Jeff Spence Plans Run for Two City Positions

Jeff Spence is taking a big bite out of the election apple, planning to run simultaneously for two open seats: the city-wide Milwaukee school board position and the Milwaukee Common Council‘s District 5 seat previously held by Nikiya Dodd, who recently announced her resignation. The City of Milwaukee Election Commission confirms that it is legally possible to do so, and if elected to both positions, Spence will be able to serve in both capacities. But juggling two races at the same time can be a daunting challenge.

In order to get on the ballot, a candidate must collect 1,500 signatures for the city-wide school board position and 200 for an aldermanic position, all submitted to the election commission by Jan. 6.

Spence says there will “probably be two separate campaigns, and probably two separate setups. I don’t think it is fair to lump everything together.” That means he would have one group collecting signatures for city-wide and another group collecting just in the aldermanic district. He offered no details on any organizational structure in place at this time.

When asked about raising money to run for two offices, Spence offers a single word: “self-funding.”

He will face four other candidates for the aldermanic seat: Annette Jackson,Walt Love, P. Thomas Thadison III and Lamont Westmoreland.

The school board race may actually be more costly. Based on past races, running for the city-wide school position can require $50,000 or more in competitive campaigns. Additional money is often spent by independent third parties in support. For pro-privatization candidates, the support usually has come from the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC). For those opposed to school choice or private charter schools, that support has often come from the Milwaukee teachers’ union, the MTEA.

The current school board member for the city-wide seat, Bob Peterson, will not be running for reelection. In the other seats, all neighborhood districts, only incumbents have registered so far. But no one is listed for District 3.

Spence should be well aware of what it takes to run for a school board position. He was first elected to the board in 1999 and was defeated for reelection in 2015 by Wendell Harris. He was supported by the MMAC and was seen as a more conservative director.

Spence offers his rationale for running for two elective positions: “There needs to be closer linkage to those services for youngest citizens. We haven’t figured out the best systems to service them. We put a lot on our classroom teachers and our school system. We are not looking at the situation from a holistic perspective.” He feels he can help bridge the gap between the city and the school district by holding the two offices.

So far he faces one opponent for the city-wide school board position, Missy Zombor, who has registered to run for the position and offered a diplomatic dig at Spence for running two races. “As a school board director, I would be capable of holding relationships with the city without simultaneously drawing a salary from it,” she says “I’m running for school board because I want my full focus to be on the families and children in Milwaukee Public Schools.”

Zombor has already put together an organization with a website, position statements and endorsements from local elected officials and labor unions. She was previously communications director for the MTEA and marketing director for Rethinking Schools, a progressive education publication. She is also a member of the Democratic Socialist party. She has the support of Bob Peterson.

Milwaukee may see a renewal of the classic school board races between the business community and the teachers’ union of a decade ago.