📝 Fake electors settle suit

⚖️ Dane Co. Judge Rules On Abortion

• A Dane County judge ruled this week that Wisconsin’s 1849 law does not prohibit abortions. The decision reaffirms the judge’s previous July ruling that said there is “no such thing as an ‘1849 Abortion Ban,’” claiming the law applies to feticide and not abortion.
• While the ruling is considered a big win for reproductive rights advocates, it will likely be appealed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. [Wisconsin Examiner]

🗳️ Fake Electors Fess Up

• The 10 Republicans who posed as fake electors for former President Donald Trump in Wisconsin have settled a civil lawsuit and admitted their actions were "part of an attempt to improperly overturn the 2020 presidential election results."
• Under the agreement, the fake electors acknowledged Joe Biden won the state of Wisconsin in the 2020 election and have agreed not to serve as presidential electors in 2024 or any other election where Trump is on the ballot.
• The bigger picture: Wisconsin wasn’t the only state with fake electors, and the question of punitive damages has yet to be answered. [WPR, City Cast Madison 🎧]

⚾️ Brewers Stadium Approved

• Gov. Tony Evers signed off on a $500 million public funding plan to make long-term improvements to American Family Field, formerly known as Miller Park, AKA where the Milwaukee Brewers play. The bipartisan bill also ensures that the team will stay in the city until at least 2050. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 🔒]

🤑 City Council Considers Pay Raises

• City Council Vice President Yannette Figueroa Cole introduced a proposal to raise council members’ annual salaries from $15,128 in 2024 to $24,218 in 2025 (with the president and vice president both earning slightly more). Madison’s City Council members work roughly 20 hours a week on the job.
• Figueroa Cole told the State Journal that a salary increase could open the door to more people running for office who may not have considered the opportunity because of finances.
• “It is not feasible for people that have more than one job and other demands such as school or family to dedicate the time needed to prepare for council and committee meetings as well as to satisfy additional commitments and public expectations,” she said. “People should be paid for the time the job requires. We are not asking for actual wages, but an increase to facilitate the feasibility of others to run for office.” [Wisconsin State Journal]

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Fake Electors Settle, Parking Rates Rise, and A Santa Surprise

The City Cast Madison team is here to round up the news of the week. Host Bianca Martin and Madison Minutes newsletter editor Hayley Sperling discuss the latest in the Wisconsin fake electors case, after the electors settle in court and admit that Joe Biden won the 2020 election. Plus, Madison raises some of its off-street parking rates and a cadre of inflatable Santa Clauses pop up on Monroe Street lawns.