Kerr: 'I'm going to talk to the rank and file because I know we have the employees out there that have the knowledge and the skill to save us money and to deliver a better product for the city.'
Scott Kerr says he isn’t intimidated that his opponents in the Madison mayoral race have more political experience than him.
“The fact that I’m up against people who have either organizations behind them or political experience doesn’t matter to me because they’re looking at this as a political endeavor and I’m looking at it as a job,” Kerr tells Isthmus in a Zoom interview.
A Madison native and 42-year-employee for the city, Kerr announced his bid for Madison mayor in December. Running on a platform emphasizing public engagement and fiscal responsibility, he says he wants to “return city government to the type of government we were promised” — a government for and by the people.
“I don’t think we’ve had that for quite a while,” Kerr says.
If elected, Kerr says he would implement an online system for constituents to offer their opinions on city issues. This, he says, would eliminate the need for residents to attend hours-long city council meetings.
Kerr, who has worked in the parking utility and in the divisions of building inspection and traffic engineering, says that often the loudest voices are heard to the detriment of others.
Every time a speed bump is put in, for instance, the few people who want it there are happy, says Kerr. But many other residents who are directly affected by it are not. A system designed to elicit better public input — by keeping track of participating constituents, where they live and their concerns — would result in better public policy.
“They can register their opinions on things that affect their area or their lives,” Kerr says. “Then we can use that information to make council decisions, to make policy decisions and to show to the citizens of the city, ‘This is why we did this — we talked to the citizens, here’s the input we got, here’s the change we’re making.’”
Kerr has spent $54 on his campaign so far — just enough to launch his own website — which fits with his campaign theme to get “money out of politics.” Kerr says he is considering spending another $15 on business cards that contain his website and campaign email, but would be surprised if he spent more than $100 on the entirety of his campaign.
Kerr has also turned down all endorsement offers. “I don’t want them to come out backing me if I don’t make it out of the primary,” Kerr says. “What I told them is not to endorse anybody until you know who’s gonna be in the general election. It doesn’t make any sense to link yourself to a candidate that may not make it.”
Instead of endorsements and donations, Kerr has told supporters to help elect a state Supreme Court justice who would reject the state’s gerrymandered electoral maps.
“That’s gonna help all the communities because it’ll then restore the funding back to the cities once we get a balanced government again, and a government that actually works,” Kerr says. “The state has not worked in so long. I can’t remember the last time that we had a successful legislator and governor that would work for the people.”
In his various posts in the city, Kerr says he has taken on responsibilities beyond his job description. From 2006 until 2017, Kerr represented Madison Building Inspection on the Green Tier program board where he helped conduct the annual compliance review for the city. The Green Tier program enables organizations to systematically pursue sustainability goals.
Kerr says he decided to run for office because he was frustrated with what he sees as an inadequate response to the citizens of Madison from local government leaders, including Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway. But rather than focusing on disappointments with current leadership, Kerr says he wants to look forward to improvements he can make to the city.
He says he would prioritize consulting employees on the front lines in his decision making and not just rely on feedback from department heads.
“I’m gonna talk to the rank and file because I know we have the employees out there that have the knowledge and the skills to save us money and to deliver a better product to the city,” Kerr says.
As mayor, Kerr says he would keep his eye on the bottom line, but also ensure that any financial decisions he makes lead to positive change. A political background, Kerr tells Isthmus, is not an asset in this race.
“To me, this is just another job interview,” Kerr says. “Granted, there are about 300,000 people who get to make the decision on who gets the job, but it’s still just a job interview.”
Read about the other candidates in the 2023 Madison mayor's race: incumbent Mayor Satya Rhodes Conway, and challenger Gloria Reyes.
