Photo by Tom Jenz
Cavalier Johnson
Acting Mayor Cavalier Johnson
Cavalier (Chevy) Johnson for Mayor of Milwaukee
The Shepherd Express enthusiastically endorses Cavalier Johnson for Mayor of Milwaukee. Chevy Johnson showed real leadership on the common council. After his first re-election to the common council, he was then elected council president by his peers. When Mayor Tom Barrett resigned to become Ambassador to Luxembourg, Johnson became acting mayor. On Feb. 15, 2022, he comfortably won a seven-way primary with 42% of the vote, almost double the next highest candidate, Bob Donovan, who received 22% of the vote.
The residents of Milwaukee have a clear choice with one candidate, Johnson, who is looking forward and the other, Donovan, who is looking backward. Mayor of Milwaukee is a very difficult job and was made more difficult when Scott Walker was Governor. Walker and the Republican majority in the legislature passed legislation that made it near impossible for Milwaukee to raise the revenue necessary to run a modern large American city. At the same time, the legislature cut the amount of “shared revenue” coming back to Milwaukee from the state despite the city residents contributing much more to the state in tax dollars than it receives back.
Under these tough circumstances, mayors continuously need to spend the limited funds very efficiently. Acting Mayor Johnson has shown that he is continuously looking for successful programs that have worked in other American cities and adapt them to Milwaukee. These are programs that have been proven successful and are cost effective. Donovan has been running on a plan that he developed in his last run for mayor.
One major issue facing all major cities is addressing the increase in crime, especially violent crime. Across the nation since the pandemic started, crime has increased in every major city. Johnson is looking for solutions that work to lower violent crime now and attack the causes of that crime for the future. Donovan, on the other hand, has dusted off Richard Nixon’s failed approach of creating more fear and repression that may sound “tough on crime” but has shown to be a stunning failure. We can’t waste our time and money on costly failed programs while people are getting killed.
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Milwaukee is fast becoming an up-and-coming major American city that was, for example, selected to host the National Democratic Convention in 2020, and is now a contender for the National Republican Convention in 2024. We need a mayor who is forward looking not one locked in a failed past.
Please Vote for Chevy Johnson for Mayor on April 5.
