Candidates for Milwaukee Common Council District 14: Pierce v. Zielinski

Mar. 15, 2012

4:45 p.m.

Milwaukee Alderman Tony Zielinski and Jan Pierce are vying to represent District 14 on the Milwaukee Common Council. The general election will be held on Tuesday, April 3. (Not sure you live in District 14? Verify your voter registration and district in the <a href=\"https://vpa.wi.gov/\" target=\"_blank\">Voter Public Access</a> database.) Pierce and Zielinski responded to the Shepherd\'s candidate questionnaire. Here are their answers: JAN PIERCE Website: <a href=\"http://www.janformilwaukee.com\" target=\"_blank\">www.janformilwaukee.com</a> and <a href=\"http://www.facebook.com/JanforMilwaukee\" target=\"_blank\">www.facebook.com/JanforMilwaukee</a> Shepherd: Tell me a bit about your background to introduce yourself to the Shepherd readers. Pierce: I've lived in Wisconsin for 36 years, starting with high school in Madison. I studied philosophy, history, and international relations at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. During this time, I also served in the Army Reserves, continuing that service for over ten years. Later, I earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Viterbo University and worked for several years as an accountant at two Milwaukee corporations before going on to earn my J.D. from Marquette University Law School. I'm now in my eleventh year of legal practice. I've helped a number of District 14 clients launch their businesses, acquire and lease real estate, navigate the downturn in the economy, and expand their operations. I had the privilege to live abroad for eight years as a young person. My father's work as an architect took my mother, my two brothers and me to Okinawa and Thailand. Spending time in other countries during these formative years gives me a broader perspective on how we do things here at home. I know that the way we approach community problems, the challenges of city living, environmental concerns, and so on, isn\'t the only way. We can use examples from other countries, and other American cities, to inform the work here, and build on those examples to create Milwaukee-specific solutions. I live with my girlfriend Annie and our beagle mix, Lucy. We enjoy our free time together frequenting neighborhood businesses and restaurants, volunteering at community events, developing our skills at growing vegetables in our front yard garden, and running, biking, or walking the district's beautiful parks and lakeshoreoften with Lucy in tow. Shepherd: Where are you currently employed? Pierce: I'm a business attorney with the law firm of Mawicke & Goisman, S.C. My emphasis is on assisting small businesses and municipalities. I help entrepreneurs in both the non-profit and for-profit sectors. This includes working with them to form and launch their ventures, assisting them in buying and selling real estate, controlling the risks of litigation, navigating tax liabilities, and complying with ordinances and regulations. Shepherd: Why are you running for office? Pierce: I live in one of the strongest, most vibrant neighborhoods in the city, yet it's struggling to reach its potential. After spending years working with business owners and neighborhood groups, I'm convinced that we need a different style of leadership to reach that potential. The neighborhood has changed, and we need a leader who actively engages our residents. We need someone who is willing to be a public servant, not a politician. Shepherd: What are the top three issues that you want to address? Pierce: Encouraging small business growth, ending the abuse of aldermanic privilege, increasing transparency at City Hall. Shepherd: How would you deal with them? Pierce: Encourage small business growth. Fully 85% of businesses in Milwaukee have less than 25 employees, and there are far too many ordinances and hoops to jump through that stymie small business creation in our city. Many of these ordinances are outdated and anti-competitive. One of the best things our city could do for small business is to get out of the way. If someone is willing to invest in our city, they shouldn't have to fight City Hall. In order to create a climate favorable to economic investment and growth, we must have a regulatory environment that\'s fair and predictable. End the abuse of aldermanic privilege. Aldermanic privilege is the custom by which Common Council members defer to the local alderperson in matters relating to their own district. The problem with aldermanic privilege is that it completely bypasses the democratic process. In an actual democracy, it takes a majority to get something done. As it stands, we have de facto dictatorships in our districts. That sounds like strong language, but it\'s the abuse of this extraordinary power that lands so many aldermen in prison. Increase transparency at City Hall and access to city information. I'll advocate for legislation that would require City candidates to file their campaign finance reports online, allowing for more transparency and accessibility to the public. Knowing who's lining the pockets of your elected official is a window to whose interests they're really serving. As alderman, I pledge to have an open and visible administration, and to champion initiatives such as Government 2.0, which allows residents better access to information collected by the City. Shepherd: How would you make Milwaukee, and specifically, this district, more attractive to businesses and residents? Pierce: The key to drawing in businesses is to attract and retain the kind of residents that businesses want to hire. This means creating a safe and vibrant city with great schools. I don't know what the next big thing in Milwaukee will be, but I know it starts with education. As I go door to door in the district talking with voters, I'm struck by how much my neighbors want to talk about education. Whether they're talking about their child's beloved neighborhood elementary school or our community's struggles to create the high school program it needs, District 14 residents are passionate about schools. I think this sense of urgency among voters is spot-on. Our K-12 schools, colleges, and universities are key to creating a resilient, vibrant city that is prepared to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. I see this as an “all hands on deck” kind of moment. Even though aldermen don't have direct control over these other institutions, our city leaders should be working on innovative ways we can strengthen our public education system. As alderman, I'll take a proactive approach to working with our K-12 schools, MATC, and the universities to propose and support partnerships that strengthen the city, use resources wisely, and open doors to the future we want and need. Shepherd: How would you boost revenues and/or cut spending? Pierce: When I talk to residents who are afraid that they'll have to sell their home when they retire because of the property tax burden, I know that we've hit the limit on raising property taxes. Residents are also tired of new user fees that are actually property taxes in disguise. I think we need to fundamentally change the way property taxes are assessed, so that residents are not penalized for improving their homes, and owners of valuable but unimproved real estate pay their fair share. I'd also like to explore ways to ensure that non-residents and tax-exempt entities also pay for their use of our city. If cuts in spending are required, I would do it with the full involvement of the departments involved, including staff-level workers. I've had numerous discussions with city employees who have ideas on where these cuts should be made. I think someone should invite them to the table for a change. Shepherd: What are your views of Gov. Walker's changes to collective bargaining, specifically their effect 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? Pierce: Stripping public labor unions of their collective bargaining rights was a mistake. It has turned the lives of many of my neighbors, and other public employees, upside down. The manner in which I interact with labor unions, however, will not change. I have built my career on a solid record of negotiating honestly, respectfully, and in good faith, unlike my opponent, who claims to be a friend of labor but caters to businessmen like union-buster Paul Butera. Now more than ever, labor unions need someone who can help them reach agreements based on integrity and trust. The fact that the impact of the changes was not shared equally has created additional challenges for the city and its workers. This situation that we are left with after the changes is just another reason we need leaders with integrity, who earn trust by negotiating in manner that is respectful to all parties. Shepherd: What sets you apart from your opponent? Pierce: My opponent is a 24-year career politician with no real-world work experience. He used his 16 years on the County Board to get two graduate degrees, spending much of his time in graduate school. He is skilled at self-promotion and fundraising, most recently using his 8 years as alderman to raise money. He raised more than $100,000 in his failed 2010 run for Lieutenant Governor, almost 90% of which came from liquor licensees, real estate developers and gas station owners who were outside the district. All of this was accomplished while being absent, late, or having left early to over 41% of Licenses Committee meetings, and over 34% of his Zoning, Neighborhood & Development meetings. To forward his career, he has acquired seats on the most powerful committees. By exercising aldermanic privilege, he has been able to decide what's best for our community without oversight, and has pressured businesses and residents to fall in line with his personal vision. Input from the community gets lip service, but often takes a back seat to the desires of campaign contributors. By contrast, I've never run for public office. I'm running for office not because I need a job, but because I plan to live in this neighborhood for the rest of my life. I've got extensive real-world experience and a background in business and law, but when elected, I'll leave my position as an attorney to devote my time to the office of alderman. This is the one level of government where constituents should be able to have a personal relationship with their representative and I will endeavor to make that possible. I'll keep regular office hours in both sides of the district, making myself available to residents at times and places that are convenient to them. In addition, I'll have a bilingual staff person to better engage the district's diverse communities with the decision-making processes at City Hall. I live in an extraordinary community, but in order to reach its potential, it needs a different style of leadership. Rather than micro-managing economic development, the alderman should help create a climate that fosters innovation, and should be a conduit to information and services, not a gatekeeper. The alderman should assist all parties who choose to invest in our community, not just a small group of insiders and wealthy developers. I also think it's vitally important that the alderman is actively engaged in the community, and the lives of the people he serves. Without that connection, it's impossible to respond efficiently or passionately to the needs of the people in the district. In my years as a resident of the district, I've been involved in many aspects of the community, both socially and professionally. We are lucky to have a neighborhood that's filled with incredibly talented and passionate residents. My approach to leadership is to ask the people who are affected by a given problem to bring their talents, expertise, and creativity to bear on solving it. I have no doubt that the best answers to the challenges we face in Milwaukee will come from diverse groups of citizens working together. Shepherd: Who has endorsed you? Pierce: While I lack the institutional support that my opponent has accumulated over the years, I've received the support of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 998 because of my vocal support for public transportation. I've also been endorsed by a number of prominent small business owners in the district. Most importantly, I have a great deal of support at the grassroots level from individuals, families and respected leaders in the community. TONY ZIELINSKI Website: <a href=\"http://www.tonyzielinski.com\" target=\"_blank\">www.tonyzielinski.com</a> Shepherd: Tell me a bit about your background to introduce yourself to the Shepherd readers. Zielinski: I have held office of one form or another since 1988 with the last eight years as Alderman of the 14th District in Milwaukee. I have an undergraduate degree in Political Science, a Masters of Business Administration degree and a juris doctor degree. My efforts have focused on fighting for the rights of workers and economic development. Shepherd: Why are you running for office? Zielinski: I am running for office because I have the vision necessary to address the problems on both the local and the national level.   Shepherd: What are the top three issues that you want to address? Zielinski: The top three issues are worker\'s rights, business revitalization and the economy. Being endorsed by 10 different unions dramatizes my work on behalf of workers. Business revitalization is dramatized by the tremendous growth on both Kinnickinnic Avenue and 13th Street. I will continue our positive track record by using the same formula. First, I am an ambassador for our district. That means I proactively reach out to businesses and help provide for their needs to locate in our district. In just the last year alone, we started construction on two multi-million dollar developments that are within a block of each other: Alterra and Dwell. Also, within the last few months we landed Hamburger Mary\'s in our district. We will continue our breakneck growth by thinking out of the box. For example, I put together a bus stop art committee that resulted in three finalists for the intersection of Kinnickinnic, Lincoln and Howell. Two of the three finalists have a bus shelter that will be 35 feet in height and include mood lighting that is powered through 100% renewable energy. The other finalist is interactive. The Kinnickinnic Avenue Business Improvement District which I started voted unanimously to maintain this public art project. This will be the most impressive public art bus shelter in the state. We will also continue to help urban agriculture companies such as Sweet Water Organics (in our district) and Growing Power create even more jobs. We are creating hundreds of jobs between these two companies now because of our efforts. Shepherd: How would you make Milwaukeeand, specifically, this districtmore attractive to businesses and residents? Zielinski: The economy is something the city needs to impact because the policies of the federal government have a trickle down effect on us. The major problem with our economy is not workers wanting to be paid family supporting wages but rather the greed on the part of corporations. Corporations have and still are moving family supporting wage jobs overseas where they can exploit workers for economic gain. This needs to change if we are to reverse the decline of our economy and ultimately our country. To that end, I passed some of the strongest sweat-free legislation in the country, which means that sweat-shops cannot get certain city contracts. That means more American companies will have a better chance of getting these contracts, hire Americans, build it here and keep the wealth here. Other units of government need to follow suit and I am using my position to help promote this movement. Shepherd: How would you boost revenue and/or cut spending? Zielinski: I would boost revenue by expanding the tax base through even more economic development projects. We also have to continue to promote greater efficiency in the operation of government. We also can boost revenue by helping to level the playing field for American workers by continuing to promote sweat-free initiatives with other units of government so we can create more jobs for our citizens.   Shepherd: What sets you apart from your opponent? Zielinski: I am running a positive campaign. It is customary for races to denigrate into who can throw the most dirt at the other candidate, but in the end voters are disillusioned and disgusted with both candidates. Our district, I believe, wants a campaign based upon ideas and solutions. If a candidate has confidence in his vision and that vision will capture the imagination of his public there is no need to go negative.    Shepherd: Who has endorsed you? Zielinski: I have been endorsed by ten labor organizations and almost 100 businesses.

Candidates for Milwaukee Common Council District 14: Pierce v. Zielinski

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