ISSUES
Education for All
Every child—regardless of background, race, religion, sexuality, gender identity, immigration status, or economic status—deserves access to a quality education. When our children succeed, our communities and our state succeed.
We must invest in our public schools, not abandon them. No school should close. Strong public schools create strong communities, and every child deserves a well-funded, well-equipped learning environment close to home.
To strengthen our schools, we must:
✅ Increase funding for public education
✅ Limit school vouchers that divert resources from public institutions
✅ Raise teacher pay and offer tuition reimbursement to support educators
✅ Expand access to technology in classrooms and homes
✅ Ensure every child has the tools and opportunities they need to thrive
"Let me be clear: No teacher should ever have to use their paycheck to buy supplies for their classroom." – Dusty Hartl
It’s time to prioritize students, support educators, and invest in the future of Milwaukee.
Milwaukee: A City Divided—A City That Must Change
Milwaukee has a long history of resilience and progress, yet it remains one of the most segregated cities in the country. Decades of redlining deliberately trapped people of color within specific neighborhoods, denying them opportunities for homeownership, wealth-building, and economic mobility. Instead of addressing this injustice, we have ignored it—hoping no one notices.
Communities of color in Milwaukee have faced anything but true equity. Just because equality is written into law doesn’t mean it is practiced.
✅ Black men in Milwaukee are incarcerated at significantly higher rates than their white counterparts.
✅ Schools in predominantly Black and Brown neighborhoods are severely underfunded.
✅ Gerrymandering continues to suppress the political power of communities of color.
These injustices will not fix themselves. We must take bold action to undo the systemic racism that still shapes Milwaukee today. That means investing in education, economic opportunities, and criminal justice reform—not just for the sake of equity, but for the future of our city as a whole.
It’s time to confront these challenges head-on. Milwaukee deserves better. Our communities deserve better. And together, we can build a city that truly provides opportunity for all.
A Fair Wage for a Fair Day’s Work
No one working a full-time job should be living in poverty—period. Yet, in the richest country in the world, we allow CEOs and billionaires to amass fortunes while hardworking people struggle to afford rent, groceries, and healthcare. During the pandemic, the wealthiest Americans saw record profits, while those already living paycheck to paycheck saw no change in their wages. That is unacceptable.
It’s time to put people before profits by:
✅ Raising the minimum wage to a true living wage—no one should work full-time and still struggle to survive.
✅ Ensuring wage increases keep up with inflation so workers don’t fall further behind.
✅ Strengthening workers' rights and protections to guarantee fair pay, benefits, and job security.
✅ Closing corporate tax loopholes and ensuring the wealthiest pay their fair share.
Milwaukee’s working families deserve better. It’s time to demand an economy that works for everyone—not just the top 1%.
Affordable Housing: A Milwaukee for Everyone
Housing is a human right, yet too many Milwaukeeans are being priced out of their own neighborhoods. Skyrocketing rents, stagnant wages, and a lack of affordable housing options have forced families into impossible situations—choosing between rent, food, healthcare, and other basic needs.
We must take bold action to make housing affordable and accessible for all by:
✅ Implementing rent caps to prevent price gouging and keep Milwaukeeans in their homes.
✅ Expanding affordable housing initiatives to ensure working families, seniors, and low-income residents have safe, stable places to live.
✅ Investing in public housing and rental assistance programs so no one is forced into homelessness.
✅ Holding landlords and developers accountable to prevent unfair evictions and predatory rental practices.
✅ Encouraging responsible development that prioritizes residents over luxury real estate interests.
A thriving Milwaukee means no one should be pushed out of their community due to rising costs. It’s time to put people before profits and make sure everyone—no matter their income—has a place to call home.
Food Access: Public Grocery Stores for a Healthier Milwaukee
Access to fresh, affordable food is a basic human right—but far too many Milwaukee neighborhoods are food deserts, with residents forced to travel miles just to find healthy options. Corporate grocery chains have abandoned entire communities, leaving behind a patchwork of overpriced corner stores and fast food. This isn’t just a public health crisis—it’s a justice issue.
It’s time to treat food access like the essential service it is by creating publicly funded grocery stores that serve the people, not profits.
✅ Establishing municipally owned grocery stores in underserved neighborhoods to combat food deserts.
✅ Offering fresh produce, staples, and household essentials at fair prices—with no profit incentive.
✅ Supporting local farmers and food producers by sourcing locally whenever possible.
✅ Creating union jobs and workforce opportunities with living wages and benefits.
✅ Ensuring community input and oversight so stores reflect the unique needs of each neighborhood.
A just and thriving Milwaukee means no child should go to bed hungry because there's no grocery store nearby. Public grocery stores are not just possible—they're necessary. Let’s build a city where everyone has access to the food they need to live, grow, and thrive.
Public Utilities for All
Reliable, affordable public utilities—like electricity, water, and broadband—are essential for every Milwaukee resident. These services should be treated as public goods, not profit-making ventures.
Right now, private companies control too much of our utilities, leading to high prices, unreliable service, and decisions that prioritize corporate profits over people’s needs. It’s time to take back control and put power in the hands of the community.
To transform our utilities into truly public, community-controlled services, we must:
✅ Municipalize power and water systems so Milwaukeeans have democratic control over pricing, maintenance, and investments.
✅ Lower utility rates by removing corporate profit and redirecting savings to improve infrastructure and affordability.
✅ Ensure 100% renewable energy powered by a public utility that prioritizes environmental justice and a sustainable future.
✅ Guarantee universal access to clean water, reliable electricity, and affordable high-speed internet for every household and business.
✅ Create community oversight boards with real authority, including workers, residents, and environmental advocates to guide decisions.
Public utilities should serve the people, not shareholders. Together, we can build a future where essential services are affordable, reliable, and democratically controlled by the communities they serve.
A Smarter Approach to Public Safety in Milwaukee
For too long, Milwaukee’s leaders have treated crime as a problem that can be solved with more police and more jails. But we know that approach doesn’t work. True public safety isn’t just about law enforcement—it’s about creating a city where people don’t have to turn to crime in the first place.
Milwaukee deserves real solutions that address the root causes of crime. That means:
✅ Investing in Our Youth – We need to expand afterschool programs, mentorship opportunities, and community centers in neighborhoods that need them most. Too many kids in Milwaukee don’t have access to safe spaces after school, leaving them vulnerable to negative influences. Every child should have a place to go where they can learn, grow, and build a future.
✅ Creating Better Job Opportunities – Crime is often a matter of survival. When people have stable, good-paying jobs, they are far less likely to engage in criminal activity. We need to bring more economic investment into Milwaukee’s underserved neighborhoods, increase access to vocational training, and ensure businesses are hiring from within our communities.
✅ Expanding Mental Health and Addiction Services – Milwaukee has seen firsthand how untreated mental health and addiction issues fuel crime. Instead of locking people up, we need to provide more crisis response teams, better-funded rehabilitation programs, and expanded access to mental health care. A person struggling with addiction shouldn’t be treated like a criminal—they should be treated like someone who needs help.
✅ Strengthening Community Policing & Public Trust – Milwaukee’s relationship with law enforcement is broken. Instead of more officers patrolling the streets, we need officers who engage with the community, de-escalate conflicts, and work with residents—not against them. Expanding non-police crisis response teams and community-based violence prevention programs can help rebuild trust and reduce crime without unnecessary force.
✅ Reforming Our Criminal Justice System – Milwaukee’s jails are filled with people who shouldn’t be there—whether it’s someone locked up for a minor offense or someone sitting in jail simply because they can’t afford bail. We must end cash bail, focus on rehabilitation over incarceration, and expand restorative justice programs that help break the cycle of crime.
The safest communities aren’t the ones with the most police—they’re the ones with the best schools, the most opportunities, and the strongest support systems. Milwaukee doesn’t need more arrests. It needs more hope, more resources, and more investment in its people.
It’s time for a bold new approach to public safety in Milwaukee—one that prioritizes prevention, not punishment. Let’s invest in people, not prisons. Let’s build a stronger, safer Milwaukee—together.
Protecting Milwaukee’s Future: A Bold Plan for a Sustainable City
We only have one planet to leave for future generations. There is no "Plan B"—no second Earth to escape to once we’ve destroyed this one. The time for half-measures is over. We need bold, immediate action to tackle the environmental crises that threaten our city, our state, and our world.
Milwaukee has the power to lead the way in sustainability by:
✅ Making all city-owned buildings—including government offices, schools, libraries, and police stations—100% emissions-free through clean energy investments.
✅ Providing tax breaks and incentives for electric vehicles to make green transportation more accessible and affordable.
✅ Enforcing stricter environmental protections to prevent pollution and littering in Lake Michigan, our rivers, parks, and streets. Our natural resources are not dumping grounds—they are lifelines for our city.
✅ Expanding tree-planting initiatives by incentivizing public service participation, offering better unemployment benefits to those who help green our communities.
By taking these steps, we won’t just protect the environment—we’ll create high-paying jobs, provide workers with better education and training, and offer stronger benefits for those in green industries.
What kind of Milwaukee do we want to leave behind? One where our children breathe polluted air and drink contaminated water? Or one where they inherit a cleaner, healthier, and more prosperous city?
The answer is clear. The time to act is now. Let’s build a sustainable Milwaukee for future generations—before it’s too late.
Fixing Milwaukee’s Roads & Rebuilding Our Infrastructure
Milwaukee’s roads are crumbling, our bridges are aging, and our infrastructure is failing the people who rely on it every day. Potholes, outdated water systems, and deteriorating public spaces aren’t just an inconvenience—they’re a public safety issue and an economic burden.
It’s time to make serious investments in repairing and modernizing our infrastructure by:
✅ Fixing our roads and bridges to improve safety and reduce vehicle damage costs for residents.
✅ Upgrading outdated water and sewage systems to prevent lead contamination and ensure clean drinking water for every Milwaukeean.
✅ Expanding public transit options to make commuting easier, more efficient, and environmentally friendly.
✅ Investing in sustainable infrastructure that will make Milwaukee a greener, more resilient city for generations to come.
When we invest in infrastructure, we create good-paying jobs, stronger communities, and a city that works for everyone.
Milwaukee deserves modern roads, reliable utilities, and public spaces that are built to last. Let’s rebuild Milwaukee—better, stronger, and for the future.
Legalize It. Decriminalize It. Equity First.
Milwaukee has a responsibility to lead the way on cannabis reform—because our current laws aren’t just outdated, they’re unjust.
While neighboring states are moving forward with legalization, Wisconsin continues to criminalize marijuana use, wasting public resources, clogging our courts, and ruining lives over something that should’ve been legal long ago. Even more disturbing: Black residents in Milwaukee are disproportionately targeted for marijuana-related arrests—despite similar usage rates across racial lines.
It’s time to stop pretending this is about public safety. It’s about control, stigma, and profit at the expense of working people—especially Black and brown communities.
As a city, we must:
✅ Continue to decriminalize marijuana at the local level—ending citations and arrests for personal possession
✅ Push for full legalization statewide—Milwaukee leaders should be vocal advocates in Madison for legal, regulated, and taxed marijuana use
✅ Expunge past convictions—People shouldn’t live with the lifelong consequences of something that’s legal just across state lines
✅ Ensure equity in the cannabis economy—Legalization must include pathways for communities most harmed by the War on Drugs to participate in and benefit from this emerging industry
Milwaukee can’t afford to sit back and wait.
We must lead with common sense, compassion, and justice.
Legalization isn’t radical—it’s responsible. And it’s time.