Julia Matthews

Julia Matthews is a member of the Madison Common Council in Wisconsin, representing District 12. She assumed office on April 15, 2025. Her current term ends on April 21, 2026.

Matthews ran for election to the Madison Common Council to represent District 12 in Wisconsin. She won in the general election on April 1, 2025.

Matthews completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Julia Matthews was born in Madison, Wisconsin. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2014. Her career experience includes working as a programmer analyst. She has been affiliated with the University of Wisconsin–Madison and North Street Neighborhood Association.^[1]

Elections

2025

General election

General election for Madison Common Council District 12

Julia Matthews defeated incumbent Amani Latimer Burris in the general election for Madison Common Council District 12 on April 1, 2025.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Julia Matthews (Nonpartisan)	53.3	3,477
	Amani Latimer Burris (Nonpartisan)	46.1	3,008
	Other/Write-in votes	0.6	39

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 6,524
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Madison Common Council District 12

Incumbent Amani Latimer Burris and Julia Matthews defeated Hussein Amach in the primary for Madison Common Council District 12 on February 18, 2025.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Amani Latimer Burris (Nonpartisan)	52.5	1,031
✔		Julia Matthews (Nonpartisan)	42.0	825
	Submit photo	Hussein Amach (Nonpartisan)	4.9	96
		Other/Write-in votes	0.7	13

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,965
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Matthews received the following endorsements.

2023

General election

General election for Madison Common Council District 12

Amani Latimer Burris defeated Julia Matthews in the general election for Madison Common Council District 12 on April 4, 2023.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Amani Latimer Burris (Nonpartisan)	56.6	3,177
	Julia Matthews (Nonpartisan)	42.8	2,402
	Other/Write-in votes	0.6	34

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,613
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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 12

Julia Matthews and Amani Latimer Burris defeated Blake Alvarenga, Victor Toniolo, and Josh Walling in the primary for Madison Common Council District 12 on February 21, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Julia Matthews (Nonpartisan)	33.9	1,221
✔		Amani Latimer Burris (Nonpartisan)	30.7	1,105
		Blake Alvarenga (Nonpartisan)	15.0	540
		Victor Toniolo (Nonpartisan)	14.0	503
	Submit photo	Josh Walling (Nonpartisan)	4.9	175
		Other/Write-in votes	1.6	56

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,600
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

Julia Matthews completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Matthews' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm a lifelong Madison resident, current and past union member, long-time renter and brand new homeowner. For my full-time job, I work across multiple teams and am required to take their differing needs and viewpoints, and come up with solutions that work for everyone. This will translate well to the communication and outreach needed to find good solutions for the people of District 12. I was a co-chair for my neighborhood association and helped facilitate the startup of a new association that represents the combined interest of both the Emerson East and Eken Park neighborhoods. I also helped design and coordinate a mailing and survey sent to all residents of both neighborhoods to inform folks about the new association and get feedback on the neighborhoods. I served on Madison’s Housing Strategy Committee and the rental housing subcommittee, where I deepened my understanding of how housing development in the city of Madison works, and areas where the city is able to provide support for affordable housing. I contributed to the Committee’s Report on Housing Supply and Affordability which gave recommendations specific to rental housing, increasing homeownership, and affordable housing.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Housing- We need more housing across all types and for all family incomes and sizes to address the housing crisis and the impending growth that is expected for the city. It is important to be intentional with the creation of new housing so that current residents are able to have input and new housing comes with amenities and set folks up to be part of a community.
Consistent communication with constituents via regular blog posts and organized early outreach on upcoming projects to ensure constituents have the opportunity to make the most impact with their feedback and to avoid projects seeming like they have come out of nowhere
Public Transportation-I am a lifelong Madison resident, and during that time I’ve lived, worked, gone to school, and found community all over the city. My experiences navigating Madison, both with and without a car, have given me a firsthand understanding of the importance of a reliable and accessible public transit system. Public transit is a critical lifeline that connects residents to jobs, schools, healthcare, and community resources, and it must meet the needs of everyone in the city. The upcoming North-South Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line represents a transformative opportunity to improve transit access in under-served areas, but it must be developed with meaningful community input to ensure it serves all residents equitably.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I want to serve as Alder because I love Madison and I think the city has a lot to offer, but there are many racial and economic disparities that need to be addressed for Madison to be great for all its residents. Madison has seen significant growth in recent years, and there is no sign it will stop any time soon. This continued growth brings opportunities for our city but also challenges, especially for District 12. It is essential to welcome these changes thoughtfully and responsibly to ensure they address existing racial and economic disparities rather than make them worse. I am committed to applying an equity lens to every policy or development I advocate for or oppose.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Communication skills, integrity, team-oriented, honest, love of learning, data/detail oriented.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am collaborative, a good listener, data/policy driven, motivated, and a good problem solver.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Number 1 is to effectively communicate with the people who live in the district, proactively seek their input, be responsive to concerns and community expertise, and ultimately to vote on behalf of the district on the city council. I also think it is important to make information and connection to city staff/services readily available to folks and be able to help facilitate understanding of city processes and projects. Alders are also a key part of the city process of having new projects, development, businesses, etc. come to the district and it is very important to be on top of those requests as well as getting project teams connected with the neighborhoods and people in the district at early stages and keeping communication open throughout the full project timeline.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My mom had a restaurant when I was just starting high-school, and I regularly worked there. It was open for ~2 years.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

It's important to be able to listen to opposing view points, talk with constituents, community and city stakeholders, and find common ground. In order to effectively represent our district, an alder also needs to be able to collaborate with other alders and city staff in order to advocate for the residents of district 12.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Progressive Date, Run For Something, State Rep Francesca Hong (76th Assembly District), Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, Dane County Supervisors Heidi Wegleitner (D2) and Yogesh Chawla (D6), Current Madison Council President Yannette Figueroa Cole (D10), Past Madison Council President and Current Alder Jael Currie (D16), Current Alders Sabrina Madison (D17), Nikki Conklin (D9), Derek Field (D3)

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

I think these are both extremely important. I want to do what I can to make information available and open so that there can be maximum transparency with city processes, especially around the budget.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2023

Julia Matthews completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Matthews' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a lifelong Madison resident, a renter, and work in clinical research at UW-Madison. I loved growing up here and want to continue to call Madison my home, but it’s challenging when rents and home prices keep climbing, pushing out young people and others with lower incomes. I want to serve as Alder to work towards lessening disparities across Madison, and increasing access to housing and transportation to help contribute to a future Madison that is great for everyone. I'm young, dedicated, and eager to serve the people who live in my district. I'm also a very careful listener, and will pay close attention to the needs of everyone I represent.

I love Madison and am deeply invested in this community. I have built my career on my critical thinking, attention to detail, and problem solving skills. If elected, I will be a resource for the community and help make local government involvement more accessible. I was the only candidate for this seat endorsed by Progressive Dane (a local progressive party). I have first hand experience following a new development project through the city process from first proposal to approval which prepares me to champion affordable housing projects and to proactively communicate opportunities for input to my constituents.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Support affordable and accessible, lower market-rate housing in the district
Continue to provide excellent outreach to constituents and find earlier opportunities for community input, seek out voices and facilitate involvement for community members who have not been as involved in City processes
Advocate for North-South bus rapid transit (BRT) line and access to other increased public transportation options to the north side especially

Community Question Featured local question

How important is it to involve residents in the government’s decision-making process? What plans do you have regarding resident involvement in this process?

I think it’s very important to get residents involved in the decision-making process. I want to get more people involved and to reach out earlier in the process so their voices can be better incorporated. I also want to do more proactive outreach to folks who have not been involved in city processes before.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Housing, transportation, Noise mitigation & pollution from F35s (PFAS pollution), Traffic issues

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was as a waitress in my Mom’s restaurant for 2 years in highschool. Senior year of highschool I worked a few months at a local Dairy Queen before getting hired by the City of Madison as a lifeguard and worked 5 summers for the city.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Progressive Dane, Run For Something

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Note: Community Questions were submitted by the public and chosen for inclusion by a volunteer advisory board. The chosen questions were modified by staff to adhere to Ballotpedia’s neutrality standards. To learn more about Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection Expansion Project, click here.

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Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 12, 2025

Political offices
Preceded by Amani Latimer Burris	Madison Common Council District 12 2025-Present	Succeeded by -

[1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 12, 2025

[1]

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Julia Matthews

Contents

Biography

Elections

2025

General election

General election for Madison Common Council District 12

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Madison Common Council District 12

Endorsements

2023

General election

General election for Madison Common Council District 12

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Madison Common Council District 12

Campaign themes

2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

2023

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2025 Elections

2026 Elections

2024 Election analysis

Trending

Public Policy

Information for candidates

Get Engaged

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