Mike Gets Things Done

City of Verona Service Accomplishments

Mike is a former Alder on the Verona City Council, and also served on the City’s Plan Commission, and Parks, Recreation & Forestry Commission. While serving the City of Verona, Mike:

• Led the Verona Parks and Recreation Commission when the City designed and opened its new splash pad at Fireman’s Park and Beach.

• Amended the City’s plan to move up the timeline for the development of Cathedral Point Park and advocated for more land to be dedicated to community parks in every development the City Council and Plan Commission considered.

• Fought tirelessly for the security of Verona firefighters’ jobs when the City and Town closed their joint fire district.

• Supported responsible City growth as a member of the Verona Plan Commission, including an expansion of senior living options, and affordable housing development.

• Voted for a new Downtown Verona development plan that has beautified the City and helped local businesses grow.

 

Dane County Board Service Accomplishments:

Since 2020, Mike has represented the City and Town of Verona on the Dane County Board. Mike serves on the Personnel and Finance Committee, and the Board of the Aging and Disability Resource Center, and the Commission that oversees the Dane County Housing Authority. He previously served on the Health and Human Needs Committee. While serving on the Dane County Board, Mike:

• Authored a resolution to create the County’s eviction defense program, which ensures that anyone facing an eviction in Dane County has access to legal counsel.

• Authored a resolution requiring that the County’s allocation of American Rescue Plan Act funds be allocated responsibly and in a way that is directly responsive to the pandemic, and later reported on to the County Board after being spent.

• Authored a resolution to increase the County's investment in the Double Dollars Program, which helps FOODSHARE members double the value of their benefits when shopping at farmers' markets and certain grocery stores.

• Successfully amended the new jail plan to concretely investigate how to safely reduce the jail population by using alternatives to incarceration and other justice reforms.

• Sponsored a resolution for the County to purchase land where the Sugar River and Badger Mill Creek meet and preserve it as a park.

• Sponsored a resolution to restore a COVID-19 leave benefit for workers at the County’s Badger Prairie Health Center who had been unfairly excluded from the benefit despite doing vital work during the pandemic.

• Helped secure County funding for student mental health needs in several school districts, including Middleton, Verona, Belleville, Oregon, and Mount Horeb.

• Supported funding for the restoration of the Ice Age Trail after completion of a sewer project in Verona.

• Supported efforts to help make County Parks accessible to people with disabilities.

• Supported the creation of the County’s Broadband Access Task Force, and funding that it seeks.

• Helped the Dane County Housing Authority secure $3 million in county funding to improve the quality of its housing units and allow for future investments in more affordable housing.

• Helped a Verona business access a trade zone to be able to export its products across the globe.