Q&A with Jose Sentmanat
Thursday, November 1st, 2007by Nathan Comp
Jose Sentmanat is a busy man. As executive assistant to Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk, Sentmanat oversees and helps coordinate issues that deal with public safety, the criminal justice system and human services.
Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Miami, Sentmanat, 42, came to Madison in the mid-1990s, where he earned a law […]
Q&A with Geraldine Walker
Thursday, October 25th, 2007
By Nathan J. Comp
In March 2000, Geraldine Walker was hit by a car while crossing a
Chicago street on her way to work. Walker, 52, was wheelchair-bound for
nearly three years following the accident, her health complicated further
during this time by the onset of diabetes, weight gain, and divorce.
After leaving her husband, Walker and her 8-year-old son, […]
Q & A with Enis Ragland
Wednesday, October 3rd, 2007By Nathan J. Comp
Over the last 17 years, Enis Ragland has worked for the city of Madison under three mayors, including 14 years as a liaison to community services. His recent appointment by Mayor Dave Cieslewicz as interim director of the Office of Community Services has been widely applauded by bloggers, editorial writers, and […]
Q and A with Rob Dz
Thursday, September 27th, 2007By Nathan J. Comp
Since he returned to Madison five months ago, hip-hop artist Rob Dz has been lying low. But just because he’s not headlining shows doesn’t mean he’s not working. In fact, Rob Dz is in overdrive.
With three music projects, including a song on the soundtrack to Spike Lee’s upcoming film, and a children’s […]
Q and A with Alfonso Zepeda-Capistrán
Thursday, September 20th, 2007By Nathan J. Comp
When Alfonso Zepeda-Capistrán began documenting wage-abuse complaints from employees at La Hacienda Mexican restaurant on Park Street, the 41-year-old Mexican native didn’t doubt the veracity of what he was hearing. It’s a story he’s heard many, many times from Latino immigrants who’d worked at other local establishments.
But more than an advocate of […]
Q and A with Dave Mahoney
Saturday, September 8th, 2007By Nathan J. Comp
For Dave Mahoney, it’s an exciting time to be Dane County Sheriff. The progressive-minded crime fighter has big plans for the $11 million-a-year agency. To his benefit, the political and economic climates are right for Mahoney, 48, to test innovative approaches to recruiting more minorities, implement programs to reduce jail overcrowding, and […]
Q and A with Shelia Stubbs
Saturday, September 8th, 2007By Nathan J. Comp
Shelia Stubbs is a woman with a lot to say. Since being elected to the county board in April 2006, the former parole agent has become a new kind of voice for Madison’s south side: One that is heard.
She has fought attempts to build a new jail in her district and has […]
Q and A with Lucia Nunez
Friday, June 1st, 2007By Nathan J. Comp
It’s been just over a year since Lucia Nuñez became the first head of the Department of Civil Rights, a controversial hybrid of the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Affirmative Action Department; and the 47-year-old Cuban native has big plans for year two.
While she spent the first year getting to understand the […]
Q and A with Art Rainwater
Friday, June 1st, 2007by Nathan J. Comp
Over the last nine years, Madison Metropolitan School District superintendent Art Rainwater has butted heads with everyone from school board members to the teachers union, from state legislators to irate parents. Such are the woes of a guy who oversees a 53-school district with 25,000 students, 6,500 employees and an annual operating […]
Q and A with Paul Barrows
Wednesday, May 9th, 2007By Nathan J. Comp
Paul Barrows, the former chancellor for Student Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, knows his reputation is ruined forever, but that isn’t stopping him from trying to hold accountable those he blames for its ruination. For three years, Barrows has fended off accusations that he had an improper relationship with a student, […]