Tosa council set for a first in its 125 years
3 people of color have opportunity to win seat
In the 125-year history of Wauwatosa’s Common Council, not one person of color has been elected as an alderperson.
Now, it’s possible the city could have three people of color on the council in 2022. The council currently has 16 members. (A referendum this spring will ask voters whether to reduce that number to 12.)
Margaret Arney is running unopposed in the April 5 election, all but ensuring the council will have a more diverse look after the election.
She could be joined by Sean Lowe and John Larry, if they win their respective races.
In 2020, Wauwatosa had the chance to appoint the first person of color to the council, as Lowe was interviewed to fill a vacant seat.
However, the council chose Robert Gustafson instead. Now, Lowe is facing off against Gustafson for the District 5 seat.
Larry, chairperson of the former Wauwatosa ad hoc committee on policing and systemic inequities, is running for the District 8 seat, alongside Melissa Dolan and Jessica Free.
Barring any unforeseen and unlikely circumstances — such as a write-in candidate winning the race — Arney will be the new District 2 representative to the council.
New faces
Arney is a busy and involved Wauwatosa resident.
Since moving to the city in 2000, she’s served on several city commissions and local organizations.
Now, she’ll likely serve in one of the most important roles the city has to offer: as a member of the Common Council.
“I love the collaborative nature of the work that we get to do, so I’m really looking forward to getting to know the other people in my district better and really raising the presence of our neighbors,” Arney said.
Arney is president of the Wauwatosa Neighborhood Association Council and a founding member of the social justice group Tosa Together.
She serves as a commissioner on the Wauwatosa Senior Commission and is also vice chair of the Wauwatosa Equity and Inclusion Commission.
And now she’ll likely be a newcomer to a common council that will see many new faces in the coming months, after six Wauwatosa council members announced they would not seek reelection
in April.
But Arney, who is set to replace Kathleen Causier, is excited to see some change on the council.
“I think it’s an opportunity for us to learn to work together in a new way,” she said.
Even though Arney is running unopposed, she’s still planning some virtual meet-and-greets with residents soon and plans to go door to door in her district when the weather warms up.
“The most important thing is to really be aware and be in touch with the lived experiences with the people who live in the district and to really bring their concerns to the forefront and represent them,” she said.
Calls for change
Wauwatosa has been the site of protests and calls for change in recent years, as diversity, equity and inclusion have been hot topics in the city.
In 2020, Wauwatosa signed the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce’s pledge to “Make Milwaukee a Region of Choice.”
As part of the pledge, the city is to increase diverse management by 25% and diverse employment by 15% by 2025. Wauwatosa was the first municipality in the state of Wisconsin to join this effort.
The demographics of Wauwatosa are also shifting, as the city has seen a 40% increase in the number of Black residents living in the city in the past 10 years — up to 2,911 people — according to the 2020 census. The Asian and Hispanic/Latino populations are also increasing.
In 2021, the city also laid out five key initiatives in the next five years in hopes of making Wauwatosa a more inclusive and equitable city, in response to a report that listed numerous issues raised by participants in a series of community conversations, including a lack of diversity in the city, lack of affordable housing, need for more public transit, lack of minority-owned businesses and a desire for police reform.
Those key initiatives are:
• Increase the amount of affordable housing.
• Increase the number of minorityowned businesses.
• Continue to evolve police services.
• Address lack of accessible public space and housing for individuals with disabilities.
• Use city communications to further develop transparency around equity initiatives.
And, as a council member, Arney hopes to make Wauwatosa a more welcome and inclusive place to live in as well.
“The value of inclusion is very important to me, and that means that inclusion isn’t just about one group,” Arney said. “If you’re not feeling like people are hearing you, you can reach out to me; I want to know what you’re thinking.”