jacob c. wright
I’m proud to represent a beautiful slice of Madison’s East Side: Eastmorland, Hiestand Park, Rolling Meadows, Elvehjem, and East Buckeye neighborhoods.
I’m here to give back to my community—and to work for a Dane County in which everyone can thrive. To make that a reality, we need to address deep, long-standing disparities and establish true racial and economic justice. We also need to take action locally on climate change so we can deliver a safe environment and clean water, soil, and air to our children and our children’s children.
These are big challenges, but I believe we can meet them through bold, inclusive, and collaborative action. I promise to do my part, and I look forward to hearing from you.
I’ve lived on Madison’s East Side since 2005. Currently, I live in Elvehjem with my wife (an MMSD elementary school teacher), two children, and an old adopted dog. I work in healthcare technology and I serve on the Elvehjem Neighborhood Association Board of Directors. My past community service includes a term as Chair of the East Side Progressives action team and several years on the Steering Committee for the Wisconsin AIDS Ride. Past professional experience includes a few years as a barista, a stint as a freeform alternative DJ, and research on endangered plant species.
As for hobbies, I lift weights, read, ride my bicycle (for three of our four Wisconsin seasons), cook excellent meals on occasion, and enjoy lots of time (and a little bit of success) in my garden.
I blog regularly at wrightfordanecounty.com.
First, a personal note. Many of you know our beloved old dog, Templeton. He passed away peacefully on March 15. He was such a good dog, and my family and I miss him terribly.
I apologize if I’ve been behind on communications over the past couple of weeks. That’s what’s going on.
This is some of the first writing I’ve done without him at my feet. It’s an adjustment, for sure.
Diving in:
I’d promised more on this topic, so here are some updates.
First, some background. As you may know, we have serious PFAS contamination issues at the MSN Airport/Truax property, originating largely from long-term use of firefighting foam containing PFAS chemicals. As a result, PFAS has made its way into our waterways.
The Airport isn't in District 17, but several impacted waterways—including Starkweather Creek and Lake Monona—are.
PFAS chemicals are known as “forever chemicals,” because that’s what they are. They’re also very dangerous carcinogens. I’m convinced that PFAS is going to be viewed in history as our present-day asbestos issue; it’s that serious, and we need a matched commitment to getting rid of it.
Unfortunately, we don’t have a proven, thorough way to do so today.
In light of this, in 2020 the County launched a pilot project that uses microbes to break down some of the most dangerous PFAS chemicals. This was done in partnership with ORIN Technologies (based in Verona) along with Fixed Earth Innovations, a Canadian company.
This PBS Wisconsin article discusses the project in detail.
This past October, they released an initial set of promising results—namely, a 90%+ reduction in PFOA and PFOA, two of the most dangerous chemicals in the PFAS classification.
All parties are now looking to expand the scope of the pilot.
Now—I believe strongly that we need these types of projects, because the reality is that we need to work the problem, and we don’t have many options here. I cannot stress enough the importance of getting rid of this stuff.
Clearly, though, any such process is going to raise its own set of concerns and questions. In March, Supv. Yogesh Chawla called a joint meeting of the Airport Commission and the County’s Environment, Agriculture, and Natural Resources Committee. Representatives from ORIN Technologies and Fixed Earth Innovations presented and took questions from the Supervisors present (myself, along with Sups. Chawla, Smith, Palm, Hatcher, Downing, and McCarville) as well as the public.
You can view the meeting here.
Unfortunately, as of today, we do not have answers to the questions and concerns raised. There was not agreement to answering questions within the meeting—instead, we are owed written responses that will be posted publicly. I will update as soon as I get those.
Here are my largest concerns:
As noted above, these and other concerns are to be responded to in writing, and I'll update when they are.
Thank you for reading. As always, reach out if you have any questions or concerns!