01/16/06 WAR TO BE ON BALLOTS IN STATE ; RESIDENTS OF MANY COMMUNITIES WILL BE ABLE TO VOTE ON WHETHER THE U.S. SHOULD PULL IT

Wisconsin State Journal Madison, Wis.: Jan 16, 2006 pg. B.1

In the spring of 1968, Madison was a hub of antiwar sentiment and the only place in the state that residents could vote in a referendum asking for the withdrawal of American troops from Vietnam.

But when the April election is held this year, Madison won't be going it alone.

From rural towns to some of the state's most urban communities, referendums will be held asking that the U.S. remove its troops from Iraq.

"People expect Madison to vote on it, but to see it on the ballot in Kewaunee and Algoma, that's a really significant development," said Steve Burns of the Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice. "People all over the state have picked up the call."

At least 15 communities will have referendums, and more communities could join the list in the next few weeks. On Tuesday, city councils in Monona and Watertown will consider referendum requests, while the Mount Horeb Village Board will consider adding an April 4 referendum at its Feb. 1 meeting.

The requests are the result of petition drives in each community.

"The hard part was finding people at home. But when you did find people at home, the majority were willing to sign," said Ken Scott, who helped collect 350 signatures in four days in Mount Horeb. "I was pleasantly surprised."

And Mount Horeb isn't even the smallest Dane County community involved in the process.

In the town of Vermont in western Dane County, 170 signatures were collected. Retired farmer and UW-Madison agriculture professor David Stanfield said he got signatures from both sides of the political aisle.

"It didn't seem to be a Republican or Democratic political thing. They seemed to be equally worried about things," Stanfield said. "What happens on election day, I don't know."

The 1968 referendum attempt in Madison failed 57-43 percent.The April election will feature races for town, village and school boards, city councils and mayoral races.

In Monona, where a school referendum could also be on the ballot, Ald. Doug Wood has proposed that the City Council vote to put a "bring home the troops" referendum on the ballot. A petition with 570 signatures was denied by the city clerk because of its wording, and organizers decided not to recollect the signatures.

"I think putting the question on (the ballot) furthers the wishes of those who signed it," Wood said. "This proposal is not saying, 'What is the position of the City Council?' It's asking for citizen input, to get their views."

The state's largest city, Milwaukee, will hold a referendum in November.

Some petitions have been questioned by local officials for wording the ballot measures in the form of a question instead of an affirmative statement.

In Watertown, one of the larger cities involved in the push for an April referendum, petitioners amended the wording of the petition without throwing out the 986 signatures they collected in November and December. But Ald. Norman Bartel has drafted a resolution asking for a referendum, which wouldn't require the petition.

"I think people will be surprised in a conservative community how much support there is for the referendum," said Penny Eiler of the Watertown Peace and Democracy Coalition.

In the town of Couderay in northern Wisconsin's Sawyer County, 14 signatures were collected, two more than were needed.

Officials, however, say they don't want a referendum and are trying to determine if state law requires a town to hold a referendum even with a petition.

"We have no idea what to do," said Town Chairman James Bassett, who uses his home computer to print ballots. "We can move fast when we have to, but we want to do what's right."

Those pushing for the referendums say they hope that if the April referendums are successful, it will encourage more referendums in other parts of the state and send a message to the state's congressional delegation.

"I do believe the American people are fed up with this war, and this effort is a vehicle to express that discontent," said Fred Juergens, president of the Citizens United of Union/Evansville.

BARRY ADAMS