Mike Olson would get my vote

Dear editor,

I’m writing in support of Mike Olson’s bid for mayor of Dodgeville.  He and I have been friends for decades and because I come from a family of public servants--my grandpa was a businessman turned congressman from Northern California and my father was a history professor turned intelligence officer during WWII and the Cold War — I was raised to believe in participatory democracy.   It is with this background that I support the qualities that Mike offers our community. 

I came to this community in the late 1960s when my family first discovered the fertile beauty of this area and purchased a farm near Avoca.  As a grad student at UW-Madison I listened to my neighbors out here for the grounding I needed to pursue the field of media analysis and history during times of social and political change.  My career as a professor entailed a commute from the City University of NY to rural WI and opened my eyes to the distances,  divides and distrust that can threaten to separate Americans from one another.  It was my connections with neighbors here, including a decades-long conversation with Mike Olson that  helped me understand the importance of mutual recognition and respect — how we learn about ourselves by listening for the differences between us, and  how we grow stronger by  addressing a diversity of needs.   

Mike Olson is that listener!  He is a deeply respectful young man who holds to an inclusive ideal when it comes to connecting with and understanding the needs of others.  What more essential characteristic for anyone seeking public office? 

Perhaps only “reliable” comes close, and Mike is also that.  I have watched him pursue career opportunities far from home, while feeling grateful for his returns home to help me and his family build and maintain a rural life.  Mike brings a determination to complete a task — a sturdy wall created out of erratic field stones comes to mind.  Mike shows up,  whatever the task!   

Mike Olson left home and distinguished himself in every position he held throughout many cities in the midwest: in education, business and local government.  He found a steady path during a time when the economy required him to adapt and adjust his goals.  He has come home to his roots in Iowa County with wide ranging experience and strong interpersonal skills.  In a new phase where he can work remotely, I see him seeking ways to belong here by serving the needs of this community by addressing the challenges we face.  Above all Mike brings an open mind and a commitment to the public good  at a time we need these qualities most.

If I lived in Dodgeville, Mike Olson would have my vote on April 2nd! 

 Serafina Bathrick

Avoca,WI