Category Archives: Rotary Club of Madison Guest Speaker

September 25: Madison’s City Clerk, Maribeth Witzel-Behl, Explains How Numerous Checks & Balances Keep Local Elections Fair and Secure

Posted on September 27, 2024 by | Leave a comment

–submitted by Sharyn Alden

It’s a big job to stay on top of election security, but Madison, along with the state of Wisconsin, has multiple safeguards to prevent election fraud. Wisconsin has 1800 election administrators, and Madison has 4,000 poll workers ready for the November elections.

Witzel-Behl pointed out we have a paper-based voting system. That means it’s imperative to keep elections safe and make sure each person’s vote is counted.

Some of the Safeguards:

  1. The system is designed so you can’t vote twice, deliberately or accidentally. On an absentee ballot, the barcode prohibits from using the same ballot more than once.
  2. At the polls, a continual tabulation reconciles the number of people who have registered to vote in-person with the number of votes that are continually being counted.

If you’ve wondered about the security of ballot drop boxes, Witzel-Behl said they are ’tamper proof.”

So where do Dane County ballots go after the voting ends? They are delivered in locked cages to the Madison City Clerk’s office, where the numbers are certified. After that, the State of Wisconsin is required to sign off every vote and certify all the results. Once verified, the results are available online.

If you missed this week’s meeting, you can watch it here:  https://youtu.be/1QWrjJJvr5Y.

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Posted in Rotary Club of Madison, Rotary Club of Madison Guest Speaker, Rotary Weekly Guest Speaker, Weekly Rotary Guest Speaker

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September 18: The 20th Anniversary of the Overture Concert Organ

Posted on September 23, 2024 by | Leave a comment

–submitted by Joy Cardin

Rotary Club of Madison members and guests experienced a special presentation and performance by Greg Zelek, the Principal Organist of the Madison Symphony Orchestra and Curator of the MSO’s Overture Concert Organ to instrument’s 20th anniversary at Overture Hall.  Here’s more information on the 2024-25 organ concerts: https://madisonsymphony.org/concerts-events/overture-concert-organ-performances/.  Zelek said the organ has 4,040 pipes that need to be tuned before each concert and it is so heavy it needs to be moved into place using railroad tracks.  He demonstrated how the organ works by pushing pistons that play the sounds of other instruments and how he uses multiple keyboards with his hands and feet!  Here’s a brief example:  https://youtu.be/jagPULPNBxk.    

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September 11: How Do We Increase and Restore Trust in Wisconsin’s Election Process?

Posted on September 13, 2024 by | Leave a comment

–submitted by Sharyn Alden

Former Lieutenant Governor, Mandela Barnes and former Congressman, Scott Klug shared some ideas at the September 11th Rotary meeting.

Wisconsin’s Democracy Defense Project (one of several in the country), is currently working to rebuild confidence in our elections. Klug noted voters get news in numerous ways –from social media to traditional media and mailed promotional ads. “The ‘messengers’ are many, but not always knowledgeable,” he said.

Both speakers talked about the importance of voters getting involved in the election process.

Barnes said voters would better understand and have a deeper knowledge of how elections work if they play a part. “One way is to become an election observer,” he said.

Then there’s the humorous extreme. Klug said his father wanted to be “buried in Chicago so he could stay politically active!”

One audience member suggested key Packers or Brewers players could be used as ‘credible messengers’ to encourage the electorate to vote and get involved. Given potential budget constraints, the idea was well received.

If you missed our meeting this week, you can watch it here:  https://youtu.be/-HAm9fQzywU.

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Posted in Rotary Club of Madison, Rotary Club of Madison Guest Speaker, Rotary Weekly Guest Speaker, Weekly Rotary Guest Speaker

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September 4: Solutions for Making Madison’s Housing Market More Affordable

Posted on September 6, 2024 by | Leave a comment

–submitted by Sharyn Alden

On September 4, Rotarians heard from Matt Wachter, Director of the City of Madison’s Department of Planning, Community, and Economic Development, and Nicole Solheim Vice President of Development for Cinnaire, a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) about challenges behind affordable housing.

The City of Madison has been growing at about 1 percent a year since World War II. In 2021, the demand for affordable housing shot up due, in part, to younger renters with employers like Epic. Construction couldn’t keep up with demand. Coupled with extremely low employment throughout the city, it became apparent that demand was outstripping supply. Wachter noted that since 30 percent of income goes into housing costs, about half of renters in Madison couldn’t afford housing. This significant problem needed to be solved. Over the past 10 years, the city has allocated more money into increasing affordable housing choices. One interesting option is the ‘downtown height bonus” for constructing buildings up to 116 feet in height as long as affordable housing is part of the plan.

If you missed our meeting this week, you can watch it here:  https://youtu.be/R96fwsbT-8k.

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August 28: Rotary District Governor’s Address

Posted on August 29, 2024 by | 1 comment

–submitted by Joy Cardin

The 2024-25 Rotary 6250 District Governor Todd Restel is a member of Rotary Club of La Crosse and the CFO of First Supply – a company that distributes plumbing supplies.  He shared a story from early in his career when he was puzzled by the excitement his colleagues had over the way a certain toilet flushed.  But he has since realized the critical importance of plumbing when it comes to global health and its connection to Rotary’s efforts to improve clean water, sanitation and hygiene worldwide.   He suggested we might consider talking or learning about a sanitation project on or around November 19 – World Toilet Day! Governor Restel also discussed District 6250’s designation as a “Global Peacebuilder District” and encouraged us to take the Rotary Positive Peace Academy Course to learn more about peace building strategies. 

If you missed our meeting this week, you can watch it here:  https://youtu.be/RBgNSc2wJe8.

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August 21: Magician Matthew Teague: Bring a Child to Rotary Day

Posted on August 22, 2024 by | Leave a comment

–submitted by Joy Cardin

“Magic is that moment when you imagine anything can happen!”  With those words, Madison-based magician Matthew Teague proceeded to amuse and amaze an audience of Rotarians and future Rotarians participating in our annual Bring a Child/Grandchild to Rotary Day.  Teague is living his dream of performing magic all around Wisconsin and beyond and encouraging his fans to consider all possibilities.  Several young attendees volunteered to assist in the magic tricks which included bending spoons; a rope that turned into several ropes; a playing card that ended up in the shoe of one assistant; coins that magically came out of ears; and other tricks that had us all scratching our heads. When asked if he had advice for aspiring magicians, he said they should “learn how to love practice – and view it not as work but a thing of joy.” 

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