Photo courtesy of Ralph Malicki
Ralph Malicki
Ralph Malicki
The passing of Racine County executive John Delagrave in June of 2024 left a hole in the community. As a well-regarded, passionate and personable politician, it would be big shoes to fill for any candidate. Ralph Malicki, who won the county executive primary and special election last year, has promised to do his best to live up to the legacy.
A former Piggly Wiggly owner, Malicki used the store to establish a meeting place for war veterans along with teaming with advocacy organization Career Industries to help people with disabilities find work. In addition, he served in many volunteer positions for non-profits across Racine County. He sat down to discuss his role in Racine, the influence of his previous job, and how to maneuver the current political climate.
Describe your journey into local politics.
That’s a long story. As a business owner and lifelong resident, I’ve participated in lots of boards and organizations over the years. I’ve always wanted to give back to the community. Last year after I closed my store, I was looking for ways to get involved with the community. I had talked to the previous county executive, John Delagrave, who has since passed away, about opportunities for that and he talked about exactly this. With his passing, I got to thinking about it and after talking to several people, I decided to get into the race and here I am today. For me, it’s not necessarily about local politics, it’s about local involvement in our community and wanting to give back.
How did your previous position at Piggly Wiggly prepare you for the election and the office of county executive?
As a grocery store operator, the grocery store is almost like a mini community. We see everyone at their best points in life and worst points in life. We had staff that worked there, and I always said they didn’t work for me, but instead we worked together. That’s how I look at the county as the same: we work together. Between the county board and the community, it’s about working together. My previous opportunities as a business owner prepared me for that, especially being involved with the community organizations.
|
|
Racine County is a very diverse set of communities. Have you been able to apply your bachelors degree in psychology in your current role? What has been the learning curve for you?
My degree in psychology was geared more towards research rather than counseling. That being said, my degree helped me understand that the more education you get, the more you should be curious because there’s a lot of things you don’t know. There’s no magic to it, but it helps you look at people. As for the learning curve, for me, it’s been how all the different groups within the county government interact; how the county board interacts with me, how they interact with the staff, and how I interact with the staff. That’s what I’m learning right now. I’m also learning their terminology which is true of any business: every business has their own terminology.
Where do you see Racine heading in the future?
I see a very bright vibrant future: I see a lot of opportunities coming up with development, I see our community moving forward in a very exciting way, particularly with the Microsoft development which will be a catalyst for other developments. There’s a lot of exciting things going on in the Burlington area and in this area. It seems to be an exciting time. Things are a little stressful right now with starting up, but the future looks pretty bright
What do you hope to accomplish in your position?
One of things I hope to accomplish—and I think it’s everybody’s goal: you want to leave your job better than you found it. I want to try to improve on the building blocks that are here. One of things I’d like to do is work on housing issues in Racine County and learn from other counties what their successes have been. I’d like to bring more housing along with more families to the area.
Is there anything you’d like to add?
I want to do a good job for our community, that’s my goal.
