How to Keep Madison from Becoming Milwaukee

MADISON, WI – Can Madison avoid Milwaukee’s problems-hostile suburbs, racial polarity, economic disparity, hit-or-miss public transportation, bad schools and the loss of good-paying jobs?

Isthmus will examine urbanization trends in Wisconsin’s two largest cities during an informal “Pint and Policy” discussion on Thursday, Sept. 14 at Club Majestic from 6 to 8 p.m.

Speakers are former Madison Mayor Paul Soglin; Tamara Grigsby, a first-term state representative from Milwaukee (Grigsby is a graduate of Madison’s Memorial High School and earned her masters in social work from UW-Madison); James Rowen, a journalist and former chief of staff to both Mayor Soglin and Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist; and Jennifer Alexander, the president of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce and an advocate of a regional approach to economic and social policy. Isthmus editor Marc Eisen will moderate.

The discussion, which is free and open to the public, will include comments and questions from the audience. Isthmus is sponsoring the “Pint and Policy” series as part of its 30th anniversary celebration. An earlier forum examined animal rights and drug testing. Future “Pint and Policy” discussions will look at Madison’s arts scene and at community blogging.

Parking near Club Majestic is available in the Government East, Brayton and Capitol Square North city ramps. For more information about parking visit http://www.cityofmadison.com/parking/parking.html. For more information about the Madison-Milwaukee discussion, call Isthmus Editor Marc Eisen at (608) 251-5627 or e-mail him at eisen@isthmus.com.