Milwaukee Alderman Terry Witkowski and Richard Pfeiffer are vying to represent District 13 on the Milwaukee Common Council. The general election will be held on Tuesday, April 3. (Not sure you live in District 13? Verify your voter registration and district in the <a href=\"https://vpa.wi.gov/\" target=\"_blank\">Voter Public Access</a> database.)<br /><br />Pfeiffer did not respond to the Shepherd's candidate questionnaire. But Witkowski did. Here are his answers:<br /><br /><strong>Shepherd: </strong>Tell us a bit about your background to introduce yourself to the Shepherd readers.<br /><strong><br />Witkowski: </strong>I have lived on the south side all my life and have led several civic associations and organizations on the south side. I have taught for UW-Whitewater, been a consultant and ran the Milwaukee Safety Commission for 14 years. <br /><br /><strong>Shepherd: </strong>Where are you currently employed?<br /><br /><strong>Witkowski:</strong> Alderman of the 13th District, Milwaukee's Garden District, for the past eight and a half years.<br /><br /><strong>Shepherd: </strong>Why are you running for office?<br /><br /><strong>Witkowski:</strong> I enjoy public service and get great satisfaction from positively affecting the future of this city. I have a past record of achievement in improving the city and this district.<br /><br /><strong>Shepherd: </strong>What are the top three issues that you want to address?<br /><br /><strong>Witkowski:</strong> Economic development and jobs, maintaining neighborhood stability, and improving Milwaukee's image.<br /><br /><strong>Shepherd: </strong>How would you deal with them?<br /><br /><strong>Witkowski: </strong>All three are related. We need a positive self-image to grow Milwaukee. I formed the Milwaukee Image Task Force that has reported its finding to the Common Council. I will continue to work with that group on enhancing Milwaukee's image locally, nationally and worldwide. <br /><br />I have worked on improving the image, health, appearance and importance of the 13th district. This district provides the visitor with their first impression of the city for someone arriving from the airport or I-94, I- 894 and I-43. I had this district named the Garden District to provide an image and identity, instill a sense of pride and provide a committee structure to make it happen. To maintain neighborhoods and keep out crime I helped form 17 neighborhood associations that also are involved in beautification. <br /><br />I helped form two business associations resulting in the formation of 4 business improvement districts comprising The Gateway to Milwaukee (421 businesses around the airport) and Historic Route US 41 (four miles of South 27th Street). Both also do beautification efforts. I had a tax Incremental Financing District established on South 27th resulting in the redevelopment of the former Foster Pontiac site and 192 new jobs there.<br /><br />I formed an eight-municipality airport-area economic development committee that resulted in the formation of “Aerotropolis Milwaukee,” a private/public nonprofit that will use the airport for economic development. <br /> <br />Most recently I had three miles of South Sixth Street officially declared Milwaukee's Green Corridor. It showcases area sustainability efforts and serves as a living laboratory for testing new sustainability efforts. It has community gardens, public plantings by neighborhood associations, a 10,000-plant rain garden, a farmers market, businesses with green roofs and water run off-neutral parking lots, solar signage, bike lane, two miles of bio-swales and more. The city, Aerotropolis Milwaukee and the Gateway to Milwaukee are using the site for promotion of what the area has to offer. <br /><br />If re-elected, I would continue to support and help these efforts take root. <br /><strong><br />Shepherd: </strong>How would you make Milwaukeeand specifically, this districtmore attractive to businesses and residents?<br /><br /><strong>Witkowski: </strong>We are in need of better transportation options to draw in businesses and workers. To become an Aerotropolis, we need improved rail service, commuter rail and improved bus service. We need to support more transportation including extending 794 to grow business in the area.<br /><br />We need to continue cooperating with our neighboring suburbs, county and the state to make it easier for business to locate here. The joint Business Improvement District on South 27th between Milwaukee and Greenfield (the first in the state) and the Aerotropolis effort I ran are examples of what can be done if we cooperate, as citizens would expect us to. <br /><br />Growing pride in our neighborhoods such as the Garden District effort to dress up the area does and forming neighborhood associations benefits both business and residents and both have worked to make this area better. I'll continue to attend meetings and offer advice as well as add neighborhood associations as the opportunities arise.<br /><br /><strong>Shepherd: </strong>How would you boost revenues and/or cut spending?<br /><br /><strong>Witkowski:</strong> I established the Outstanding Debt Task Force, which recommended changes in procedure and in state law to make Milwaukee more effective in collecting money owed to it. With changes implemented to date, the city collects over $1 million more annually in outstanding debt. There are still changes in state law needed for further improvement and I will continue to follow up with them and annually have hearings on the status of the debt. Each department involved will also be audited by the Comptroller in 2012 and I will follow up on recommendations of those audits by bringing those departments before committee. <br /><br />I have also caused an examination of injury pay, worker's compensation, lost time costs (a $20 million problem that no one examined) that resulted improved safety policies, practices and controls including return to work programs. These efforts resulted in savings have been used to maintain services rather that cutting budgets in as costs of business increased.<br /><br />I also ran a community service officer task force that resulted in the police department assigning police aides to booking tasks formerly performed by police officers and using retired officers to work part time to do background checks for various city purposes including candidates for police officer, a task formerly done by police officers. <br /><br />In what have I done for you lately, I passed a budget amendment for 2012 requiring the Fire Department and Comptroller to examine the cost of responding to all calls with a half-million dollar, two-mile-a-gallon fire truck, when 93% of all calls for service are not a report of smoke or fire. Initially the cost seems to be $7 a mile for the fire truck and less than a dollar for a pickup truck or SUV. It also caused the fire department to review the use of new fire suppression equipment used by the military and in Europe, Ultra High Pressure Fire Suppression. <br /><br />A taxi cab medallion program I introduced two years ago is now moving through the Senate and Assemble and should result in $400,000 to million dollar income for the city annually. <br /><br />I will continue to look for new technology and methods to improve service and decrease costs.<br /><br /><strong>Shepherd: </strong>What are your views of Gov. Walker's changes to collective bargaining, specifically their affect on city employees and the city's budget? Have the changes helped or hurt local governments? Should public safety employees have been included in all of the changes?<br /><br /><strong>Witkowski:</strong> Changes have brought about an unfair situation in which some employees are represented and others are not. The changes have caused morale problems and some employees have not had an increase in pay for five years while others can still bargain and have had raises. Some have received unpaid furlough days while those that can still bargain did not get furlough days. While passing along changes in state law helped balance the budget last year, it remains to be seen for the second year of the state budget. The state's structural imbalance was addressed but not Milwaukee's. While public employees' income was reduced, money spent in the community also was reduced lowering more Milwaukee residents' standard of living. <br /><strong><br />Shepherd: </strong>What sets you apart from your opponent?<br /><strong><br />Witkowski: </strong>Management experience, involvement in the community for years before running for office, education level, my energy level and creativity. I also bring years of experience with government at the local, state and federal level and prior experience as an administrator, educator and communicator.<br /><strong><br />Shepherd: </strong>Who has endorsed you?<br /><br /><strong>Witkowski: </strong>District Council 48, Mayor Tom Barrett and Common Council President Willie Hines.<br />
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