Plenty to vote for in Wisconsin’s Spring Election

Wisconsin’s 2012 Spring Election could help determine who the GOP puts up against President Barack Obama this November, and will determine a new direction for the Milwaukee County Board and Milwaukee Common Council.

To begin this rollicking election preview, let’s start with the presidential primary. Conservative voters have been reeking havoc on the presumed candidacy of Mitt Romney, making Wisconsin a player late in primary season.

Romney leads the delegate count, but is hampered by the Massachusetts Health Care law that many say served as a blueprint for the Affordable Care Act. However, the former governor picked up conservative cred in the Badger state last week with an endorsement from Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Janesville).

Sen. Rick Santorum has been making his case with social conservatives, winning small primaries and caucuses around the country and spending most of last week touring Wisconsin.

Rounding out the GOP primary ballot is Newt Gingrich, who has trimmed his staff to the bare bones, and Texas congressman Ron Paul.

City of Milwaukee

After the recall election was officially ordered last Friday, Mayor Tom Barrett announced his candidacy for governor. He is also on Tuesday’s ballot for Milwaukee Mayor, along with University of Wisconsin Extension faculty member Edward C. McDonald, who is not expected to unseat the Mayor.

Milwaukee’s Common Council could see some changes to the old guard in this election. Alderman Bob Donovan faces newcomer Benjamin Juarez in District 8. Donovan is chairman of the city’s Public Safety Committee and a member of the Anti-Graffiti Policy Committee. Juarez has focused his campaign on pairing business school interns with entrepeneurs to create jobs and grow businesses on the near South Side.

City Council President Willie Hines is being challenged by retiring County Supervisor Eyon Biddle in the 15th District. Hines was elected to the council in 1996 and has served as its president since 2004. Biddle served one term representing the Milwaukee County’s 10th Supervisory District. Biddle plans to use the Biddle-Lipscomb Ready to Work initiative to the city to help spur business development.

For more information on your district and polling place, click here. For a full listing of city elections, click here.

Milwaukee County Board

The Milwaukee County Board will undergo major changes with this election, following the retirement of six veteran supervisors, including County Board Chairman Lee Holloway.

Holloway’s seat will be filled by either Russell Stamper II or Priscilla Coggs-Jones. Stamper’s primary focus if elected would be  job training and placement, emergency assistance, GED attainment, driver’s license acquisition and/or reinstatement for the residents of 5th District. Coggs-Jones comes from a long-line of public servants and told The Milwaukee Courier that the most pressing issues for the county are creating jobs, finding a dedicated funding source for the Milwaukee County Transit System, and maintaining the parks system.

Paul Cesarz is retiring from District 9 and Steven Taylor and Kenneth Gehl are vying for the seat. Gehl served as an alderman in Oak Creek and has worked in the financial industry for more than 20 years. He plans to focus on the county’s fiscal and budgetary issues if elected. Taylor, an alderman in neighboring Franklin, plans to focus on economic development in the southern part of the county, particularly the the growth of 27th Street.

Biddle’s vacant sear will be filled by Radolph Matthews Jr. or David Bowen. Matthews wants safe neighborhoods, more accountable schools, employee training, accessible health care and to maintain and restore public transportation.  Bowen plans to focus on creating more opportunities for the county’s youth, improved job training and a vibrant public transportation system.

Long-time board veteran Lynn DeBruin is stepping down to pursue opportunities in the private sector, and State Rep. David Cullen and Parks People President Dan Cody are battling for the seat. Cullen has served the west side of Milwaukee in Madison since 1990 and told TCD earlier this year that he will focus on parks and transit if elected, describing them as core services even though they are not mandated by the state. Cody also plans to focus on parks.

Tracy Corder and Deanna Alexander are seeking to fill Johnny Thomas‘s 18th District seat. Corder, a social worker with Youth Service of Southern Wisconsin, wants to work to reform the juvenile justice system, create family supporting jobs, improve public transit and provide open and accountable leadership. Alexander, a fiscal assistant at the County’s mental health complex, has focused her campaign on revamping the fiscal planning and budgeting process of the county, develop two-way public hearings, and to support public safety personnel.

For more information on the Spring Election for County Board, click here. For more on your district, click here.

Personhood referendum

Ever since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the Citizens United case that corporations have constitutional protections and money can be deemed “free speech” activist groups have been eager to see the concept of “corporate person hood” reversed. One such group, Move to Amend, has worked to have a referendum placed before the City of West Allis voters to decide if corporate money should be active in political discourse.

Polling places open at 8 a.m. throughout the area. Due to a recent appellate court ruling, the new Voter ID bill will not be in effect for this election and photos IDs will not be required to vote. For more information on Voter ID, visit the Government Accountability Board website.