Fiscal Note
No appropriation required.
Title
Honoring the life and images captured by photographer Phil Ejercito.
Body
WHEREAS, Phil Ejercito was a valued and active citizen, photographer and public figure in the City of Madison who fought for social justice and access to democracy since his arrival in 1999; and,
WHEREAS, Phil attended UW-Madison and was an active member of Associated Students of Madison where he served on the Campus Relations committee and Vote 2002 coalition; and,
WHEREAS, Phil worked with the Tenants' Resource Center and established the "Worst House in Madison" contest through his efforts with the Associated Students of Madison Tenants' Rights Campaign to bring public attention to sub-standard housing conditions within the City of Madison; and,
WHEREAS, Phil served with honor and distinction on the City of Madison's Housing Committee for many years and was the esteemed chair of the Landlord-Tenant Subcommittee, playing an integral role in passing ordinance amendments that barred discrimination against people without social security numbers, requiring functioning external locks, allowing tenants to make repairs and deduct the cost from their rent if the landlord was unresponsive, resolved the "early showing" problem and protected tenants' security deposits from illegal deductions; and,
WHEREAS, Phil became a fixture in the City of Madison as a talented and award-winning photojournalist capturing its daily life, events and politics for Isthmus, Dane101 and The Clarion, consistently awing his peers and teachers at MATC, where he was pursuing a Photojournalism degree with his talent, keen eye and sense of humanity in his work; and,
WHEREAS, Phil was ahead of the curve in 2006, pre-inventing Twitter in the form of CRASH Madison, creating a text-based communication system to relay real-time information regarding the City of Madison's inaugural Freakfest Halloween event; and,
WHEREAS, Phil Ejercito was a kind, generous, intelligent individual with a great sense of humor and decency to all those he came in contact with and touched many lives during his life through his passion and commitment to democracy and social justice;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Common Council and the Mayor of Madison do hereby honor the life, work and public service of Phil Ejercito and praise his commitment to improving the lives of tenants and citizens through his public service, photojournalism, and dedication and commitment to housing issues, democracy and social justice.