A steady hand, but more is necessary
In a recent debate, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett captured perfectly his tenure in office: He said he has been a “steady hand,” a calm, hard worker who has been steering city government without drama.
Yes, he has. He has been a responsible steward of the city’s finances; he has maintained city services at a reasonable level; he has pushed incremental improvements in neighborhoods and has helped along the development boom that is going on downtown, including the new arena for the Milwaukee Bucks. He has worked on job training, especially for young people.
Barrett has worked quietly and carefully, often behind the scenes, although he has not been afraid to challenge state legislators and the governor over their unwillingness to give Milwaukee the aid it needs. Good things are happening in Milwaukee — especially downtown, on the East Side, in the Third Ward and Walker’s Point — and Tom Barrett can claim some credit for that.
But here’s a question for Barrett: What does he want his legacy to be? We think Milwaukee needs more vision, creativity and leadership on a range of issues — from poverty, crime and housing, to education, job creation and entrepreneurship. The city is falling short of what it needs to compete with other cities and with giving its citizens a thriving urban environment. We think Barrett should commit to one final four-year term, make clear what he wants to accomplish to move Milwaukee forward, then show the drive and leadership necessary to make it happen.
Barrett’s challenger, Ald. Bob Donovan, is not the man for the job. Temperament and character matter, as do vision and proven track records. And Donovan falls far short on all points. He is simply unqualified for the office. We recommend Tom Barrett.
Donovan is right, of course, when he says that crime hurts neighborhood development and that Milwaukee is more than its
downtown. But he has no plan to deal with the city’s issues. His wish list includes naming a “jobs ambassador” who will somehow create 10,000 new good-paying jobs in five years; putting more police officers on the streets without saying where the money will come from to pay those officers; and appointing secretaries for education, commerce and labor, and urban affairs (as opposed to the city’s rural affairs?) to solve all the city’s problems.
Donovan shouldn’t be taken seriously as a candidate for mayor.
But certainly in a city with this much talent and so many smart people, there are serious people who could challenge the mayor. Where are the people who would really push Barrett by providing a more inspiring vision for the future of Milwaukee, along with the skills to get everyone moving in the same direction? There are plenty of critics, but who is willing to step forward to offer a serious challenge?
The city does have critical issues that need to be dealt with by Barrett and the Common Council, more boldly and dynamically than is happening now.
Crime: The city’s homicide rate soared last year, with 145 deaths, and car thefts have been skyrocketing. The mayor’s slow-moving negotiations with children’s court officials to make sure there are consequences for juveniles after a third car theft falls far short of what’s needed.
Poverty: Milwaukee was ranked as the seventh most distressed city in America, with 52% of the population considered economically distressed in a recent study by the Economic Innovation Group. Another study found that poverty in Wisconsin is the worst it’s been in 30 years, with Milwaukee one of the poorest areas of the state. There’s an eviction epidemic, with 16,000 formal evictions each year in Milwaukee, and more that are so-called quiet evictions, according to a recently published study of the city by Matt Desmond.
Business development: One reason those poverty figures are so bad is that Milwaukee ranked 39th out of 40 large metros for entrepreneurial activity, according to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation’s 2015 report. Start-up businesses account for nearly all net new job growth in the United States. We must develop an environment to encourage and nurture those ventures.
Race: Milwaukee is one of the most segregated metropolitan areas in the country; the black male unemployment rate in the city is around 50%. “Our black infant mortality rate in some ZIP codes rivals sub-Saharan Africa; most of the victims on our yearly homicide list are young black males; unemployment among African-Americans in Wisconsin in 2014 was the highest of any of the 50 states; when it comes to educational and financial achievement, a national study ranks black children in Wisconsin dead last,” the Journal Sentinel’s James Causey wrote in a column last year. Wisconsin incarcerates the most black men in the country, and in Milwaukee County, more than half of all black men in their 30s and 40s have served time. In the 53206 Zip Code alone, 62% of all men have spent time in an adult correctional facility by age 34.
Are these problems solely the responsibility of the mayor? Of course not. A state government that has turned its back on the city bears responsibility. Community and business leaders must step up.
But what’s needed at the center is a leader with vision who can inspire people to work together and coordinate those efforts.
Barrett’s steady hand has helped keep the city above water. But the city needs more than that to rise. The mayor should do his best to lift Milwaukee in the next four years. In the meantime, it’s time to begin the search for a strong, qualified leader with 20/20 vision to take the city into the future.