Lisa Veldran

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Lisa Veldran

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

April 1, 2025

Education

High school

Beaver Dam High School

Bachelor's

University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1984

Personal

Birthplace

Beaver Dam, Wis.

Profession

Retired

Contact

Campaign website

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Lisa Veldran ran for election to the Madison Common Council to represent District 10 in Wisconsin. She lost in the general election on April 1, 2025.

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

Biography

Lisa Veldran was born in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. She earned a high school diploma from Beaver Dam High School and a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1984.

Elections

2025

See also: City elections in Madison, Wisconsin (2025)

General election

General election for Madison Common Council District 10

Incumbent Yannette Figueroa Cole defeated Lisa Veldran in the general election for Madison Common Council District 10 on April 1, 2025.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Yannette Figueroa Cole (Nonpartisan)	52.6	3,107
		Lisa Veldran (Nonpartisan)	47.0	2,775
		Other/Write-in votes	0.3	20

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,902
= 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.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Madison Common Council District 10

Incumbent Yannette Figueroa Cole and Lisa Veldran defeated Sheri Carter in the primary for Madison Common Council District 10 on February 18, 2025.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Yannette Figueroa Cole (Nonpartisan)	37.4	789
✔		Lisa Veldran (Nonpartisan)	33.8	714
		Sheri Carter (Nonpartisan)	28.7	607
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	2

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,112
= 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.

Endorsements

Veldran received the following endorsements. To view a full list of Veldran's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here.

• Democratic Party of Dane County (WI)
• Wisconsin State Journal

Campaign themes

2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

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

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I have been a resident of Southwest Madison for over 30 years, am a former City Council administrator and legislative manager (retired), have a BA in Political Science from UW-Madison, and and an Area Representative and Former President of Meadowood Neighborhood Association.

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?

• Developing a fiscally responsible budget.
• Advocating for housing stability in Madison.
• Maintaining high quality basic city services that benefits all residents.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Developing a sustainable and responsible city budget that avoids placing a property tax burden or financial hardship on seniors, young families, and first-time homebuyers. Expanding home ownership opportunities by offering a diverse range of housing options beyond apartments. Collaborating with regional partners to address the high projected population growth in Madison expected by 2050 to create additional housing opportunities.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II

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

The most important characteristics of an effective elected official include a strong understanding of the issues facing their district and the functioning of city government, communication skills that allow them to engage with people in diverse ways and ensure constituents feel heard, and the ability to craft sound policies that leverage and look at compromise as a valuable tool.

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

I have worked in city government for over 30 years, specifically as the Common Council Office administrator and legislative manager. I will bring that breadth of knowledge on city government operations to District 10 residents- knowledge that most candidates and current incumbents do not have. I am a strong leader in my community that can identify needs and knows how and where to go to address them. I am committed to creating policies that benefit residents now while also planning for future generations.

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

Be the voice for your district constituents on the city council floor, create and develop sensible policies, adopt a fiscally responsible City Budget, maintain regular communication with residents, ensure accountability and transparency of city government actions and develop long term strategies to maintain a high quality of life for all community residents.

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

Working in a Green Giant factory during the summer at the age of 14 picking weeds out of green beans on a conveyor belt. One year then I found a great babysitting gig the following summer.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

I strongly support financial transparency and government accountability. I advocate for leveraging open data to create accessible, user-friendly dashboards that allow residents to easily understand the city's finances. Additionally, fostering a culture of trust requires proactive and frequent communication about financial matters and policies that impact the community, ensuring residents are informed and engaged.

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.

See also

2025 Elections

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Candidate

Madison Common Council District 10

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