MILWAUKEE – Yesterday, the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors voted 10–7 to reject the administration’s proposal to redevelop McGovern Park Senior Center into a mixed-use facility—voting to place the 60-year-old center “on life support.” The plan would have added privately owned senior housing, a wellness/tech hub, full-service café, and community center on parkland, using a $2 million federal earmark and private donor funding.
County Supervisor Steve F. Taylor, a longtime advocate for pragmatic solutions, voted in favor of the proposal and expressed concern that rejecting every creative redevelopment plan places an unsustainable burden on the county’s finances and senior services:
“The rejection of the McGovern Park mixed-use senior/community center was essentially a vote to close the current senior center. While the move to close may not occur in 2026, McGovern is certainly on the chopping block within the next few years. Milwaukee County has $1.1 billion in deferred maintenance, with $500 million of that in the Parks department alone. Our 2026 budget has a projected shortfall of $46 million. Continuing the status quo is unsustainable. The proposal by the administration was forward-thinking and creative, which is necessary if we want to try to get out of our current fiscal situation.
Taylor also condemned what he described as a campaign of misinformation that derailed the project:
“I am also disturbed by the lies and misinformation being spread by some in the community and by a few of my colleagues. The false narratives and intentional fearmongering, with the sole intention of scaring our seniors, were deplorable. Throughout the debate, I heard about restless nights and the inability to fall back asleep because of the weight of this decision. Well, I hope those who voted no are able to find peace at night, knowing that when we pull the plug on McGovern, their vote was the reason why. I want to thank Supervisors Capriolo, Coggs-Jones, Gómez-Tom, Johnson Jr., Rolland, and Wasserman for voting to keep this vital institution off life support.”
