Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett thanked the Jewish community for being a positive force in Milwaukee and asked for its help, especially in job creation and education — two of his highest priorities.
He also asked an audience of about 55 at the Milwaukee Jewish Council for Community Relations meeting on Sept. 22 to help “talk this town up.”
“Cities are products — we are competing with other cities and economic regions. We need to roll up our sleeves and sell this city,” he said
In his descriptions of Milwaukee’s overall condition, Barrett had good and bad news for the audience. On the positive side, Barrett credited Milwaukee’s previous mayor, John Norquist, for removing obstacles that have allowed a downtown housing renaissance.
He said the city’s diversity has been enhanced by an influx of upper income people living downtown. And this has happened, for the most part, without displacing lower income residents, he said.
Barrett noted that he would be submitting his first budget the next day, and that he had been told when he took office that the city faced a $35 million deficit this year. But he said his administration has come up with creative ways to freeze property taxes without cutting services significantly.
He explained that the cost of law enforcement takes more than 90 percent of the city taxes collected, and therefore the rest of the funds needed to run the city must come from the state shared revenue program.
He asked how Milwaukee metropolitan area legislators can support revenue sharing cuts. “How can an economic region thrive if its center is strangled?” he asked.
He said the previous day’s newspapers had reported a drop in the city’s crime rate and emphasized that, because it is one of the most basic quality of life issues for city residents, he is serious about fighting crime. He does not plan to cut any funds from law enforcement, he said.
Barrett said that Milwaukee is one of the most livable cities in the United States because of its high quality arts, entertainment, major league sports, relatively short commute times — these have actually dropped — and natural beauty. “Milwaukee is a tough place to get people to move to and it’s a tough place to get people to move away from,” he quipped.
Less positive news is found on the jobs and education fronts, he said. Job creation is chief among his concerns. “I’m serious about attracting and retaining business, [but] 70 percent of new jobs will come from companies that are already here,” he said.
As for education, though test scores are up at the 4th grade level, they are mixed among 8th and 10th graders. Milwaukee has the largest racial gap in 8th grade test scores of any city in the country, he said.
Noting that education will be even more important as jobs continue to leave the U.S., Barrett places it high on his agenda.
The biggest challenges exist among 4th to 8th grade students, especially males of color between 5th and 6th grades and between 8th and 9th grades, when uncertainty is increased as they change schools, he said.
“Kids need a support system” and he would like to give property tax credit to people who mentor kids, he said.
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