We recently celebrated the anniversary of the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose dream of racial equality and economic justice for all has been an inspiration for many of us personally for years. Madison was one of the first cities in America to honor Dr. King by declaring the anniversary of his birth a public holiday. We can be proud of that. At the same time, it reminds us of the challenge we face, as a community, to renew our commitment to ensure civil rights and economic justice for all.

We live in a more racially and culturally diverse society than ever before. This presents our city with vast opportunity but also with challenges. Barriers to understanding need to be removed so that people can come together and learn from each other, share each other's culture, language, knowledge, history.

Last year Madison initiated Study Circles on Race to help people committed to improving race relations in Madison form groups that reflect the racial and ethnic diversity of our city. The groups meet regularly to discuss race relations in order to achieve a deeper understanding of how much we have in common despite the differences that may appear to separate us. The first groups of Study Circles participants have completed a process and are ready to move forward. If you are interested in participating in a future Study Circle, contact Mona Winston at the Urban League of Greater Madison.

Madison will soon have a new Parking Manager and a new Madison Metro Manager. For a city its size, Madison has one of the best and most utilized transit systems in the country. The challenge is to ensure that it remains responsive to ridership demands despite a sharp hike in fuel prices that continues to be a major concern. The new Metro Manager will be responsible for reviewing our current system and ensuring that it can grow, not continue to face monetary woes as in 2000. The hub system was designed to respond to service needs and we hope future modifications can take advantage of that.

Perhaps you were struck, as I was, by the small number of new faces who chose to compete for elective office in municipal elections this spring. We will be electing a new Common Council, three seats on the School Board, and a Municipal Court Judge. Thirteen alders seeking re-election face no opposition at all and will be automatically returned to office. Only one aldermanic district features a primary contest. While it's likely that the ballot choices reflect a high confidence level among Madison voters with the way things are proceeding, I trust it does not mean that people are less interested in getting involved in local politics.

We should all have learned from recent experience how important it is to get out to vote. As last November's Presidential election proves, the outcome of a tightly contested race can be decided by a mere handful of ballots. Make sure your vote counts by casting your ballots in the February 20 primary and April 3 general elections.