The marathon Madison Common Council Meeting on Tuesday lasted for 12 hours, and culminated in terminating the extended contract of Interim Independent Police Monitor Aeiramique Glass, with a 14-6 vote. Julia Matthews, Madison Alder for district 12 was one of the six alders who voted against the termination of Glass. Today on A Public Affair, Matthews debriefed the meeting from her perspective. Public comment for the meeting lasted 8 hours, with over 100 pages of written comments. Matthews describes the public as justifiably angry, but many people also gave heartfelt remarks about Interim Police Monitor Glass and felt betrayed by her dismissal. Chief of Staff of Council Karen Kapusta-Pofahl will take up the office until there is a permanent monitor hired, rather than appointing another interim.

Photo courtesy of Warren LeMay via flickr

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Today on A Public Affair, Madeline Topf from the Francesca Hong campaign gives an overview on how Hong voters are approaching the election next week. Topf was a political organizer and lead volunteer for the Hong campaign, and continues to organize several political movements on campus. Although the primary results were close between Hong and Crowley, Topf was surprised at the results of the election and credited Governor Evers endorsing Crowley along with increasing dialogue insisting that Hong’s ideas were too extreme for Wisconsin. Hong was the only candidate who fully supported moratoriums on data centers, and one of the biggest criticisms Crowley has received is his lack of support on moratoriums. Both Crowley and Tiffany supported building data centers until very recently, after a poll from Marquette University showed that 70% of Wisconsinites were against them. Topf also discussed the ongoing struggles of Madison housing, the impact of Act 10 on academic workers and graduate students, and the importance of organizing campaigns on campus.

Madeline is a data scientist for the public health laboratory of Wisconsin. She builds processes to quickly identify drug resistant tuberculosis in our state and beyond. Madeline served as a volunteer lead for the Hong campaign, organizing canvasses, phone banks, and other events. She also helped coordinate a Gubernatorial panel (with a viral moment) as part of a Madison labor consortium. Madeline is a member of AFT local #223, and an experienced organizer. In graduate school, she organized her academic program to win a historic wage increase. After becoming president of her union, she helped lead a successful campaign for paid parental leave and signed on to the lawsuit challenging Act 10. She continues to organize within the public sector and looks forward to the next political chapter in Wisconsin.

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The election is just six days away, and guests Debra Cronmiller and Angela Lang broke down each ballot initiative and discussed how they are preparing for Tuesday. Debra Cronmiller is the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Chapter of League of Women Voters and Angela Lang is the Executive Director of Black Leaders Organizing for Communities. The first ballot initiative addresses whether the governor should have veto power to create or raise taxes or fees. The second determines whether places of worship should have the ability to gather under a state mandate in an emergency, and the final initiative considers the legislation around discrimination and preferential treatment in public employment, education, contracting, and administration. Cronmiller and Lang also expressed concern over false campaigning and spreading false information in the media, how they are encouraging people to vote, and anticipating ways to move forward next week, regardless of who wins.

Debra Cronmiller is the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Chapter of League of Women Voters. The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, and increases understanding of major public policy issues. They also influence public policy through both education and advocacy.

Angela Lang is founder and Executive Director of Black Leaders Organizing for Communities (BLOC) in Milwaukee. Lang was born and raised in the heart of Milwaukee and has an extensive background in community organizing. In the past, Lang served as both an organizer and state council director for the Service Employees International Union, working on such campaigns as the Fight for 15. Before founding BLOC, Lang was the political director with For Our Future Wisconsin. She currently is the vice president of the ACLU of Wisconsin Board and sits on the board for Diverse and Resilient, a nonprofit organization that supports the LGBTQ community in Wisconsin.

Photo courtesy of Chali Pittman/WORT

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Today on A Public Affair, Eli Byerly-Duke from the Institute of Economic Policy (ITEP) joins Bert Zipperer to discuss how fair the state tax law is in the state of Wisconsin. For fairer taxes, ITEP recommends an aggressive income tax rather than higher sales or property tax, which tend to tax lower income brackets. Wisconsin taxpayers have an even one third split between income, sales, and property tax, putting it right in the middle of the rest of the US states. Minnesota has the second highest fairness rating falling just under the District of Columbia, with 40% of tax revenue coming from income tax.

Although sales tax is a reliable source of revenue, it is paid by lower or middle income people who put their money back into the local economy. The wealthiest bracket is more likely to keep their money elsewhere, or avoid paying taxes altogether. Over 114 of the largest corporations did not pay taxes last year, using loopholes such as the Offshore loophole, which allows revenue to be taxed overseas rather than in the US. Taxing income ensures there is enough money to fund the basic needs most people expect to have, like roads, plowing, and a working water system.

Interestingly, nine states do not have an income tax, but it is usually due to special reasons, for instance, the Alaskan economy is dominated by the petroleum industry, so more money can be generated from taxing the petroleum companies than the people who live there. Similarly, states with high levels of tourism can tax tourists on hotels and other amenities, which generates enough revenue that taxing residents is not necessary. Other states have underfunded school systems and roads and go without many services that are usually provided by the state.

Because many people are “house poor,” taxing property is not a good system either. Many tax credits were established to offset certain inequalities in the tax system. The homestead credit allows property owners to receive money back from property taxes if their income is under a certain amount, or if they are 62 or older. However, because Wisconsin did not write any provisions for inflation in the legislation for the homestead tax credit, the original income necessary to qualify for the credit does not match the rate of inflation, making the credit not very helpful for homeowners.

Another solution to taxing property is taxing an unoccupied second property worth more than 5 million dollars. This was established earlier this year in Montana and New York City, two places where high value property is likely to sit empty. The conversation also addressed whether data centers should be taxed for the productivity of AI which could have been taxable income from Wisconsin workers doing the same jobs. It is an open question whether AI will be taxed, or continue to receive the tax breaks that have been the status quo.

Eli is a State Policy Analyst at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy who works on current issues in state tax policy and long-term research. Based in Pittsburgh, he covers Wisconsin alongside other states and territories.

Photo by ccPixs.com via flickr

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Today on A Public Affair, film critic and retired lecturer Eileen Jones discussed Film Noir, how monsters represent our own fears, and the social political atmosphere in Hollywood. People have always had a fascination for the darker aspects of human nature, and are both terrified and drawn to films with elements that push the limits of the human capacity for evil. From the 1700s era’s interest in medieval gothic, to southern gothic, and now true crime, this craving for darkness won’t be going away anytime soon. Film Noir in the the 1940s and 50s was an important counterpoint to the musicals and westerns in the post-war era characterized by their depiction of the American dream and Hollywood happy endings. Film Noir always ended in death and despair. It seemed to provide some relief that not everything will turn out right.

Today, Neo-Noir and True Crime take the front seat for people who have a desire for darkness. Jones noted that True Crime media made a space for people’s inner turmoil, which if left unrestricted, could feed a person’s dark thoughts, rather than serve as an innocent outlet.

Jones also discussed how Hollywood tends to lean centrist left, but the subject matter of the movies is the only part of Hollywood reflective of those views. The actual filmmaking process is not leftist, and still relies on historical power structures which people are hesitant to address because of their fight for careers in the industry. There is a price to be paid if you speak out about your political stance or personal values being violated in your workplace. Because academia has an even smaller pie, academics struggling for their slice stay quiet and inequalities are even more prevalent.

Eileen Jones is a film critic at Jacobin magazine and co-host of the Filmsuck podcast. She is a retired lecturer in the Department of Film and Media at the University of California at Berkeley, where she also earned her Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Film Studies.

Photo courtesy of Leah of Flickr from a Screenshot taken from the film Phantom Lady, made by Robert Siodmak in 1944.

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Host Ali Muldrow debriefed the election with Jon Shelton, President of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) in Wisconsin. They discussed David Crowley’s high stakes campaign and his ultimate win. The AFT brought several unions together to support Crowley after the intense primary election, and although there are disagreements over Crowley’s proposed voucher system, the union is excited for what Crowley’s administration will do for education in Wisconsin. We also heard from callers around the state about the possibility of questions on the ballot getting overturned and the importance of getting young voters involved early. Shelton urged people to celebrate today, then begin the hard work tomorrow.

Jon Shelton is the president of the American Federation of Teachers in Wisconsin, a position he’s held since 2025. He previously served as president of UW Green Bay United, the union for faculty and staff at UW-Green Bay, and he served four terms as Vice President for the American Federation of Teachers. He works with educators, UW faculty staff, students and public employees across the state. He is also the author of two books. His latest book is The Education Myth: How Human Capital Trumped Social Democracy.

Photo courtesy of LaShawnda Jones via Wikimedia Commons

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Wisconsin receives funding for public schools two ways: through state funding and through local property taxes. However, unlike all other states, Wisconsin put a cap on how much revenue a district can receive from its local property tax and state funding in 1993. Each kid in Wisconsin costs the state between $11,000-26,000 for education each year, depending on the district, and adjusted for local property taxes. Additionally, this is the 18th year the state has not increased the budget for public schools to account for inflation, so any increase in school funding relies on local residents to pick up the slack through referendums. Many low-income districts are already overburdened with taxes, so increasing the budget for those communities’ schools puts more pressure on an already struggling population when the schools could be state-funded.

Additionally, Wisconsin has the lowest percentage rate of reimbursing special education. If there are more special education students within a district, the local funding must go towards special education programs, not only for moral reasons, but according to state law. This results in cutting music, art, and other extracurricular programs, and additional support staff. The state budget is not centered around meeting the needs of kids in their own districts, and the amount of money spent on each kid has changed very little since 1993, despite population shifts, changes in technology, and the higher cost of living.

You can find more information about funding public schools here, and how your own district is funding your local school here.

Heather DuBois Bourenane is passionate about ensuring our public schools are places of joy for all students. She is a proud public school parent, a founding member of Support Sun Prairie Schools and the Sun Prairie Action Resource Coalition, and an active member of many state and national partnerships and committees. She taught college English and literature, and worked in K-12 outreach at UW-Madison before devoting herself full time to putting our Network vision and values into action. She also serves as Executive Director of the Wisconsin Public Education Action Fund.

Julie Underwood served as dean of the UW–Madison School of Education for over a decade. During her tenure, she increased the diversity of faculty and developed a more inclusive culture at the school. Well-versed in K-12 educational policy and an expert on school law, she served as associate executive director and general counsel for the National School Boards Association. In that role, she led a legal advocacy program on behalf of the nation’s public school boards which included producing friend-of-the-court briefs and legal strategies before the U.S. Supreme Court and lower courts. She was also responsible for the 3,000-member Council of School Attorneys.

Photo courtesy of Kate Paape/WORT.

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Since the 1980s, higher education has continued to shift from being an institution that teaches people how to think to a place that creates industry workers as fast and efficiently as possible. Neil Kraus, professor of political science at UW-River Falls, discussed his thoughts on three year bachelor degrees, UW system funding, and the purpose of education.

One ramification of this ongoing change is the trend to hire chancellors from states other than Wisconsin. Like searching for a new CEO in corporate America, the leaders are hired in hopes that they will fix all of the problems left by the last chancellor and the current government. The University of Wisconsin system has become known as a place for chancellors to come and build up their resume before transferring to a better university. In addition to searching for chancellors, universities are perpetually in the position of filling vacant professors, restoring what they were designed to do: educate students.

Earlier this year, the Wisconsin Board of Regents Education Committee approved three-year bachelor degrees across the UW system, saving students a year of tuition, and only requiring 90 credits instead of the usual 120 credits. UW Green Bay is already beginning to roll out three year degrees for Marketing, cybersecurity, and other career-focused programs. Kraus argued these degrees undermine the value of a broad liberal arts education, and since there is no distinction between students who complete a 4 year program vs a three year program, there will be confusion in the workforce.

Education is not about pumping out workers. Because the economy always changes, so will the job market. In the recent past, there was a strong push to teach people how to code, but now the market is oversaturated with software developers and AI is beginning to take over these jobs. Similarly, STEM majors continue to be pushed onto students as a good “practical career move,” even though STEM has moved away from science and engineering and has become synonymous with technology. Now technology is becoming less secure as a career as AI gets more advanced. When the economy changes, the nature of jobs change as well. According to Kraus, the purpose of education is to teach students how to think, which naturally results in their ability to adapt in any economy, participate in an intelligent democracy, and ultimately, become good humans who live in the world and contribute to society.

Universities require yearly audits to determine where money is needlessly spent, and this usually ends in cutting humanities programs and closing smaller state universities. Most students travel to college within an hour of their home, so removing these smaller colleges tends to limit access to education for these students. Kraus said that in addition to these conversations about humanities spending, there should also be a required technology audit which evaluates whether technology is actually being used, and whether it is actually useful for education.

Neil Kraus is a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin–River Falls and President of United Falcons of UW River Falls. His most recent book, The Fantasy Economy: Neoliberalism, Inequality, And The Education Reform Movement, received Honorable Mention for the 2024 Michael Harrington Book Award from the Critical Political Science Section of the American Political Science Association. For more of his work, visit here and here.

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