Mayor Launches ‘Trusted Messengers’ Program

Houses on S. Howell Ave. in Bay View. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

Mayor Cavalier Johnson is launching a new nonprofit initiative intended to create a citywide network of “trusted messengers” who will distribute information about city government and encourage civic participation among Milwaukee residents.

The effort, called Milwaukee Civic Connection (MCC), is being organized as an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit and will rely on community members sharing information with friends, family members and neighbors through what organizers describe as a “relational organizing” model. The initiative is expected to begin its first major outreach campaign during the city’s 2026 budget process.

“Residents are increasingly disconnected from the information, services and institutions meant to support them,” according to a fact sheet describing the initiative. The organization is intended to create “a year-round network of community members trained to connect residents to essential services, deliver trusted information and ensure that City Hall hears directly from the neighborhoods it serves.”

Johnson said the concept grew from frustration that many residents most affected by city decisions often do not participate in traditional public engagement efforts.

“You host a town hall meeting or community meeting about an issue and the people that you need to reach, who would benefit from the information the most, are sometimes not in the room,” Johnson told Urban Milwaukee. “This provides us an opportunity to further reach those folks.”

The initiative will partner with the national nonprofit Empower Project, which provides technology and training for relational organizing campaigns. Participants use a smartphone app to identify people within their existing social networks, conduct conversations and share information. According to MCC materials, the Empower Project trained more than 47,000 participants in 2024 and facilitated outreach to more than 3 million people across 10 states.

Johnson said the network could be used to distribute information about city services, public health initiatives, emergency communications and neighborhood programs. The first campaign is expected to focus on the city’s budget process.

“We’re going to be engaging with folks around the city budget,” Johnson said. “Expanding out from that, we could use it for information around public health information, neighborhood services, emergency communications. The list goes on and on and on around those civic things that we are able to communicate with folks on.”

Under the model, the nonprofit would provide information to volunteer messengers, who would then share it with people in their personal networks. Johnson offered pothole reporting as an example, saying messengers could encourage residents to use city reporting tools rather than simply complain about road conditions.

The organization is being led by a board that includes former Milwaukee Bucks President Peter Feigin, entrepreneur Kyle Weatherly, lobbyist Brian Taffora and Godfrey & Kahn attorney Rebecca Lopez. Feigin is serving as board president.

Johnson emphasized that MCC will not receive city funding and said it is intended to operate as a civic rather than political organization.

“It’s a nonprofit organization,” Johnson said. “There’s clear parameters. It’s not going to be used for other means. Again, this is a civic tool. It’s not a political tool.”

At least initially, Johnson said, it will only focus on communication around city government initiatives.

Questions remain about how large the operation will become and who will finance it. Johnson said fundraising is ongoing and did not provide a budget or identify donors. A spokesperson later said fundraising efforts continue. The spokesperson also said the organization is currently being staffed by volunteers.

According to MCC materials, the nonprofit will be funded through philanthropic gifts and grants from individuals, foundations and civic organizations. The organization says it will operate independently of city government and will not receive direct city funding.

Johnson said he believes the approach can help strengthen trust between residents and government by relying on information shared through existing personal relationships.

“I think people trust their relatives, they trust their friends, they trust those folks first and foremost,” the mayor said. “And so we’re building this as a tool to build more civic trust in our community.”

The organization’s website is live at MilwaukeeCivicConnection.com, and those interested in becoming a messenger can sign up for virtual training.