Milwaukee County Supervisor Candidates: On the Issues

The three candidates for the open Milwaukee County supervisor seat agree on at least one thing - that the 9th District has been under-represented on the county board in the last few years.

Donald Schwartz, Ken Gehl and Steve Taylor all want to change that and are trying to make the case about which one is best to fill the seat of Paul Cesarz, who decided not to run for re-election.

The race is one of several on the ballot in Oak Creek in Tuesday's primary. The top two vote-getters will face off in the April 3 general election.

The 9th supervisory district covers most of Oak Creek, most of Franklin and all of Hales Corners. A small portion of Oak Creek, on the north end of town, is part of the 8th District. There, incumbent Pat Jursik is running unopposed. (Find out who your supervisor is with this map of the districts here: http://county.milwaukee.gov/FindSupervisor)

Supervisors are elected to four-year terms at a salary of $50,679. See this previous Patch story for more on the candidates.

Here's what the trio had to say to Oak Creek Patch about a few of the hot-button local county issues. Responses are edited for the sake of clarity.

1. Where do you stand on downsizing the Milwaukee County Board?

Taylor: I definitely think 18 members are probably too many, which is also the consensus from residents. What the right number is, I'm not sure. One county supervisor has pushed for nine supervisors - cutting the board in half. That sounds good. Maybe a compromise could be made at 13 supervisors. You also have to make sure there is still proper representation and that the workload doesn't get to the point where supervisors can't do the job.

Gehl: I believe it could be smaller, but not sure what the exact number should be. Would have to be careful because the south suburban area already has problems with under-representation. The county board is still local politics and local government is about being responsive to the citizens, so you don't want too many people in each district. A lot of the frustration stems from the past few years when this area didn't get the constituent services it needed.

Schwartz: I'm calling for the reduction of the County Board to five members. The advisory referendum on the ballot in a couple dozen of Milwaukee County municipalities on April 3 is an excellent chance for citizens to weigh in on this issue and have their voices heard on reducing the board to nine members. I call for five because if we want to get to nine we need to go lower at first. We don't need 18 supervisors when we have 19 municipalities in Milwaukee County with mayors, village presidents, alderman and trustees in each. Los Angles County is five times the size of Milwaukee County and they have five supervisors.

2. Would you support an extension of Interstate 794 through Oak Creek?

Taylor: I would have to take a close look at the proposal and see how it impacts the residents of the 9th District. Is it going to help business, job creation, things like that. If those types of things happen, I would have to consider it. But it's very important to get feedback from residents to see where they stand on this issue.

Gehl: I supported that since the first I heard of it. It would be great for Oak Creek, great for communities south of us. I would rather see that than a widening of Highway 38 south of Oak Creek, which the state Department of Transportation is planning to do. A 794 extension would help the progress made on Bender Park and Oak Creek lakefront redevelopment. This would be a very smart move.

Schwartz: I would support this idea.

3. What are some of the issues you want to tackle first if elected?

Taylor: Between Franklin, Oak Creek and Hales Corners, residents pay approximately $35 million in taxes a year. And when you take a look at that money, what do we get back in return? Roads are in poor shape, there is no public transit or sheriff's presence, the parks are deteriorating. We, the people of the 9th District, are subsidizing Milwaukee County. I think we've been neglected down here and that has to change.

Gehl: The perception is that the county board is not responsive to the outlying communities. It's kind of a Milwaukee-centric county board; services tend to focus on city of Milwaukee issues. The other thing is getting the fiscal house in order. There were huge battles in closing the budget this year with the sheriff's office and the long-term pension and health care obligations the county faces. Those are front and center finance issues. There are huge businesses the county is involved with – the zoo, the Mitchell Park Domes, the museum, parks, golf courses, you name it. We have to figure out the priorities and look at public-private partnerships to make them sustainable going forward.

Schwartz: 1. Reply back within 1-2 days to all constituent calls and emails. 2. Getting people employed is the biggest issue. Both Oak Creek and Franklin have numerous projects that will not only improve the tax base, but will create hundreds of jobs. I view public service as being a community connector, meaning I will work diligently with community stakeholders to get people employed. Additionally, I will work closely with the Intergovernmental Council and the county board to put all 9th District priorities on the same page.

4. Road construction is always a hot topic, particularly in Oak Creek with 13th Street. How would you address some of these areas of need?

Taylor: It's no different than being an alderman and having a deficiency in your district. Going down the county board and saying, listen, take a look at our infrastructure, why are we not getting our roads repaired when others are? We need a presence on the county board and it's time for us to be thought of. We've been ignored for way too long.

Gehl: 13th Street is in terrible shape and we need to get that on the drawing boards and make the county realize it's a priority for us. It's a very strong commercial road for the city and it's important to have good infrastructure, as well as show people that some money is coming back to Oak Creek.

Schwartz: Road construction and budget restraints are hot topics for most municipalities across the state. I will work with community stakeholders in all three communities to forge a strategy to repair our roads. 13th Street in Oak Creek will be at the top of my list to address.

5. How would you improve communication between constituents and the county supervisor office?

Taylor: The first thing is that if someone calls me or e-mails me, they will get a call back. I've done that the last four years as an alderman. I log every single constituent interaction – I put down the date, time, address, what the issue is. Not only will I get back to people, I will also do listening sessions in different communities.

Gehl: Visibility one of the biggest parts to improve and show the county is actually doing something. Community appearances, Friends of the Parks groups, neighborhood community groups, grand openings. Would also look at putting out regular newsletters, as other supervisors have, to keep residents informed.

Schwartz: Every month I would hold listening sessions for two hours where residents could attend and be heard. I would rotate the monthly listening sessions between Hales Corners, Franklin and Oak Creek.