Priorities:
Alder Figueroa Cole has kept her campaign promise to center issues that impact the health and safety of community members. Everyone rises when we lift from the bottom up by providing community services to those most vulnerable.
Public Safety: Alder Figueroa Cole continues to support CARES. She has sponsored and voted for budget amendments to increase funding to CARES to expand the program’s service hours and geographical location.
Yannette supports CARES’ mission of providing trauma-informed training to people experiencing mental health emergencies. “In the first year of services, the majority of CARES patients were diverted from police”; this is equivalent to 97% of CARES patients receiving the help they need instead of incarceration.
She is a member of the Violence Prevention Plan’s Strong Neighborhoods committee. Leading efforts supported by data and an evidential approach
to address violence from the lens of a multi-approach of health, education, food access, transportation, safe living conditions, and justice. She successfully put forward City and County matching budget amendments to increase funding for the Double Dollars program and added two reproductive rights navigators positions in order to improve access to healthy food and to improve reproductive rights education and medical services.
Housing: Alder Figueroa Cole strongly advocated for and voted in favor of Madison’s first purpose-built Men’s Homeless Shelter. Even though six votes delayed the shelter from being approved for over a year, Alder Figueroa Cole is excited to see the opening of the temporary shelter on Zeier Rd. Alder Figueroa Cole was involved every step of the way in the city’s efforts to create safe conditions for the unsheltered population.
Some of these efforts included the moving of the temporary shelter from the garage on First St. to Zeier Rd, leading efforts to create the city’s first urban campground on Dairy Drive which reduced MPD’s calls for service. She funded programs to move people into permanent housing and further invested in community resources for the unsheltered population by coordinating additional funds to be added to Dane County’s budget.
Alder Figueroa Cole also supported the distribution of millions of ARPA funds dollars to prevent evictions and went above and beyond by reaching out to community members to educate them about accessing services.
Alder Figueroa Cole has supported diverse housing types for developments and neighborhood plans that balance the need for affordability, low-income availability, increased density, and sustainability. Her efforts and investments built bridges between communities, service providers, and first responders.
Transportation: Regarding street safety, Alder Figueroa Cole believes in a multi-dimensional approach that includes education, infrastructure changes, enforcement, and data monitoring. Yannette has listened and responded to resident concerns about street safety. She advocates for programs like Vision Zero, Safe Streets, and strengthening partnerships between MPD and city street engineers.
Transportation should be accessible to all Madison residents. We should be able to walk safely, bike, take the bus, and drive to any location in the city with ease. Alder Figueroa Cole understands that we must prioritize public transportation systems for those in need, such as communities of color and people experiencing disabilities. For this reason, Alder Figueroa Cole supported the equitable and inclusive implementation of the Bus Rapid Transit, the Metro Network Redesign, and the Passenger Rail Study.
Community Engagement: As per the request of the community and the Neighborhood Resource Team (NRT), Alder Figueroa Cole reintroduced to Council a resolution to restrict alcohol in Allied Park. After years of unsuccessful attempts to pass the change, Alder Figueroa Cole passed the resolution by elevating community and youth voices to the city council.
As an Alder and Parks Commissioner, Alder Figueroa Cole advocated for the activation of positive activities in neighborhood parks. During the introduction of Parks Alive, she volunteered and brought resources to events within District 10’s parks. She also pushed forward a successful budget amendment for a Parks Volunteer Coordinator to improve and sustain service levels and facilitate volunteer programming and community engagement.
Alder Figueroa Cole turned the Task Force on Structure of City Government recommendations into action by streamlining Madison General Ordinances to change the order of business including moving all public comment to the top of the agenda and sharing the consent agenda information ahead of the meeting. She was an avid advocate for a hybrid option for Council meetings and the recording of committee meetings to facilitate access to the city government for the public.
Alder Figueroa Cole creates educational content about the system’s processes and navigation, introducing constituents to things like the city website and city projects. She shares information on topics impacting District 10, breaks down complex issues like taxes and the budget in an easy-to-digest way, and introduces her readers to culturally sensitive material to expand constituents’ knowledge and access to government information.
Partnerships: Alder Figueroa Cole believes that partnerships with community members, city staff, alders, county board supervisors, and the mayor’s office are necessary in order to maximize results. She values the experience, work, and commitment of those she works with to continue to make Madison an inclusive place for all.
The partnerships she has fostered and her attention to detail in understanding the city budget have been essential in order to prioritize the use of city funds to meet the community’s most critical public safety, housing, transportation, and community engagement needs.
Please volunteer, donate, and share information regarding Yannette’s re-election campaign. Mark your calendars for the Spring Election on April 4, 2023, and Vote for Yannette Figueroa Cole for District 10!