City of Milwaukee residents will go to the polls Tuesday to decide which two candidates will advance to the April General Election for Mayor.
Incumbent Tom Barrett faces a challenge from long-standing Aldermen Bob Donovan and Joe Davis, along with political newcomer James Methu. All four recently made their cases during a debate in the central city.
The candidates spoke to a crowd of about 100 people at Calvary Baptist Church. Mayor Tom Barrett is seeking his fourth term. He says he’s proud of his accomplishments, including redeveloping the former A. O. Smith site into a business park.
“If you go to 31st and Capitol, you’re going to see a brand new building. It’s a brand new building the city is a partner in, because we decided that we are going to invest and we put millions of dollars into Century City because that’s the part of the city where we see the most unemployment,” Barrett says.
Barrett also touted his efforts to open a huge job training center in the central city. Ald. Joe Davis criticized the mayor’s endeavors. He notes the Century City development doesn’t yet have any tenants and accuses the administration of focusing too much attention on downtown.
“We invest in 15 percent of the city while 85 percent of the city goes to hell. All you have to do is go to 35th and Center and on four corners you have economic blight,” Davis says.
Davis has served on the Milwaukee Common Council since 2003; his district covers the north side. He says if elected, he’ll come up with a comprehensive plan to move central city residents to jobs.
Ald. Bob Donovan blasted the mayor for pushing a streetcar system through the Common Council. Groundbreaking on the initial two-mile stretch through downtown is set for spring. Donovan says he’ll work to halt the project, or at least prevent expansions.
“The streetcar is not the answer to our transportation needs and getting people to work. I will do my darnedest to reallocate that $60 million in federal funds. Congress allocated it originally, Congress can change their mind and if I were mayor I would be on the phone the next day,” Donovan says.
Donovan says Milwaukee could have better spent the federal money helping people get to jobs across the city. The audience also heard from 30-year-old James Methu – a community activist who’s never held public office. Methu lamented the spike in crime in the city, and in particular the surge in the homicide rate in 2015. He says if elected, he would bring back several crime fighting units dismantled during Mayor Barrett’s tenure.
“I think the cause of the violence is two-fold. It’s a frustrated community that has not had opportunity ever, really in this community. And, it’s a combination of an overwhelmed police department. I think the breakup of the gang division and the vice units in an era where heroin is running rampant and guns are being trafficked at a high level, it’s important that we not only arm our patrolmen but bring the intelligence squads back,” Methu says.
Methu also called for the removal of Police Chief Edward Flynn, citing lack of trust among community members. It appears a big issue for the challengers facing Tuesday’s Primary vote is money. Mayor Tom Barrett’s campaign coffers far surpass the other three, with more than $800,000 on hand.
