We are asking Shepherd readers to support some very accomplished candidates for Milwaukee Common Council in the April 5 general election.
We made these endorsements based on the candidates’ qualifications, but also because they would help to ensure that the Milwaukee Common Council represents the city’s best interests and won’t be hijacked by right-wing front groups.
As insiders will tell you, there’s a very active effort by very conservative groups to field right-wing candidates and also spread money around the city to advocates for these candidates. This right-wing effort is trying to defeat good, solid representatives of Milwaukee so that the right wingers can take over local government, just as they’ve taken over state government. They are trying to sow racial division during a time when we need more tolerance and understanding. So don’t be fooled be the right-wing candidates. They are working for their benefactors, not the average Milwaukeean.
Fortunately, there are better alternatives, and they have earned the Shepherd’s endorsement for Milwaukee Common Council:
District 1: Incumbent Ashanti Hamilton has been a forward-thinking voice of reason on the council and has earned another term. We appreciate his efforts to develop a sane drug policy that promotes public safety and doesn’t unfairly penalize city residents.
District 2: We wholeheartedly support Chevy Johnson in his bid to win the seat opened up by Alderman Joe Davis’ departure. Johnson is a former aide to Mayor Tom Barrett and previously worked for the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board (MAWIB). Johnson thoroughly understands the city’s issues and opportunities, understands economic development and offers a positive and practical vision for Milwaukee.
District 3: Incumbent Nik Kovac is a smart, effective, hardworking alderman who represents his district well. As chair of the Finance and Personnel Committee, Kovac is able to dig deep into the city’s finances and understand the implications of policies. He also supports efforts to improve the quality of life in the city and make it more sustainable.
District 4: Alderman Robert Bauman has definitely earned another term in office. We like his promotion of causes that will take Milwaukee into the future, including improved public transportation and energy independence and his willingness to push back on unfair and wrongheaded mandates from the state that override the city’s local control.
District 6: Incumbent Milele Coggs has done a good job of representing her district and raising important issues while serving on the council and when she’s out in the community. We like her calls to reform policing while improving neighborhood safety. Coggs also provides many opportunities for young Milwaukeeans to create positive change in the city.
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District 7: Dual Endorsement: We are endorsing both highly qualified candidates for this seat left open by the departure of Alderman Willie Wade. Khalif Rainey is leaving the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors to run for Common Council. In a short time in office, Rainey made a mark on the county. He proposed the Office of African American Affairs and developed innovative ways of improving access to the polls. Michael Bonds is best known as the president of the Milwaukee Public Schools board but he had served the city behind the scenes for many years as a budget analyst. We think his decades of experience in budgeting and education policy will be an asset to the council.
District 8: We are urging Shepherd readers to cast a ballot for Justin Bielinski, who is attempting to unseat Bob Donovan on the Milwaukee Common Council. (Donovan is also running for mayor.) Bielinski would be a welcome change in this district and on the council. He possesses the educational, professional and volunteer background to represent this district well. As an added benefit, unlike Donovan, Bielinski has the ability to work well with others and wouldn’t seek to sow division in the city or sensationalize issues to generate headlines. We think Justin Bielinski would be more responsive to and respectful of all of the constituents in the 8th district and will prove to be a productive and effective alderman.
District 9: It’s time for a change in Milwaukee’s Northwest Side, which is why we are very strongly supporting newcomer Chantia Lewis in her race against incumbent Robert Puente. Residents who are sick of Puente’s lack of leadership and lack of responsiveness to his constituents’ needs will be better served by Lewis. Lewis is a U.S. Air Force veteran and the founder of a nonprofit devoted to helping people develop the soft skills they need to find and keep steady work. Lewis thoroughly understands the needs of this district and would help to revitalize its neighborhoods as a member of the Common Council.
District 10: We are enthusiastically endorsing Michael Murphy for another term on the Milwaukee Common Council and would like to see him remain as president of the council as well. He’s been a careful and thoughtful leader of the council, and we appreciate his efforts to make the Bucks arena financing deal as transparent as possible. Murphy is an asset to the city and has definitely earned another term.
District 11: We are encouraging Shepherd readers to vote for Tim Kenney in the Jackson Park neighborhood. This district lost Alderman Joe Dudzik last year when he died in a motorcycle accident. Since then, it’s been represented by Mark Borkowski, who became a disruptive presence on the council almost as soon as he was elected. The district needs better representation. Fortunately, Tim Kenney is up to the task. Kenney is a veteran who currently works as a technician supervisor at the 128th Air Refueling Wing Milwaukee. He’s very active in the community and would represent this district honorably. Kenney will fight for his community in a productive way, and not in the crude manner demonstrated by Borkowski.
District 12: Incumbent José Pérez has earned our endorsement. Pérez has a forward-thinking vision for this city and represents the interests of his district well. We like that he took the lead at the city level on community ID cards, which would be so helpful for Milwaukeeans who aren’t able to obtain a state-issued ID.
District 13: We definitely believe that Terry Witkowski has earned another term in office. Witkowski is a staunch champion of this district on Milwaukee’s far South Side and has done much to make it a more livable and welcoming neighborhood for residents and visitors entering the city from the airport. He’s far more reasonable and independent than his opponent, and we encourage voters to return Witkowski to the Common Council.
District 14: Dual Endorsement: We are endorsing both incumbent Tony Zielinski and Meagan Holman for District 14. While we were very disappointed that Zielinski took the lead on opposing the Milwaukee Streetcar, he is very active in his district and generally supports a greener, safer city. Meagan Holman represented the area on the Milwaukee Public Schools board, where she had to make very tough decisions about improving student achievement while the state cut aid to public schools.
District 15: We are endorsing Russell Stamper II for re-election. Stamper has supported job-creation efforts for unemployed and underemployed Milwaukeeans and, along with Hamilton and Pérez, is an active participant in the city’s Promise Zones for struggling neighborhoods.
