Third District
Candidate Debate

Current Occupation
UWM Graduate Student (urban planning) and Business Development/Nonprofit Consultant

How long have you lived in the 3rd District?
4 years

Why are you running for alderman?
Alderman Brostoff’s passing was a loss for our district and city. As a family we felt blessed to have his work ethic and values represent us on the Common Council. I encountered the position of Alder in the 3rd District in my own capacity as a Staff Assistant to Mayor Johnson at City Hall, working with Jonathan. Through reflection and encouragement from people that understood the needs of the job and knew me, including Diana Vang-Brostoff and Mayor Johnson, I answered the call to serve.

What relevant experience/skills do you think you would bring to the position?
I have the passion to work hard for my neighborhood, the experience to get things done, and the vision to build a stronger city and community. Growing up in Sherman Park, a vibrant and diverse middle-class neighborhood, gave me a firsthand understanding of Milwaukee’s challenges and what’s at stake. The 3rd District needs someone who can fight for them, and I bring a professional history of handling tense situations and forcing collaboration to deliver results. My experience spans private, nonprofit, and public sectors, including navigating heated conversations and building coalitions to move difficult issues forward. I’m ready to hit the ground running with the relationships and knowledge needed to represent the district effectively. I wouldn’t ask to represent this district if I didn’t feel I could uphold its deeply rooted progressive values while advocating for meaningful change.

If elected, what role would you like to see 3rd district neighborhood associations like the BSAA and BID play?
BSAA and the BID are vital to shaping the future of our community. It’s crucial that neighbors and businesses feel empowered to work together as equal stakeholders in planning and decision-making. These groups should collaborate to ensure that development reflects the needs and values of the community, fostering both vibrant businesses and livable neighborhoods. Breaking down silos and encouraging open communication between residents, business owners, and the city is key to creating solutions that work for everyone.

What steps would you take to ensure public safety and a positive experience for neighborhood residents and visitors at events such as Harley Fest and the Brady Street Festival?
To ensure public safety and a positive experience for residents and visitors at events like Harley Fest and the Brady Street Festival, we need collaboration and transparency. Residents, businesses, and neighborhood organizations must be fully informed of plans, including traffic reroutes, and have their voices heard before events move forward. Public safety requires a mix of private security and appropriate law enforcement resources, with a focus on preventing issues like overserving patrons at bars. It’s also important to consider the impact on surrounding neighborhoods, ensuring they aren’t left to deal with disruptions without support.

How would you prioritize/balance the Brady Street area's dual identity as both an entertainment district and a family-friendly residential neighborhood? Please include your response to the proposed pedestrianization of Brady Street. 
Balancing Brady Street’s identity as both an entertainment district and a residential neighborhood requires prioritizing safety and thoughtful planning. I support discouraging through traffic and excessive speeds by implementing measures like stop signs and exploring partial street closures on weekends. By reducing vehicle traffic, we can create a safer, more walkable environment for everyone. I believe pedestrianizing Brady Street should focus primarily on safety rather than placemaking. We need to try out limited, partial closures, ensure proper security and law enforcement presence, and address potential congregation points along the barricades. By prioritizing safety and collaborating with residents and businesses, we can create a Brady Street that supports both a vibrant entertainment district and a welcoming, family-friendly neighborhood.

How would you address crime and public safety issues such as reckless driving, vehicle break-ins, drug dealing and aggressive panhandling in the neighborhood?
We need to attack root causes of crime, and we need to make sure we are using collaborative energy to tackle our most challenging safety issues, engaging neighbors with departments, ensuring services we pay for are working towards the wants and needs of communities. Act 12 and limited authority of the FPC restrict full reform currently. Crime will persist as long as we have communities of concentrated poverty, neglect, and limited access. We cannot punish people simply for being born into that.

Current Occupation
Executive Director of the Wisconsin Alliance for Retired Americans, and substitute teacher for Milwaukee Public Schools

How long have you lived in the 3rd District?
I have been a Riverwest resident for over 10 years. In that time I have worked with many community groups to organize and fight for a better city, and spoken with countless residents about what issues they feel are most important by knocking thousands of doors in this district, even before this election.

Why are you running for alderman?
I am running to bring voice and attention to the overlooked working people of this city. In office, my plans are to: Replace We Energies with a municipal or cooperative utility by utilizing Chapter 197 of Wisconsin State Statutes. On average, cities with municipal electric utilities have 15% lower electric bills and 50% less outage time. Build housing for people, not for profit, by advocating for the building of affordable, safe, and dignified public housing, and standing up to landlords and supporting tenants in all city housing issues. Fight for our public schools by taking action to cease the city’s chartering of schools and fighting against any attempt to eliminate our democratically elected school board. Make a safer and healthier city by cutting down on reckless driving and alleviating poverty Stand with city workers by making sure they have living wages, quality benefits, and a great work environment.

What relevant experience/skills do you think you would bring to the position?
I have been a political and labor organizer for all my working life, and have a long track record of winning things for working people. As president of the Milwaukee Substitute Teachers Association, I fought and prevented the replacement of public substitute teachers by a private temp agency, and won healthcare benefits for MPS subs by going on a 21-day hunger strike. While attending Beloit College, I helped lead a coalition to bring a progressive majority to the Beloit School Board, which brought back sex education to Beloit Public Schools. As a substitute teacher for MPS I have seen firsthand what issues our public schools face. As a labor organizer, I have seen the challenges workers face in their struggle for a living wage. And as a working class person living in Milwaukee, I know how hard it is to get by for so many people who are consistently overlooked.

If elected, what role would you like to see 3rd district neighborhood associations like the BSAA and BID play?
I view myself as running not to become the sole decision maker of District 3, but to give the people of this district greater voice and to encourage their participation and organization. Neighborhood associations like BSAA and BID are great ways for the people of District 3 to get involved in their community, and I would encourage residents to join them and participate in the collective process of making our city a better place.

What steps would you take to ensure public safety and a positive experience for neighborhood residents and visitors at events such as Harley Fest and the Brady Street Festival?
During large festivals with many people coming into the neighborhood, I would like to have the street temporarily shut down to traffic to allow pedestrians to travel safely without risk of injury by cars.

How would you prioritize/balance the Brady Street area's dual identity as both an entertainment district and a family-friendly residential neighborhood? Please include your response to the proposed pedestrianization of Brady Street.
I want our city to have greater democracy in our decision making process. I would like to have the residents of the Brady Street Neighborhood themselves vote on the pedestrianization measures. The people who live in the neighborhood have a right to say what they want to happen to the area around their homes. Furthermore, Brady Street residents should make decisions directly about how to provide the balance of an entertainment district and a family supporting environment.

How would you address crime and public safety issues such as reckless driving, vehicle break-ins, drug dealing and aggressive panhandling in the neighborhood?
Our city’s police department already takes up an enormous portion of our budget, and this funding has clearly not brought down the felt experience of danger in Milwaukee’s residents. Police funding is not an effective method to bring down crime. We need to address the root causes of crime and our insecurities in our city if we want to actually prevent it from happening in the first place. That means alleviating poverty, adding traffic calming measures, building a better public transit system, improving our city infrastructure, making sure all Milwaukee’s residents are housing secure, tackling systemic oppression, welcoming immigrant communities, and supporting all those who are marginalized.