tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-209420352007-11-29T11:29:20.379-06:00Problem avoidance is an important part of problem solving. Instead of solving the problem you go upstream and alter the system so that the problem does not occur in the first place.Zach Brandonnoreply@blogger.comBlogger169125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20942035.post-1167201614311408962006-12-27T18:32:00.000-06:002007-01-01T18:19:11.083-06:00

Upstreaming... returns 1/15/07!

Zach Brandonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20942035.post-1167696905778557662006-12-27T17:30:00.000-06:002007-01-01T18:17:41.076-06:00

From the City of Madison website: Christmas Tree Collection Each January weather permitting, the Street Division conducts a special collection for holiday trees. We will begin our first round of collection on Monday, January 8th. We will begin the second round of collection on Tuesday, January 23rd. Make sure you have your tree to the curb on the above Mondays to insure collection during the

Zach Brandonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20942035.post-1158456975235274832006-09-16T19:20:00.000-05:002006-09-17T20:29:59.240-05:00

Kristian Knutsen of thedailypage.com details the local release of the movie The Last Kiss. Part of the movie was shot in Madison and he notes that the movie includes "such highly recognizable backdrops as Bascom Hill, the Union Terrace and the City-County Building." He also posts the trailer. Play it and pause at 1:35... look just to the right of the center of the frame for one more recognizable

Zach Brandonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20942035.post-1156744261554178292006-08-27T23:28:00.000-05:002006-08-28T10:41:34.356-05:00

This evening I was driving home with my kids. We saw a 4x8 Mark Green sign and one of my sons asked me "if Mark Green wins, will he change things?" Before I could answer, he asked "will he get rid of teddy bears?" I don't think so, but he will prevent important research that could help cure your classmate's diabetes. Try explaining that position to your kids.

Zach Brandonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20942035.post-1156477839864783532006-08-24T22:30:00.000-05:002006-08-24T22:50:39.883-05:00

From Sen. John Edwards: Many times I have asked for your help, and you've come through every time. Never before have I asked for your help on a matter of life and death. Before one more child is tortured, before one more woman is raped, we must urge President Bush to lead the effort to create a NATO force to stop the genocide in Darfur. Sudan began a genocide against tribes of small farmers in

Zach Brandonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20942035.post-1155531998946721202006-08-14T01:10:00.000-05:002006-08-14T02:00:29.820-05:00

Civic Strategies, a public policy strategic planning firm for cities, identifies the five different types of mayors: The deal-maker mayor: This is the wheeler-dealer as mayor, the person who loves to make headline-grabbing deals, usually in development projects. Imagine Donald Trump as mayor and you have the general idea. The ethnic-champion mayor: This is the kind of mayor you often find in

Zach Brandonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20942035.post-1155525692744084772006-08-13T22:21:00.000-05:002006-08-14T01:44:22.776-05:00

... in San Francisco.

Zach Brandonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20942035.post-1155277761236150942006-08-11T01:18:00.000-05:002006-08-11T01:37:34.950-05:00

It is official. Opening July 2007.

Zach Brandonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20942035.post-1155276770603140742006-08-11T00:39:00.000-05:002006-08-11T09:37:51.850-05:00

The City of Madison will begin a pilot program to test shade structures in the city's newer parks this year. These canopies, similar to those seen at the Goodman Pool, are an inexpensive alternative to building gazebos or other larger structures and will provide shade while the park's trees mature. I am proud to announce that Country Grove park and Manchester park have been selected as the

Zach Brandonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20942035.post-1155273264423162952006-08-10T23:57:00.000-05:002006-08-11T00:17:28.663-05:00

Today, at the Wisconsin State Fair, Republican attorney general hopeful J.B. Van Hollen told primary opponent Paul Bucher “You suck...” during a break in a radio debate on Newsradio 620 WTMJ with Charlie Sykes. Bucher shot back on air,“Well, you know what? I don’t suck...” 2nd Grade boys, 2nd grade...

Zach Brandonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20942035.post-1155049360327521912006-08-09T01:53:00.000-05:002006-08-09T02:03:30.270-05:00

My observations of yesterday's post... First, there is no doubt that UW students are an important part of our community, but they do not make up "1/3" of the city... not even close. From the UW system website: UW-Madison... is located in Madison and has a total enrollment of 40,606 undergraduate and graduate students.And, that figure also includes Law students and Medical students. If you

Zach Brandonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20942035.post-1154791996696336812006-08-08T09:59:00.000-05:002006-08-08T11:35:06.160-05:00

Founded in 2004, Facebook is a social directory similar to www.myspace.com, but membership is limited to persons with a valid email address from "over 2,200 colleges, 22,000 high schools and 2,000 companies." In a few short years, Facebook has racked up some impressive stats. Facebook has more than 7.5 million registered users and two-thirds of those registered return every day. It is the

Zach Brandonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20942035.post-1154916303652385282006-08-06T20:59:00.000-05:002006-08-06T22:06:05.693-05:00

I'll be hosting Mitch Henck's "Outside the Box" tomorrow (Monday 8/7/06). The show can be heard on Newstalk 1310 WIBA or listen online here. Show starts at 8:30 AM and the scheduled guests are: * Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton * Madison Council President Austin King * Wisconsin Wolves football team (a coach and a few players... maybe even Brigid Mullen) * University Research Park Director Mark

Zach Brandonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20942035.post-1154414134042264202006-08-01T01:27:00.000-05:002006-08-01T01:44:27.163-05:00

After my recent post highlighting the politicization of Madison's taxpayer-funded planning councils, I sent an email to the Northside Planning Council asking that my official cityofmadison.com email address be added to their listserv. (To their credit, the East Isthmus Planning Council asked me to join their list.) In the email, I also inquired about specific rules preventing "political parties"

Zach Brandonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20942035.post-1154323118874821392006-07-31T09:26:00.000-05:002006-07-31T11:06:48.386-05:00

Economic Indicators to Watch... New & Existing Homes Sales: Down 8.3% (Dane County) Mortgage Applications: Down 2.4% (Nationwide) House Price Index: Down 4.38% (Madison MSA) Vacancy Rates: 11.3% (53719 Zip Code)Consumer Price Index: Up 4.0% (Midwest) Housing Starts: Down 33% (Dane County) Industry Employment: Down 15% (Veridian Homes)

Zach Brandonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20942035.post-1153463511396752132006-07-20T23:27:00.000-05:002006-08-05T14:23:09.393-05:00

Congratulations to the Glacier Ridge Neighborhood for being featured in Madison Magazine's "Great Neighborhoods" article. Dave Hull and the rest of the board deserve so much credit for what they have accomplished with one of Madison's newest neighborhoods. Melding four developments into one neighborhood is no small task. From "attainable" small lot, alley feed homes to townhome-style condos to

Zach Brandonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20942035.post-1153340936447625252006-07-19T15:09:00.000-05:002006-07-19T15:47:48.856-05:00

As I previously noted: The traffic calming approved for Manchester and East Pass has been put on hold. The contractor hired to complete these projects has gone out of business. This means that all of the 2005 projects will not be completed this year. My hope is that the previously approved projects will be completed in the spring and will not have to compete for 2006 funding. It is my

Zach Brandonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20942035.post-1151206831026438462006-07-17T00:39:00.000-05:002006-07-17T02:32:01.496-05:00

In my 2003 questionnaire for the League of Women Voters, I championed the creation of a Regional Transit Authority. I believed then, as I do today, that expanding Metro's service area and diversifying the funding sources are essential ingredients for the utility's survival. Milwaukee is debating creating an RTA and it is time for the "Capital Corridor" to get serious about it, too. There has

Zach Brandonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20942035.post-1152856821562728022006-07-14T00:53:00.000-05:002006-07-14T21:22:23.940-05:00

It is interesting to see where the readers of this Blog live... Red Dot = Last Visitor Green Dots = Last 10 Visitors White Dots = Last 10+ Visitors

Zach Brandonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20942035.post-1152845819145014682006-07-13T21:44:00.000-05:002006-07-13T22:01:31.813-05:00

You can now go to www.zachbrandon.com to get to my blog. zachbrandon.blogspot.com and www.radcentrist.com will still work, if you prefer. And, speaking of the Third Way... go take a look, because that is real progress.

Zach Brandonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20942035.post-1152839305611404042006-07-13T19:57:00.000-05:002006-07-13T20:08:25.776-05:00

A warning siren is scheduled to be located at 3666 Ice Age Drive. This is a City of Madison, Engineering Storm Utility Parcel. The siren has a design capability of 128 decibels (dB) at 100' and a design coverage of approximately 5280' radius at 70 dB. The installation of this siren will be in October 2006. This map shows the installation location.

Zach Brandonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20942035.post-1152825462838853622006-07-13T16:16:00.000-05:002006-07-13T19:03:55.933-05:00

At last night's neighborhood meeting regarding the Fitchburg Super Target, a few of you asked about South High Point Road. The South High Point Road plans can be found here. The completion date for the contract is September 15, 2006. However, I am told that some issues with Raymond Road, east of Hickory Ridge, may push the actual completion date to late-September. Once South High Point Road is

Zach Brandonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20942035.post-1152724654138422422006-07-12T12:19:00.000-05:002006-07-12T16:50:26.466-05:00

There is always a story inside the story when it comes to this council. There are things the public would never hear, but probably should. For months, I have debated whether to put these stories on this Blog. For the record, I am not talking about muckraking or pointing out legislative inconsistencies. I am talking about pointing out full-on hypocrisy: "the act of pretending to have virtues

Zach Brandonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20942035.post-1152506941019082532006-07-10T11:27:00.000-05:002006-07-10T15:49:16.166-05:00

In 2003, the Mayor's office asked me to develop an "equity model" for the Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) ordinance being pushed by Alder Brenda Konkel and the other Progressive Dane alders. Why me you ask? Good question. Because, I made the mistake of pointing out, privately, that the formula in their original version was flawed and that it literally "trapped" IZ home buyers. It would have taken the

Zach Brandonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20942035.post-1152386558367569132006-07-09T17:07:00.000-05:002006-07-09T17:52:00.396-05:00

Yesterday, I listed Madison's most "affordable" neighborhoods. That search got me wondering about how many alders live in "affordable" houses? Turns out 10 of the 18 homeowners on the Common Council live in houses assessed below what the city calls "affordable housing." A majority (56%) of the alders live in houses below the maximum available Inclusionary Zoning price of $217,623. Here's the

Zach Brandonnoreply@blogger.com