Madison mayor's goals reflect housing growth

MADISON -- A few days ago, NCN introduced you to Madison's lone opponent in the upcoming mayoral election. Today, we caught up with the incumbent mayor -- learning about his goals in the position, which include tackling the ongoing statewide housing crisis. 

Mayor Alvin Brandl has lived in Madison for most of his life, having watched the community grow and, as he said, come together. 

"When I came here I think we were going down a road where things were kind of divided and we tried to bring all the people right back to work together," Brandl said.

His listed accomplishments which include park developments, library additions, and having surpassed housing predictions. The 2019 Madison County Housing Study showed the community demanded 59 new housing units by 2024. Yet, Brandl's office reports 83 since then. 

Brandl said the key is planning ahead. 

"We started by cleaning up the town," he said. 

Going forward, he said the city needs to focus on single-family homes, to encourage families who will be permanent residents. It may be an attainable goal, as Madison is expected to continue to grow its workforce due to its vicinity to Tyson. 

"I think we really finally understand what we're allowed to do and can attack it in a way that gets things done."

Brandl signed up to run again before there was a competitor. He said he plans to retire from the role after his next term (Madison does not limit mayoral terms), but would like to complete one more term to see current projects -- especially road expansions -- through.