Milwaukee County Executive, David Crowley (Photo/Milwaukee Courier)
By Karen Stokes
On Wednesday, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley officially announced that he will seek re-election in 2024.
“Today is a good day to kick off our campaign,” Crowley said. “When I first ran for Milwaukee County Executive back in 2019-2020 one of my top priorities was focusing on the fiscal sustainability of Milwaukee County. Over the past three years of work, we were able to do that and our financial turnaround and being able to make investments and having our first surplus in over two decades. What I also think about Milwaukee County is the fact that we have the vision that by achieving racial equity we can become the healthiest county in the state of Wisconsin. We’ve gotten a lot done in my first term and I still feel that we have so much to do and I think that I’m the right guy for the job so that’s why I’m running for re-election.”
“In 2020, David Crowley achieved a historic milestone as the first Black person to be elected as Milwaukee County Executive. A Milwaukee native, he graduated from Bay View High School and is currently pursuing his degree at the UWM. David and his wife Ericka, have three daughters. Prior to his role as County Executive, he served as a representative for the 17th District in the Wisconsin State Assembly from 2017 to 2020.
Milwaukee County faces several challenges including public health and safety concerns and the future of the Brewers in Milwaukee.
“With the current deal that’s on the table for the Brewers and as we’ve seen with the vote last Tuesday, which was a bipartisan effort to not only making sure we are protecting taxpayers in Milwaukee County and the city of Milwaukee but we’re protecting taxpayers all over the state and finding ways to keep the Brewers in this city,” Crowley said. “It’s been through the assembly, and with the changes Milwaukee County will be contributing $2.5 million but we also know there’s going to be another economic benefit and some other policy changes we’re going to see more money coming back to Milwaukee County. It’s on to the Senate, so now it’s up to us to continue to work with Republicans and Democrats as well as the Governor’s office to make sure we can get this done.”
According to city.milwaukee.gov, Milwaukee County saw a staggering 52% increase in fatal overdoses among African Americans between 2020 and 2021, higher than any other racial group.
Crowley explained that in addressing mental health and the opioid epidemic, they’ve expanded services and introduced harm reduction vending machines across Milwaukee County. An example is that the King Center now offers vending machines which include Narcan, prescription drug disposal options, and gun locks. He mentioned the groundbreaking for the Marcia Coggs Health and Human Service Building, enhancing accessibility in the King Park neighborhood. Additionally, they’ve been a leading advocate and investor in affordable housing across suburban communities in Milwaukee County over the past two decades, focusing on racial equity and various social determinants of health, including the environment, parks, roads, and county-wide reckless driving initiatives.
“We doubled our efforts with the Credible Message Program that really provides mentoring for young people but also provides resources and support systems for the family as well to ensure that they understand what they could do to contribute to a healthier environment for that child and for their family in general,” explains Crowley.
When asked why we should vote for David Crowley, he replied, “For the past three years we have been able to get many major wins and one of the reasons why you should vote for me is that we have been able to get Democrats and Republicans to the table and finally do something right here within Milwaukee County. There is a new day within Milwaukee County and new leadership and with this new leadership we have been able to get major pieces of legislation done and in conjunction with the state legislature. So, I am running because I want to make sure that we can continue to have the leadership that is going to continue to have people at the center of all these decisions.”