a compromise can be worked out, said city events
coordinator Kelli Lamberty, who leads the staff team.

The mayors are welcome to parade through the rally, but Weedstock won't
step aside for the full day, as sought by the events committee, Masel said.

We can let them parade through, but that's about it," he said. "If they
think they can shut down free speech for everyone else, they've got another
thing coming."

Mulcahy said: "Madison is a place that tries to make accommodations. It's
up to the (staff team)."

The prestigious conference, which draws mayors from across the nation and
perhaps President Bush, as well as protesters, is set for June 13-18.