(Photo: iStockphoto / NNPA)
The time is approaching to choose the next mayor of Milwaukee.
Four candidates, Incumbent Mayor Tom Barrett, State Sen. Lena Taylor, Milwaukee Ald. Tony Zielinski (District 14) and Paul Rasky are vying to become Milwaukee’s next mayor.
The question is, who has the best plan for the future of this city.
Barrett has plans to ensure the future of Milwaukee and that future rests on investing in youth and families.
Initiatives are in place through Barrett to prepare youth for the future.
According to research from Johns Hopkins University and American University, students benefit from teachers who look like them. Black students who have even one black teacher by third grade are 13% more likely to enroll in college.
A plan to invest in pre-K children by way of a new Early Childhood Initiative that retains and recruits high quality diverse early childhood teachers and providers will bring attention and value in recruiting for this profession with partnerships through community providers and EMPLOY Milwaukee.
The mayor created workforce initiatives for youth throughout the city. The YouthBuilds program offers training in construction skills to help build affordable housing and other community assets such as community centers and schools and the Earn and Learn initiative connects teens to local businesses and assists young people from Milwaukee in making a successful transition from adolescence into adulthood through job skills and work experience. Initiatives are in place through Barrett for the health of our families.
To provide clean drinking water, in the 2020 budget, $13.6 million was allocated for lead-line replacements, testing and filters for at-risk households, a $1.2 million increase from 2019. There is a goal to replace 1,100 lead services lines across the city in 2020 building off the success in replacing 1,000 lead service lines in 2019.
A growing body of research shows that children are healthier when fathers are involved in the daily care of their children’s health and safety.
For that reason the Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative gives men resources for education, employment, child support and men’s health services. These resources provide skills to help men to become more successful men and fathers. The Fatherhood Initiative has connected to over 8000 men since 2006.
Investing in our future also means investing in jobs. The mayor has a plan this year to deliver 3,000 new jobs throughout Milwaukee neighborhoods giving residents more economic opportunities where they live with the creation of a new Opportunity Economic Development Fund with $50 million in private funding to target investment in the city’s most challenged neighborhoods.
What is most important is to not interrupt the progress and support Barrett’s plan for the future.
To accomplish this we need to vote.
The Primary will be held Tuesday, Feb. 18 to pare down the number of candidates prior to the General Election on April 7.
The voter ID law requires an acceptable photo ID to receive a ballot for all elections.
To create a voting process that works for all city of Milwaukee residents, the mayor is investing in an early voting schedule and expanding early voting locations so everyone has the opportunity to cast their vote.