There's fear, loathing and hope in post-election Madison.

During the campaign, special-interest groups and political parties made threats and delivered volunteers or spent big money on City Council races. Some council members got openly involved in races outside their districts, which is rare in the city, and opened wounds.

"I've never seen a campaign season that has been so polarized, with so much spending and (was) so downright nasty," said council President Tim Bruer, 14th District. "It's a shared responsibility."

On Tuesday, all eight candidates endorsed by fledgling Progressive Dane won. Democratic Party candidates who opposed Progressive Dane lost. And the Madison Area Apartment Association, which raised an unprecedented $50,000-plus for "greasing" the political wheel, fell short in three high-profile races.

Several seats changed. Liberals Matt Sloan and Kent Palmer ousted moderate-conservatives Napoleon Smith and Dave Schneider in the 13th and 15th districts, and unopposed moderate Cindy Thomas replaced retiring conservative Ron Reif in the 7th District. Conservative Judy Compton replaced retiring moderate Jake Altwegg in the 16th District.

Bauman, who won by a razor-thin, 55-vote margin two years ago, swept to a full, four-year term with 80 percent of the vote over Eugene Parks.

The results will start to shake out when the new council is sworn in April 20, with housing and tenant rights as the likely flash-point issues.

Bauman intends to be more assertive.

"Now is the right time for me to be pushing my agenda," she said. "I will be initiating more things and making stronger statements."

The agenda will center on housing, race relations, basic services, spending priorities and youth, she said.

The new council is harder to predict.

Neither the left nor right has had a clear majority in recent years, and that's still true. But the left is gaining strength on the 20-member panel.

The campaign threatens to polarize the council similar to the Dane County Board or state Legislature, observers said.

"I'm worried about personal animosity," said Ald. Judy Olson, 6th District, who was endorsed by Progressive Dane, ran unopposed and is now emerging as the likely successor to Bruer as council president. "I think we all need to take a step back and look at what's going on here."

Bruer, who supports Olson and conservative Ald. Dorothy Borchardt, 12th District, for council pro tem, agreed.

"The next year could be a year of living hell if we don't bring these different factions together," he said.

Much depends on a more powerful left.

The apartment association said a more liberal council would "unleash a tidal wave of anti-landlord legislation," and be a "quick end to a promising relationship of cooperation."

That's not going to happen, Progressive Dane members said.

Ald. Mike Verveer, 4th District, who was endorsed by Progressive Dane and easily won re-election, said the left will push "progressive" issues, but not unleash any tidal wave.

The left will reintroduce a recently defeated ordinance to prohibit landlords from discriminating solely on the basis of whether a tenant receives federal Section 8 assistance.

Other priorities include a new "living wage" task force to explore health insurance, benefits and minimum wages for child-care workers; health benefits for domestic partners of employees; a new tax increment financing policy; eliminating an anti-loitering ordinance; and the budget, Verveer said.

The big rift is between Progressive Dane and the apartment association, which battled over the housing ordinances during the last term and continued the fight through the election.

Progressive Dane, five years old with 450 members, was disturbed by the apartment association's campaign spending and "vicious half- truths and outright lies," co-chairman David Austin said.

"I think the apartment association damaged their credibility," he said.

But Progressive Dane doesn't intend to immediately offer an uncompromising agenda, Austin said.

"I see something more gradual," he said.

Noah Fiedler, the apartment association's executive officer, said landlords were concerned about protecting their livelihoods, but that the association did nothing illegal or wrong during the campaign.

The association will pursue a budding relationship with the Urban League of Greater Madison and others, work with tenant advocates to develop a clearinghouse for vacant apartments, and try to educate landlords and tenants.

Bauman is hopeful the council won't polarize over quick fixes.

"It's important for the council not to try to change the course of history and take action real quickly and expect immediate results," she said.