Dana Pellebon Is Running for Dane County Executive: Running to Make Things Better (Part 2 of 2)
Dana Pellebon has gained a wealth of experience in the private, non-profit and public arenas that she would bring to bear as the Dane County executive
by Jonathan Gramling
Dana Pellebon has been active in the Madison area community for the past 30 years although she hasn’t always been very visible. Raising an autistic son — who is now 19-years-old — with the help of his father and working demanding private-sector jobs makes life a go-to-work-by-day, be-mother-at-night existence.
But within those demands, Pellebon has done what she can for the community while learning valuable skills in property management, which involves not just taking care of buildings, but also managing the people living within them. For the past two years, Pellebon has served on the Dane County Board, representing a good part of Fitchburg in District 33. This has allowed her to develop good working relationships with people with whom she would work as county executive.
“One of the things that defines me in my role as a county board supervisor is my ability to have created relationships, even new relationships where there is disagreement,” Pellebon said. “My relationship with Kalvin Barrett is one example of that. He and I have come together in very different bases over the last few years. And even when we disagreed rather strenuously, we have always been able to find solutions and move things forward because I do prioritize relationships. You can only do so many things by yourself. You’ve got to be able to work with people and build that community even around disagreement.”
As county executive, one of Pellebon’s biggest concerns would be taxes.
“I have some plans for how I can maintain the tax level we are at and possibly lower our Dane County taxes,” Pellebon said. “That is priority one.”
Pellebon would focus on establishing the right foundation to provide effective leadership to the county, first by putting the right people in place.
“I want to make sure that we have our director spaces filled with people who are ready to go,” Pellebon said. “We have some pretty big vacancies right now that still need to be handled. And the people who are in the positions of department heads have the support that they need. Strategic positions for the county is a pretty big thing for me.”
And she would then focus on getting everyone on board and engaged in moving Dane County in the right direction.
“I think that our departments already work very well given the opportunity to come together and say, ‘Here is what our strategic plan is for the next four years’” Pellebon said. “’This is what we are working on. This is what it looks like.’ And not just with the department heads, but also including the county board, including our other constitutional officers who deal with county issues to say, ‘What is it that we are looking to do these next four years? How do we accomplish that? What makes the best sense for our county knowing that we are walking into times that might be a little more strenuous?’ We know that we have lost ARPA funding for this next budget. We know that there are deficits that could be coming. We spent a lot of money with capital expenditures over the last few years. All of these are worthy things that have happened. But what’s next? So building out what is next for the county is very important to me.”
With the possibility of looming budgets along with the finjancial demands that come with a fast growing population, Pellebon emphasized that we are all in this together.
“This isn’t just a county executive conversation,” Pellebon said. “This is a holistic conversation. Because we don’t have things pinpointed, things are being brought up. For example, we’re currently looking at some changes that were made for accommodations for the jail to get people in and out that has created a financial deficit. Even now, in the last couple of weeks on the board, we’re still having these conversations, still working hard, still trying to say, ‘How do we make sure that we aren’t losing revenue?’ These are ongoing conversations. There is still space that we need to figure out where are the gaps in the deficits. And then we need to explore what is the best way to do it. And I would hate to say, ‘Here is my solution for things’ without involving the people who do that work every day. I am not a ‘top-down’ administrator. I am a collaborative administrator with the final decision. And so it is presumptuous of me to say, ‘I’m going to come in and I am going to fix this thing.’ Absolutely, I am not. Instead, we in the county together are going to work very hard to make sure that our county residents don’t feel the crunch of what I know is going to be some pretty economic impacts these next few years.”
During this time of growth, Pellebon wants to ensure that everyone can take advantage of it.
“In 10 years, what I would like for us to have is a solid infrastructure that accounts for those who have the most needs without the struggle and that everyone who is living in Dane County is striving,” Pellebon said. “That’s what I want to see in 10 years. People have access and they are thriving with that access.”
By not being born in Dane County and having experienced several communities in the United States, Pellebon appreciates the high quality of life that Dane County enjoys and wants to see that continue.
“I’ve lived all over these United States,” Pellebon said. “Even recently, I spent a couple of weeks in one of my hometowns with my family. I was helping my mom through surgery. And the uniqueness of Madison and Dane County is something I haven’t seen anywhere else. We have a great community of people who care about things and are willing to do the work to make things better. And I have been a part of that work and I want to continue that work at that highest level where I can affect all of our lives positively every single day.”
Dana Pellebon wants to ensure that Dane County maintains its greatness as its next county executive.