Contact: Bill Arnold
Public Information Manager/City of Milwaukee/Public Information Division/Office of the City Clerk/Phone: (414)286.3285/ warnol@milwaukee.gov
The Mayor announced his proposed budget for 2018 last week and what he proposes as his priorities. It is now time for the aldermen to peruse the city’s budget and determine what’s best for the people of Milwaukee.
We must have a budget that addresses the urgent need to put Milwaukee back to work by focusing on job creation, infrastructure improvement, workforce development and creating opportunity for entrepreneurship. We have to invest in Milwaukee’s neighborhoods by developing a neighborhood –by- neighborhood campaign to revive local real estate, launch small businesses, and train residents for in-demand jobs- all at the same time and as quickly as possible.
Milwaukee is ranked as one of the poorest cities in America. We have more than 250,000 people living in persistent poverty in Milwaukee – most by far are children and minorities…this is an unsustainable situation that must be intentionally and aggressively addressed in the city’s budget…the status quo is no longer acceptable in Milwaukee. The fiscal constraints are real which makes these priorities I’m proposing in need of immediate action.
The budget must establish clear outcomes as to how the City’s resources will be leveraged with private sector investment to create jobs and expand economic opportunities for all. I will be fighting for a budget that has the following objectives:
· Ensure that significantly more Milwaukee-based companies and workers are participating in the development and maintenance of the City’s infrastructure
· Prepare the City’s workforce to be the most competitive workforce in America
· Support entrepreneurship and the growth of small businesses
· Be fair, inclusive and equitable to all residents of the city
· Minimize Red tape
· Eliminate as much bureaucracy as possible
I strongly believe that the City of Milwaukee must work for the people of Milwaukee, it’s not the other way around. The City’s budget must reflect our commitment to the people of Milwaukee and I am committed to working with the Mayor, my colleagues in the Council and the community to make that commitment a reality.
