By Ariele Vaccaro
County Executive
Chris Abele
Chris Abele’s explanation for joining the 2011 race for Milwaukee County Executive is simple.
“I love my city,” said the now County Executive of five years.
As Abele approaches the end of his first full term, the Milwaukee Courier met with him to find out how far the county has come, the philosophy that got it there, and what’s in store for the future.
Philanthropist Turned Politician
In 2011, Scott Walker left his post as County Executive to take office as governor. Abele, a businessman and philanthropist, set his sights on Walker’s old spot, despite having never held office.
According to a Jan. 2011 report by Politifact, the decision “stunned the political and charity worlds.”
However, the Boston native saw Milwaukee County in need of financial change and envisioned something different.
At the beginning of the race, Abele set his campaign apart from others by proclaiming himself a political outsider and more importantly, someone willing to work on both sides of the aisle.
“I’ve written some checks to Republicans,” said Abele.
However, that message didn’t sit well with everyone. He’s faced criticism for playing to both sides and for financially favoring Democratic candidates seeking office.
“It didn’t used to be that way,” Abele noted of the current political climate. He continued, “Both sides seem to be going out to the edges.”
Abele won the April 2011 race, garnering over 60 percent of the vote. In 2012, he ran unopposed to secure a full term. Now, five years later, he’s looking back.
Mental Health
In 2013, Disability Rights Wisconsin (DRW) investigated the deaths of six mental health patients that passed away at Milwaukee’s Mental Health Complex. Following the investigation, DRW asked psychiatrist Dr. William Knoedler to further inspect the facility.
According to DRW, Knoedler found the complex to be unsafe for mental health patients and suggested it be closed.
Knoedler’s findings initiated an immediate reaction from state and county officials.
The Behavioral Health Division (BHD) faced heavy criticism. During the following year, state legislature passed a series of mental health reforms with next to no opposition. A vote of 122 to one set mental health care in Milwaukee on a course for change.
The show of bipartisan cooperation remains one of Abele’s fondest memories as county executive.
Before the approved reforms, mental health in Milwaukee was lead by elected officials. BHD is now headed by a group of 13 mental health professionals and experts.
According to a July press release, BHD has seen a 20 percent decrease in the use of its psychiatric emergency department, a 30 percent drop in emergency detentions, and a 48 percent reduction in admission to adult inpatient units. Incarceration and Recidivism
Wisconsin still tops the country’s list of states which incarcerate the most African-American men. It’s one of several issues that Abele said many in Milwaukee simply “accept the inevitability” of.
However, Abele has aimed to find evidence-based solutions that give prisoners the resources necessary to succeed after their release.
“It’s about empowering,” he said. “Everything we do should be about empowering.”
In 2013, the County and House of Correction (HOC) began to make GED programming and work opportunities available to inmates. According to Abele, inmates have some 200 skill certifications available to them, and hundreds have already received their GED’s through the programming.
“It changes the way they’re thinking about what’s possible for their future,” Abele said.
In October, HOC, Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board, and the County Executive announced the creation of a new job center. It will help individuals recently released from prison to secure job training, education, and other resources for finding employment and reducing their chances of returning to HOC.
Continued in the next issue of the Milwaukee Courier