Mayor cites safety, strain of public office in surprise withdrawal
Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway announced Friday she will not seek reelection in April, saying an escalation of threats and personal attacks has made continuing in public office untenable for her and her family. The announcement closes the door on what had been a reelection campaign she launched in mid-July.
In an interview with News 3 Now, Rhodes-Conway said the decision was driven by concerns for personal safety and wellbeing.
“The price of being in public office has gotten too high. I’m ready to take a step back and not be the face of things,”she said, adding that she still plans to contribute to the community in other ways but does not want to endure the level of harassment the office has experienced.
The mayor’s decision follows a summer of heightened tensions in Madison after a police shooting and a monthslong dispute involving the city’s interim Independent Police Monitor. City records and reporting show those episodes generated intense public backlash and political pressure.
Sequence of events that heightened tensions
Rhodes-Conway had announced her bid for a third term in mid-July. Within a week, a Madison police officer, identified in coverage as Kiel Baitinger-Peterson, shot and killed Corey Ruiz. An encampment sprang up at the site of the shooting and remained for nearly two weeks, blocking a major thoroughfare and costing businesses on Williamson Street thousands of dollars, according to reporting.
The city later cleared the encampment, an action Rhodes-Conway defended while acknowledging the administration could have communicated more effectively about the length of the investigation into the shooting.
“The pace of government is so much slower than what the community wants, and the pace of investigation is so much slower than what the community wants,”she said, adding the city could do better at explaining how the justice system works.
At the same time, controversy swirled around interim Independent Police Monitor Aeramique Glass. After an on-scene altercation with police during a protest, Glass was reported to have said she would “burn this city down.” Rhodes-Conway publicly condemned those remarks. The dispute culminated this week when the Madison Common Council voted to fire Glass after a 12-hour meeting.
| Event | Timing |
|---|---|
| Mayor announces reelection campaign | Mid-July |
| Officer-involved shooting of Corey Ruiz | About a week later |
| Encampment at shooting site cleared | After nearly two weeks |
| Interim Independent Police Monitor controversy and firing | Monthslong dispute; firing after 12-hour council meeting this week |
| Mayor announces she will not seek reelection | Friday |
What Rhodes-Conway highlighted from her tenure
While announcing her decision, Rhodes-Conway reflected on achievements during more than seven years in office, noting progress on public transportation and housing as well as other initiatives. Among items she cited were the rollout of bus rapid transit, construction of over 19,000 homes with additional projects in the pipeline, expansion of an emergency mental health response program, advances in renewable energy use and investments in homeless services.
She also noted the broader challenges her administration faced, including the COVID-19 pandemic and what she described as a state Legislature intent on limiting the city’s funding and powers. Rhodes-Conway called her decision to step aside “bittersweet” and said she made it weeks ago so prospective candidates would know the seat will be open.
- She said she felt pressured to announce her campaign in July and did so for the wrong reasons.
- Rhodes-Conway stopped short of saying she would endorse any candidate for mayor, saying that would depend on who runs.
- When first elected in 2019, she became Madison’s first openly gay mayor and its second woman to hold the office.
The announcement instantly reshapes Madison’s political landscape as candidates prepare for an open-seat mayoral contest in April. City residents, business owners affected by summer protests, and civic leaders now face a compressed window to assess contenders and stake out priorities for public safety, policing oversight and communication between city government and communities most affected by high-profile incidents.
For now, Rhodes-Conway will complete her current term. The implications of her withdrawal — for city policy, council dynamics and the mayoral field — will unfold in the coming months as potential candidates declare and campaign ahead of the spring election.
