So why do we choose Rhodes-Conway? We believe she strikes the balance that Madison needs at this point in its history. She is experienced, as a former alder who has a track record of involvement with the transportation, planning and development issues that occupy so much of a mayor’s time. Yet she has a sense of urgency about taking next steps. “We can't wait,” Rhodes-Conway said in announcing a candidacy in which she promised to “step up and be part of the solution.”

We reject the notion that Soglin is tired, or that he would be anything less that a steady and responsible mayor in what would be his ninth term. But it seems to us that Madison should be looking for something more. The city is growing rapidly and that’s creating new tensions, especially around housing affordability. As the longtime managing director of the Mayors Innovation Project, where she has immersed herself in policy debates and the collaborations that help mayors make the leap from ideas to implementation, Rhodes-Conway runs this year with an ambitious plan. She wants to expand allowable uses of the Affordable Housing Trust Fund to include anti-displacement efforts and land banking for affordable housing. She proposes to encourage housing cooperatives, promote land trusts as an affordable ownership solution, and encourage the creation of tiny house villages.