By Milwaukee Courier Staff
County Executive Chris Abele
When Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele took office in 2011, he inherited a county on the brink of bankruptcy.
Nearly five years later, Abele is able to paint a different picture of county finances.
Unlike his predecessor Scott Walker, Abele has championed smart government investments that have resulted in tangible results for county residents, held the line on taxes, and increased county services.
Abele’s speech focused on new initiatives and delivering results rather than a partisan agenda. Abele made this clear early in his speech, saying, “While I’m a lifelong Democrat, I’ll embrace a good idea no matter where it comes from.”
One of the ideas Abele prioritized in his speech is the Pathways to Responsible Fatherhood program. Milwaukee County received a $1.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2014 to partner with community organizations that help fathers improve their own economic security.
These organizations provide employment service and job training, and half of the participants in the program receive job placement, according to the County Executive.
Ensuring equality of opportunity was a common theme of Abele’s speech.
Using this frame, he addressed public transportation as a means of connecting residents to jobs and students to their schools.
Abele also championed programs that reduce recidivism.
Highlighting investments made at the House of Corrections over the past two year years, Abele talked about new programming for inmates, such as financial planning, skills training programs, and education opportunities in an effort to keep inmates from re-offending when they re-enter their community.
To demonstrate the real impact these programs are having for residents and communities, Abele shared Jermaine Mitchell’s story.
Mitchell participated in the Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative during his time at the House of Corrections, participating in mock interviews and completing a forklift certification program.
Today, Jermaine Mitchell is employed at a TGIF restaurant.
Abele hopes his budget and these initiatives will help eliminate chronic homelessness in three years.
Other fiscal issues were also addressed. This is the fifth consecutive budget that does not raise taxes. As part of an eight million dollar investment package, Milwaukee County employees will receive a raise, which Abele said is, “one of the biggest post-Act 10 raises in the state.”
In an apparent olive branch to one of his most consistent public foes – the public employees union – Abele thanked new AFSMCE Council 32 Executive Director Rick Badger and pledged future discussions with county employees.
In a broader sense, Abele presented a blueprint for a new kind of twenty-first century progressivism.
Invoking Pope Francis, Abele framed his budget as a tool to address social problems in Milwaukee County.
Embracing the power of good government to improve the lives of its residents, he laid out plans to combat poverty, chronic homelessness, and joblessness.
He stressed the importance of efficient government that spend public tax dollars wisely and maximizes the impact of investments in social programs and economic development.
Abele boldly proclaimed that Milwaukee County has turned the corner from the fiscal mismanagement and corruption of his predecessors.
He laid out a vision for a more efficient government that invests in programs that address the most urgent programs in Milwaukee County while also providing the most bang for their buck.
But Abele was also declaring, albeit more subtly, that he too is turning a corner as the leader of Milwaukee County’s government.
He used his budget speech to emphasize his desire for better partnerships with the County Board, municipal leaders, and county employees.
In an age of intense partisanship at the state and national level, Abele wants to chart a different way forward at the local level.
He said in his speech, “Good government empowers people and can solve problems, but we arrive there more often not by labeling problems and enemies but by seeking allies and solutions.”
It remains to be seen if Abele can accomplish his lofty goals, but his budget offers new ideas to combat some of the toughest challenges facing Milwaukee County.