While the incumbent announced his bid for re-election on the steps of city hall yesterday….

….A challenger will announce his candidacy from an emerging center of innovation & ingenuity — Sector67 — based right here in my ‘hood, the Schenk-Atwood-Starkweather-Yahara neighborhood. The event is today, Tuesday, 3:15 p.m., at Sector67, 2100 Winnebago St., Madison, WI.

I’m not endorsing anyone here, but I’d just like to point out that defenders of the status quo are predicting an easy path to victory for the incumbent — i.e., the candidate-of-the-status quo. They forget that in 2003 the Schenk-Atwood-Starkweather-Yahara neighborhood led the way in overthrowing the thinking of the past.* This neighborhood turned out so many people to the polls then that not only was the incumbent defeated, but the old bull, dominator-of-all-things-Madison-political, Paul Soglin, had his lunch eaten. No neighborhood in the city delivered more votes, and a greater margin for victory for either candidate than this neighborhood.

I believe that lesson was not lost on Radomski.**

*Ok, ok, all I can say is, at least we got 2-3 years of progressive thinking & action out of David J. Cieslewicz before he lurched rightward — right back to the status quo ante!

**Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I believe I was the first to call his candidacy, back in the summer of Aught 9.