Paul Soglin

Mayor
Madison, WI

Mayor Paul Soglin is the 51st, 54th and 57th Mayor of Madison, elected for tenures in 1973, again in 1989, and 2011. He is now serving in his 17th year.

Soglin was raised in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, received a BA with honors in history in 1966 and a Doctor of Jurisprudence degrees from the University of Wisconsin. Following his first tenure, Soglin was a fellow at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.

Whether it was the Lake Monona bicycle path, or the Monona Terrace and Community Convention Center, or neighborhood centers and community gardens, the focus is on equity and a tax base that can support human services.

His tenure is noted for a major commitment to public transit with record setting ridership level, the design and construction of the State Street Mall resulting in one of the strongest downtown locally owned retail sectors, and the development of Madison's Civic Center.

Mayor Soglin focuses on developing a better sense of place for Madison neighborhoods, denser and better designed projects that maximize the utilization of infrastructure. Priorities include measuring city projects against the finest standards for livability, equity, and sustainability, and ensuring that all basic needs are within walking distance of every neighborhood.

Madison is committed to creating a food accessible community, building public markets, and food hubs, eliminating the critical racial and ethnic disparity in educational achievement, income, and incarceration.

Mayor Soglin currently serves on US Conference of Mayors: Transportation and Communications Committee, Vice Chair for City Livability/Bicycling, the Advisory Board, and is the chairman of theTask Force on Food Policy.