Derek Field
Derek Field is a member of the Madison Common Council in Wisconsin, representing District 3. He assumed office on April 18, 2023. His current term ends on April 15, 2025.
Field is running for re-election to the Madison Common Council to represent District 3 in Wisconsin. He is on the ballot in the general election on April 1, 2025.[source] The primary for this office on February 18, 2025, was canceled.
Biography
Derek Field was born in Dodgeville, Wisconsin. Field earned a bachelor's degree and a graduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2016 and 2017, respectively. His career experience includes working in higher education.[1]
Elections
2025
See also: City elections in Madison, Wisconsin (2025)
General election
General election for Madison Common Council District 3
Incumbent Derek Field is running in the general election for Madison Common Council District 3 on April 1, 2025.
Candidate | ||
| Derek Field (Nonpartisan) | ||
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Nonpartisan primary election
The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Derek Field advanced from the primary for Madison Common Council District 3.
Endorsements
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2023
See also: City elections in Madison, Wisconsin (2023)
General election
General election for Madison Common Council District 3
Derek Field defeated Matt Van Eperen in the general election for Madison Common Council District 3 on April 4, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Derek Field (Nonpartisan) | 62.0 | 3,044 | |
| Matt Van Eperen (Nonpartisan) | 37.2 | 1,827 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.7 | 35 | ||
| Total votes: 4,906 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Madison Common Council District 3
Derek Field and Matt Van Eperen defeated Stephanie Salas in the primary for Madison Common Council District 3 on February 21, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Derek Field (Nonpartisan) | 43.1 | 1,296 | |
| ✔ | Matt Van Eperen (Nonpartisan) | 31.5 | 946 | |
| Stephanie Salas (Nonpartisan) | 24.1 | 725 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.2 | 37 | ||
| Total votes: 3,004 | ||||
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Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Endorsements
Campaign themes
2025
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
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2023
Derek Field completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Field's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I am a data and analytics professional with six years of public service experience as an employee for state government agencies. I am passionate about using public policy as a tool to improve peoples' lives, and about using data and evidence as a tool to make good policy. I grew up on my parents' farm in Blue Mounds, WI and moved to Madison eleven years ago. I have a Master of Public Affairs degree from the La Follette School of Public Affairs at UW-Madison.
- Madison is experiencing a housing crisis that we all feel impacting our household budgets. The supply of homes and apartments doesn't meet the demand for housing, pushing prices far too high, far too quickly. I support responsible development and zoning tools that will bring more housing options to Madison - including options at lower price points.
- Public trust in the safety of our water supply is essential. With PFAS and other contaminants being found in our public wells, we must be diligent in adding treatment systems and other infrastructure upgrades that protect the health and safety of our drinking water supply. We cannot afford to take this essential natural resource for granted.
- Residents around the district are increasingly concerned about traffic safety where we see high speeds and dangerous driving behavior on our main roads through Far East Side neighborhoods. I support measures that will slow these drivers down, including traffic safety improvements like radar speed signs, redesigned intersections, and speed bumps. Our neighborhood roads must be safe for pedestrians, bikers, and drivers.
Beliefs aside, data shows us that property crime rates increased during the beginning of the pandemic and then declined in 2022 in Madison. This is evident in the Madison Police Department's published car theft, break-ins, and shots-fired reports data.
Yes. A healthy downtown includes a vibrant and diverse group of employers, everyday services, entertainment venues, and tourism attractions that create a sense of place and make a City's downtown an attractive place to live or visit.
Very important. If I win the election for District 3 Alder, I will continue the existing weekly blog posts with updates on city business. I will also join as many neighborhood meetings as possible with neighborhood associations in the district and I will build relationships with nonprofit community organizations who serve and understand the needs of residents (especially those not traditionally represented by neighborhood associations). With each of these groups and organizations, I will be available to hear their input and concerns and I will serve as a source of information about city proceedings and city business to make sure they're aware of issues relevant to their members and stakeholders.
In support of government transparency, I believe that public record requests should always be handled as soon as practicable and without delay - in accordance with state and federal open government laws.
Neighborhoods in my district are safe, though residents worry about increased crime incidents over the past few years - including dangerous driving behaviors and high traffic speeds. I'm connecting with East Side police officers to understand what they see as their biggest barriers to public safety. Providing stable, affordable housing options that meet folks' is a must to prevent crime. I support Madison's CARES alternative response program. Its first-year report shows that the program successfully gets most patients the help they need without involving police.
Madison is privileged to have good air and water quality in general, with a few problem spots. Some areas of Madison struggle with point-source contamination that the City needs to clean up (especially near drinking water wells) and prevent in the future.
I support infrastructure investments that build climate resilience in the community, especially resilience to increased flooding and more severe heat. I also support infrastructure investments that will allow residents to make more sustainable choices about housing and transportation, such as public transit routes that serve as an alternative to driving cars through our growing city's traffic.
I support science-informed and evidence-based policy recommended by public health experts, such as testing and contact-tracing to control the spread of COVID or other transmissible infections. I also support vaccinations and public health education about the importance of vaccines.
I am a public policy nerd with a passion for several areas of public policy. Most of my professional experience is in human services policy like education policy and child welfare/family services policy. I care deeply about supporting our public schools so that they can support our communities and offer pathways to college and careers. Our children are the future of our communities; as such, I believe that investing in the wellbeing and preparedness of kids is an investment in all of our future.
This local municipal office funds and oversees essential local government services, including state-mandated services. Alders also oversee and fund election activities via the Madison City Clerk's office, making this position very important in ensuring the security and integrity of our elections.
Respect, accountability, transparency, dedication, a passion for serving the community, and a willingness to change their mind in response to new information.
I am a good listener, a level-headed decision-maker, and I'm good at thinking strategically to solve policy problems. I am willing to change my mind in response to more or better information.
I want to contribute to the health of our representative democracy and use local government to make our community a better place.
Grocery bagger and cashier, Miller & Sons Grocery in Mount Horeb for four and a half years
The Death and Life of the Great Lakes. It's a fascinating story about humans' blunders with natural resource management for industrial, agricultural, and recreational uses - and the lakes' amazing resiliency to adapt to many negative human impacts.
Not necessarily - I think it's important for someone in the Alder position to understand how to use public policy to address the community's needs and to prioritize issues that are important to their district. It's also important that they be a quick learner if they don't have prior public policy experience.
Public policy, data-driven policymaking, policy analysis.
Fair Wisconsin (state-level LGBTQ civil rights organization)
LGBTQ+ Victory Fund
South Central Federation of Labor
AFSCME
Building Trades Council
Democratic Party of Dane County
Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce
Downtown Madison Inc.Lindsay Lemmer, former District 3 Alder
Jeff Pertl, former East Side Dane County Supervisor
Jacob Wright, current District 17 Dane County Supervisor
Gretchen Lowe, community activist
Barbara Davis, community activist and MMSD teacher
Mike Jones, District 3 resident and MMSD educator
Robert Beets, one-time District 3 alder candidate
Musa Jallow, District 3 resident and realtor
Samba Baldeh, District 48 WI State Assembly Rep
Melissa Ratcliff, District 46 WI State Assembly Rep
Sondy Pope, former WI State Assembly Rep
Yogesh Chawla, current East Side Dane County Supervisor
Anthony Gray, current Dane County Supervisor
Nicki Vander Meulen, MMSD School Board
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See also
2025 Elections
External links
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Candidate Madison Common Council District 3 |
Officeholder Madison Common Council District 3 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on March 15, 2023
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