Former Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz Recommends Brittany Kinser

MADISON, Wisc. – Over Monday, former Madison Mayor and Yellow Stripes & Dead Armadillos writer Dave Cieslewicz announced his recommendation of Brittany Kinser in the race for DPI Superintendent.

Here’s what former Mayor Dave said in his recommendation and support of Kinser in his recent post on Yellow Stripes & Dead Armadillos:

“We’re voting for Kinser as much as we’re voting against incumbent Jill Underly. Underly is underwhelming. In our view, she rigged state test scores just before the election to make her record look better. Even Gov. Tony Evers, who once held her job, disagreed with her. Then she further eroded her credibility by submitting a budget that spent all of the state’s $4 billion surplus on public schools. For one thing, once the surplus has been spent, what do you do in the next biennium? For another thing, nobody takes a proposal like that seriously. It’s just transparent pandering. And finally, it continues the very problem that Kinser might address: the see-no-evil nature of the public schools establishment. Their idea is that all you need to do is spend more money on the same failing system and everything will be fine. Kinser would be a breath of fresh air. She’s got great experience, having been a special ed teacher in the Chicago public schools. She was even a union member and was an opponent of charter schools and vouchers. Then she experienced them and became a convert. But that’s not all she’s about. She’s young and energetic and not at all partisan. It’s unfortunate that she’s gotten the backing of big Republican donors because it paints her as something she’s not. But campaigns need money and Democrats and the teachers union have fallen in behind Underly and the same old, same old failing establishment. Moreover, Underly hasn’t shown up for a single forum, while Kinser has taken every invitation. Underly doesn’t even feel the need to defend her positions. (I can’t blame her for that.) She figures she’ll just ride on Crawford’s coattails. She doesn’t deserve another four years. DPI needs big changes. Kinser might provide them.”

In response to Cieslewicz’s recommendation, Brittany Kinser released the following statement:

“I am honored to have former Mayor Dave’s recommendation and vote in my race for DPI Superintendent. Restoring high standards and ensuring our children can read, write, and do math well so they can go to college, get a meaningful job, or master a trade is a goal shared by so many across Wisconsin, no matter their background or politics, and I am proud to count Mayor Dave as a supporter. I look forward to working with him and others across the state to ensure our children have the tools and resources they need to succeed and achieve bright futures.”

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.