Join us for two forums with Madison’s mayoral candidates

The Capital Times, Arts + Literature Laboratory, and Tone Madison present two events on January 9 and 16 at the Barrymore Theatre.

Madison has a mayoral primary election coming up on February 19, and it’s going to be interesting, to say the least. Eight candidates have officially announced that they’re running, including incumbent Mayor Paul Soglin, who previously said he’d be stepping down. Whoever prevails in the primary and the April 2 spring election will make decisions with profound implications for the city’s future. This January, the Barrymore Theatre will be hosting two events where Madisonians can learn more about the candidates’ policy positions in general and their visions for supporting arts and culture. This pair of events is presented in partnership with The Capital Times, Arts + Literature Laboratory, and Tone Madison. Both are free and open to the public.

On Wednesday, January 9, at 7 p.m., The Capital Times will host a 90-minute debate among the candidates as part of its Cap Times Talks series. This event will cover a range of policy issues.

The next Wednesday, January 16, at 7 p.m., ALL and Tone Madison present a candidates’ forum specifically focused on arts and culture. What kinds of arts programs should the city fund with taxpayer dollars? How can Madison become a more viable place for creative people to live and work? We’ll be asking about these issues and more.

Tone Madison will be reporting on both events, and recording the Jan. 16 debate for our weekly podcast. We’ll be announcing more details soon about the format of the arts debate. For now, if there’s an arts-related question you’d like the candidates to address at the second debate, send it to us at editor@tonemadison.com. And if your business or organization would like to support these events as a sponsor, email Arts + Literature Laboratory’s Jolynne Roorda at hello@artlitlab.org.