Fiscal Note
No City appropriation required.
Title
Awarding the 19th Annual Jeffrey Clay Erlanger Civility in Public Discourse Award to Eve Galanter
Body
WHEREAS, the Madison Common Council created the Jeffrey Clay Erlanger Civility in Public Discourse Award in memory of Jeffrey Erlanger's contributions to the City of Madison; and
WHEREAS, the Jeffrey Clay Erlanger Civility in Public Discourse Award Committee has selected Eve Galanter as recipient of the 2025 award. She is an individual who exemplifies the values that are fundamental to this award and were so admirably demonstrated by Jeff Erlanger; and
WHEREAS, Eve Galanter has been a civic leader in the Madison community in many varied and valuable ways for more than four decades.
WHEREAS, Ms. Galanter is the founder of Wisconsin’s Civic Games, a statewide competition on civic knowledge for teams of high school students to advance civic and civil engagement among young people. The purpose of the games is to both educate young people about the US and Wisconsin Constitutions, and to feel empowered to contribute to their communities in meaningful, thoughtful, and discerning ways.
WHEREAS, in 2021, when in-person competitions could not be held, Ms. Galanter created the Editorial Writing and Cartoon Contest for middle and high school students, with submissions based on First Amendment rights, and winning entries published in newspapers across the state.
WHEREAS, Ms. Galanter served four terms on the Madison Common Council, including one term as the Council president. Since then, she turned her extensive knowledge of Madison to hosting “District Reports” on the Madison City Channel for many years, interviewing Alders and City staff. During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, she provided the community with essential, accurate, and objective information about referendums and redistricting, broadcasting virtual interviews with City staff experts on a multitude of topics.
WHEREAS, Ms. Galanter is the past president of the Madison Civics Club, University of Wisconsin-Madison Hillel Foundation, YWCA of Madison Foundation, Wisconsin Women in Government, TEMPO Madison, and the Wisconsin Women’s Network, where she successfully launched the Women’s Policy Institute, which trains women community leaders across Wisconsin to be effective public policy advocates. She also served nine years on the Madison Public Library Board, including two terms as president, and on the boards of the Capital Times Kids Fund and Friends of PBS Wisconsin, as vice chair of the Public Policy Committee of the Unted Way of Dane County, and as a member of the Government Relations Committee of Downtown Madison Inc.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that Eve Galanter has been chosen to receive the 19th Annual Jeffrey Clay Erlanger Civility in Public Discourse Award; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and the Common Council of the City of Madison, Wisconsin, congratulate and thank Eve for all she has done, and continues to do, for our Madison community.