Crowley highlights efforts against disparities
In his first State of the County address Wednesday, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley delivered a message of unity and highlighted steps to address longstanding racial disparities as part of the county’s response to the global coronavirus pandemic.
“When we lift up our most vulnerable neighbors and prioritize communities who have been historically marginalized, we all benefit,” he told a virtual audience. “The only way we can bounce back from this pandemic is by investing in equity and fixing the systems that brought us here in the first place.”
The message built on the county’s 2019 declaration of racism as a public health crisis and Crowley’s pledge when he was sworn in last year that by the time he leaves office the county will no longer be among the most segregated communities in the nation.
Since the start of the pandemic last year, the virus has killed more than 1,000 Milwaukee County residents, and there have been more than 97,000 confirmed cases.
It has exacted a particularly harsh toll on the county’s Black and Hispanic communities.
“By now we are all familiar with the dramatic disparities highlighted by the pandemic, whether it was early data showing disproportionate cases and deaths or the current low rates of vaccination for people of color,” he said. “The gaps we see in the health of our neighbors aren’t inevitable, they exist because of structural racism.”
He said the county has been working not only to respond to the pandemic but also to address the longstanding causes of disparities.
It has done that by allocating millions of dollars to efforts such as eviction prevention and mortgage assistance, a community resource navigator program that has hired more than 200 people, and a program meant to provide financial assistance to small businesses struggling because of the pandemic, he said.
Black residents made up 83% of those receiving assistance from the more than $18 million allocated to eviction
“The last year has shown us that the work is easiest when we share the load and work together to make sure our community’s needs are met. I’m optimistic that we can come together once again to face the challenges ahead.”
David Crowley Milwaukee County Executive
prevention and mortgage assistance, he said, showing the disparities in housing security that existed before the pandemic.
Of the more than 1,500 small businesses that received financial assistance grants, he said, 66% identified as being owned by people of color, women or veterans.
Crowley also said his administration has been working to ensure that county leadership reflects the county population.
More than half of county government’s department leaders are Black and half are women, he said.
“But we can and must do better because representation is important, not only to make sure that voices and perspectives of all our communities are heard but also so the next generation of leaders can imagine themselves serving their community.”
Investments in transportation, mental health
Crowley also highlighted an initiative to allow residents to more easily access services through the county Department of Health and Human Services and investment in community-based youth services and an “achievement center” that provides vocational services and work placements for young Milwaukee residents.
And, he said, changes to the county’s transportation system will allow for more high-frequency bus routes, connections to job centers, grocery stores and medical services.
“This project is a key piece of how we begin to physically transform our county through investing where resources are needed most,” he said. “We cannot force our way off the list of being one of the most segregated communities in America, but we can make it easier for all of our residents to travel throughout the county and become connected to the diverse array of opportunities that exist beyond their own neighborhood.”
The county has also invested in mental health services, which he said residents have relied on even more heavily in the pandemic.
Black county residents, he said, have made up 39% of the total mental healthrelated calls while being only 27% of the county’s population.
The county has invested $1.6 million of federal CARES funding in mental health services, he said.
Crowley also touched on a new behavioral health hospital, Granite Hills, that is expected to open this year. A mental health emergency center expected to open next year is “one of several necessary parts of the mental health continuum of crisis services that many residents need,” Crowley said.
He also called for allowing county residents to vote on raising the sales tax, which Gov. Tony Evers included in his proposed budget.
State aid to local governments has decreased, forcing local governments to rely on property taxes to fund the increased cost of services, Crowley said.
“A local option sales tax would provide our residents a voice, and an ability to vote for a tool that allows us to capture the benefits of our own economic performance to invest in local priorities while also providing property tax relief,” Crowley said.
In six years, he said, Milwaukee County will have to put all of its local taxes toward state mandates, which would cut local funding for seniors, public safety, emergency services, disability services, bus routes and parks.
Crowley closed by saying that although 2021 looks to be just as challenging as last year, county residents are tough and resilient.
“The last year has shown us that the work is easiest when we share the load and work together to make sure our community’s needs are met,” he said. “I’m optimistic that we can come together once again to face the challenges ahead.”