Madison official denies abuse allegations as controversy swirls

Sustainable Development Goals and Condemnation of Domestic Violence

Note: This article addresses domestic and physical violence. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 or Madison’s Domestic Violence Intervention Services help line at 608-251-4445.

Introduction

Public allegations of abuse against an elected official led to an unusual turn of events this week as the accused man himself and his fellow Madison City Council members voted to condemn domestic violence.

Resolution Affirming Support for Survivors of Domestic Violence

The City Council passed a resolution Tuesday night “affirming unwavering support for survivors of domestic violence and abuse” after dozens of people filed into the City-County Building to address the council, offering support or sharing stories about personal experiences with abuse.

Ald. Sabrina Madison, District 17, brought forward the resolution — which has no action attached to it — as a direct response to the allegations against Myadze even though he is not named in the document.

“Domestic violence doesn’t just happen in isolation — it is happening every single day,” Madison said at Tuesday’s meeting. “It is happening every minute of the day. We even have a recent case of domestic violence here in the city that we are all grappling (with) and hearing about.”

Almost the entire council signed on to the resolution, with 17 sponsors total — including Myadze himself, who joined the meeting virtually but did not speak during discussion.

Madison, the alder, said she brought the resolution forward “to say that we stand with survivors of domestic violence.” It’s a unique situation, she said, “where two women who are survivors of abuse” have come out against one of her colleagues.

Allegations Against Myadze

Madison was referring to recent allegations made against Myadze from his ex-wife Jamie Johnson and a former girlfriend, Michelle McKoy, that the alder physically and emotionally abused them during their relationships. Madison365 reported on the allegations in March.

Johnson was married to Myadze from 2001 until 2003, and McKoy said she dated Myadze on and off from 2006 until 2013 and at one point they were engaged. Both have claimed Myadze physically assaulted them — recounting tales of being choked by the District 18 alder to Madison365. The Cap Times also interviewed McKoy but has been unable to independently verify the allegations made against Myadze.

Family court records show Myadze went through “support/maintenance actions” with a different woman in 1999 over child support. McKoy was granted a temporary restraining order against Myadze in March, records show, but the Dane County Circuit Court denied her petition for a harassment restraining order later in the month.

Response and Calls for Action

McKoy has asked the City Council to hold a vote of no confidence and said she hopes it will be the first step toward Myadze’s removal from office.

While there seems to be support for Myadze’s removal — Sabrina Madison told the Cap Times Wednesday “he should step down” and former council President Jael Currie recently echoed a similar sentiment — state statute dictates that an alder can be removed from office only by recall or by the council after a finding of cause such as “inefficiency, neglect of duty, official misconduct, or malfeasance in office.”

The Latinx Consortium for Action also called for the City Council to “take immediate and decisive steps” to “hold accountable those whose conduct undermines the trust and safety of residents.”

Madison-area state Sens. Kelda Roys, Melissa Agard and Dianne Hesselbein also released a joint statement, maintaining that “Survivors of domestic and sexual violence deserve to be believed, supported, and given the resources they need to heal.”

Discussion and Restorative Justice

Ald. Madison said restorative justice is her goal, as well. And while Tuesday’s resolution was a good step, some at the meeting called it a mere platitude.

Ald. Julianna Bennett said she supported the resolution’s intent but asked to be removed as a sponsor since Myadze was among the co-sponsors.

“To me, it is quite disappointing that we exist in systems that have been built around protecting abusers,” Bennett said Tuesday. “The way this honoring resolution has been gone about, although I am so glad we had the space and opportunity to hear from all of you, is a public display of protecting abusers.”

McKoy told the Cap Times she feels similarly, remarking it’s “good the council did something,” but that a resolution with no action attached is not enough.

“I know that their hands are tied right now…But what really hurts about that resolution is he signed off on it,” McKoy said. “That was a total disrespect to myself and the other survivors. That was his way of using his power to let us know he’s untouchable.”

Madison said she hopes after Tuesday’s discussion other alders will ask more questions about “what’s in our power and what’s not in our power to do?”

She said she hopes the council will start to “engage with legislators” about changing the law about when a local official can be removed from office.

Madison said she is hearing from local organizations that more people have been reaching out for help or to talk about their experiences surrounding domestic abuse and violence. She said she saw it firsthand after she made a recent Facebook post recounting her own experience and dozens of people shared their stories in the comments.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. SDGs Addressed or Connected to the Issues Highlighted in the Article

• SDG 5: Gender Equality
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

2. Specific Targets Under Those SDGs Based on the Article’s Content

• SDG 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation.
• SDG 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere.

3. Indicators Mentioned or Implied in the Article

• Number of reported cases of domestic violence and abuse
• Number of survivors of domestic violence and abuse seeking support
• Number of individuals sharing personal experiences with abuse
• Number of individuals filing complaints or allegations against elected officials

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

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Source: captimes.com

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