David Austin and Sheila Crowley are the co-chairs of Progressive Dane.

Last Tuesday, eight candidates endorsed by Progressive Dane were elected to the City Council, including two who unseated conservative incumbents. We believe Progressive Dane candidates were successful because of strong community ties, issue-oriented campaigns and a focus on campaigns run by people, not money. This election also shows the need for campaign finance reforms.

The candidates endorsed by Progressive Dane had strong ties to their neighborhoods and this helped our candidates to stay in touch with voters. For example, Matt Sloan and Kent Palmer are presidents of their respective neighborhood associations.

In contrast, some of our opponents simply did not keep in touch with their constituents as new issues such as living wage ordinances and equal access to affordable housing came onto the public agenda. In a city where 50 percent of the residents are renters and where low unemployment has not put any upward pressure on wages, these issues are important to the vast majority of people. Progressive Dane's candidates responded to voters; our opponents did not.

Second, Progressive Dane candidates focused on issues and did not resort to negative campaigning. Underlying all of our work are basic values, such as living wages, decent affordable housing for all, respect for the environment and clean, accessible government. Progressive Dane's candidates translated these values into concrete policy proposals that resonated with voters. Kent Palmer talked about neighborhood planning and public transportation to reduce traffic congestion. Jose Sentmanat and Barbara Vedder practiced campaign finance reform with self-imposed contribution limits.

In contrast, the Madison Area Apartment Association and candidates it supported resorted to vicious half-truths and outright lies about Progressive Dane and about our candidates. These tactics actually turned out voters who supported Progressive Dane candidates.

The third reason Progressive Dane candidates have been successful is that we emphasize getting people involved in the political process. We believe that the social, economic and political progress of the United States requires a democratic revolution in America - the return of power to the people. As a result, our campaigns are based on modest budgets and lots of volunteer work. We had more than 100 members volunteering on campaigns and the candidates themselves brought in additional volunteers. We believe this participation is good for the city. Involvement in council races will lead to involvement in neighborhood associations, unions and other civic organizations.

In contrast, our opponents, most notably the Apartment Association, thought that money alone could buy elections.

The Apartment Association's tactics show the need for better enforcement of campaign finance laws and the urgent need for reform of these laws. The Apartment Association's election conduit filed campaign finance reports late and the association created several front groups that raised and spent money without the necessary reporting. These and other actions were flagrant violations of state campaign finance laws.

Madison residents have the right to know who is paying for local elections. If this right is to have any real meaning, proper reporting is essential. We therefore call on the district attorney to prosecute the reporting illegalities of the Apartment Association.

In addition, we propose that the city require campaign finance reports to be filed electronically. This would enable voters to search for important information in an easy way instead of having to slog through hundreds of pages.

Campaign information should also be available on the Internet. The Apartment Association saved many of its dirtiest tricks for the last weekend before election day. If information on who is behind this kind of mudslinging is not available instantaneously, candidates who are getting smeared must wait until Monday before they have the information necessary to respond. This delay may make a difference in close races.

Finally, the negative campaigning of the Apartment Association shows the need for campaign finance reform. The landlords used conduits that circumvent donation limits, false front groups and so- called issue ads that may not be subject to reporting requirements. These and other tactics need to be abolished. State law currently preempts local governments from implementing their own campaign finance laws. We therefore call on the Legislature to either enact comprehensive campaign finance reform or give local governments the authority to act.

We believe that a majority of Madison residents share our values: the equality of all people and a commitment to fairness - not letting such moral irrelevancies as race, gender, age, sexual orientation or inheritance determine one's life chances; a commitment to democracy, not only through clean, effective and accountable government, but also through popular democratic organizations such as unions and community groups; and economic policies that promote sustainable development instead of urban sprawl and the flight of business to the suburbs.

Progressive Dane will continue to promote policies that reflect these values. We hope all Madison residents will continue to join us in these efforts, just as they did last Tuesday.