Photo courtesy of Russell Stamper
Russell Stamper
Alderman Russell Stamper of District 15
Ten years at the helm, Milwaukee Alderman Russell Stamper leads District 15, a significant challenge because his district consists mainly of low income and Black residents living mostly in rentals. Stamper’s constituents have to deal with everyday trouble—reckless driving, shootings, homicides, robberies and car theft. Crime too often riddles their worries. At 49, Alderman Stamper knows these neighborhoods. He grew up in Sherman Park, the beating heart of his district.
A big man with a big personality and a blues singer voice, Stamper comes across as instantly likable, a people’s politician. If you entered a room, you’d first hear him before he greeted you with an open grin and a laugh that captures the space. Having recently taken five weeks medical leave due to a slipped disc, he was glad to be back leading his flock.
You were born and raised in Milwaukee’s central city. Tell me about your neighborhoods, your parents and schooling. What was life like for you growing up?
I grew up in the Sherman Park neighborhood. My parents were working professionals. My mother was a school principal and a UWM professor with a Ph.D. in linguistics. My father was a circuit court judge and later a county judge. By age nine, I was working at my family’s two Grant’s Soul Food restaurants. I also had a second job as a newspaper delivery boy. I learned the work ethic early. I attended seven different schools and graduated from Milwaukee Messmer High School. I am an advocate of both public and charter schools. I have a little sister, Candace, who has two masters degrees. I had a little brother who was a rap star, but he passed away at the age of 18 in 1998. I got my college degree in computer science from Alabama State University in 1999.
What was your first job after college?
I returned to Milwaukee and got a good job in the tech world, and then I got my masters degree from Cardinal Stritch, and then moved on to a job at New Concepts Development Center. My assignment was to get contracts to provide support services to schools—anger management, conflict resolution, life skills training, behavior modification, individual and group counseling. I traveled all over the country. In eight years, I got over 220 contracts
You were highly successful. Why leave that excellent job for a life in politics?
Before I got into politics, I worked at the Social Development Commission and ran the W2 program where I learned how much help our community needed. In 2012, I ran for the county board, knocked on a lot of doors and won. Two years later, the chairman of the common council, Willie Hines, moved on from Alderman of my neighborhood. I ran for that office and won in 2014.
Last Thanksgiving, I encountered you at an event on 35th and Center in your district. You told me, “I am very thankful today. I woke up this morning and thanked God for my many blessings—my family, my health, my parents, and for being a community leader. I look on everyday as a miracle.” Inspiring comment. Can you elaborate on this as it relates to your philosophy of life?
I see every day as a miracle because I’ve dealt with a lot of deaths over the years. New Year’s Day 1998, I lost my brother. In 2003, I lost my best friend to a car accident. My mother died on Mother’s Day. I grew up attending Mt Zion Baptist Church, and I was always spiritual. I knew God, and I blessed God for my loving mother, my brother and my best friend. That is why I appreciate every day. When I am in my community, and I see people smiling and eating, that makes me happy. Every day, I try to help them, and that is the purpose of my life.
You have been Alderman of the central city 15th district for ten years. What are the street boundaries of your district?
East to west, Eighth Street to 51st Street. South to north, part of Wisconsin Avenue all the way north to Locust Street.
That is probably the toughest part of the inner city, a lot of people poor or suffering from criminal activity.
That’s true. I got the central city—North Avenue, Center, Brown, Galena, Locust, but I grew up in the district, and I know the issues.
Were there gangs back when you grew up in the 1980s and 90s?
Oh, yeah—the Nike boys, the Gangster Disciples, the 2-4 Crew, but my parents kept me busy and away from the gangs. I did play playground basketball with gang members, but I am from a middle-class home, and I had trouble from some gang members. One day, I came home and told my dad I got beat up. My dad said, “Did you fight back?” I said, “No, I didn’t.” He went and got his paddle, and I got a whuppin.’ From then on, I did some fighting cause, I was more afraid of my dad than gang members.
Your constituents have many challenges because so many are low income or dependent on government support. They also face issues of crime. What are you doing to help them overcome these challenges?
My number one thing is organizing. I try to get involved with the organizers, the block captains. I am trying to get the mindset changed in our community. I tell my people it isn’t normal to see garbage on a block. I tell people to pick up the trash or call it in and fix your house. And it’s not normal to have gunshots all night long in the neighborhoods. I encourage people to call police if there are gunshots. There shouldn’t be drugs and crimes in the neighborhoods. Half my job is to show people that they can live in a clean, healthy and safe neighborhood. Everybody has my cell phone number.
Through the years, I’ve gotten to know the inner-city street leaders. They do a lot of community work as volunteers and don’t get paid. They need help from the city and nonprofits.
Yes, that’s true.
When I point this out to city agencies or big nonprofit executives, the answer is “The street leaders could get financial help, but they have to write a grant.”
That is a common concern. I am the chairman of the Economic Development Committee. Every year, we get $24 million from the Federal government. Neighborhood leaders and nonprofits can apply for some of this block grant funding. We also help form nonprofits for volunteers to collect money for their work.
I find that so many of the inner-city volunteers give of themselves as volunteers but do not know how to write a grant.
That is correct. They don’t know how to apply, but they must take the initiative to try. They should document what they do and make it into a program so they get government funding. I hold two events each year in August and September to instruct my residents on how to apply for grants.
What would you say are the other most important concerns of your constituents?
Number one is reckless driving and speeding. Number two is illegal dumping. Number three is housing or lack of it. My number one pet peeve is why people can’t keep their neighborhoods clean. When I grew up, we had Milwaukee Beautiful and all of its publicity. In my term in office, I instituted The Big Clean MKE. The city needs to put garbage cans in as many places as possible to get rid of the litter. There are a lot of fees for government services, and costs keep going up, but we did get the 2% sales tax last year, and that is helping.
In your city council biography, it says, and I quote, “Alderman Stamper is driven by his passion for helping residents become self-sufficient.” How are you going about that?
My whole mission is to help my residents build wealth. I am big on home ownership and owner-occupied housing. The city offers vacant lots for not much money.
I think it costs one dollar per vacant city lot in many areas. Two nonprofit organizations I’ve done stories on, Habitat for Humanity and Acts Housing, do a wonderful job of building homes, training and motivating new homeowners. Part of those homes are in your district.
I love those organizations. The number one thing to build wealth is land, which will appreciate as time goes by. I also encourage people to start a business. The city has many resources to teach people how to open a business. I’ve taught some courses myself.
In the city of Milwaukee, it seems like most of the economic investments with the exception of public or nonprofit housing happen in the Downtown area—new buildings, restaurants, businesses, hotels, entertainment and tourism. How do those investments affect your district?
I support Downtown development because if we don’t have development Downtown, it will lessen resources we have for the central city. However, there does need to be more of a focus on investing in the inner city. It’s a money thing. We need new streets, new development along the corridors. We need to hold landlords accountable. Too many landlords just let their abandoned buildings sit there and pay the property taxes.
I’ve read that you mentor young people in the city. What is the mentoring experience like for you?
I ran my own mentoring program when I got elected in 2015. I’d have two boys between 14 and 18 throughout summers in my office and let them experience what life was like for an alderman. Currently, most of my mentorship is helping young adult men become business owners. I also go into the schools in my district and give talks.
I believe you and your family live in the Sherman Park area. How has the Sherman Park community changed since you were a kid?
It has changed drastically, not as friendly as it used to be, but Sherman Park was more of a village back then, neighbors looking out for neighbors, caring for each other. Today, the Sherman Park neighborhood is still one of the city’s top areas for home ownership. We are ethnically mixed—Black, white and Hispanic. When you own a home, you tend to take care of your block, your neighborhood.
Are you aware of the problems and complaints with HACM, the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee, and do those problems affect your constituents? The problems center around certain public housing that is badly cared for.
In my district, I don’t have that many public housing buildings. Cherry Court on 24th Street is one example. Their issue is people breaking into the cars, or people in the building who should not be there. But my district did not experience rats, mildew, dirt and roaches. If there is an issue, the block captains have my cell phone number.
What are your future plans? Run for a higher office?
I am still contemplating that, Tom, but the opportunity isn’t there yet. Do I want to continue in politics or focus on my family? My wife has a masters degree and is a medical social worker and runs a department in the children’s division. I have a son and daughter still in school.
Okay, so what would you do if you didn’t do politics?
I’d be a developer, run a real estate company.
