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Michael Murphy

Alderman Michael Murphy of District 10 on Milwaukee’s West Side, was first elected at age 27 in 1989, and is the city’s longest-serving alderman.

Michael Murphy is a lifelong West Side resident, a member of the Gesu Parish, and the first son of Irish immigrants to be born in America, his official biography reveals.

Murphy attended Hi Mount and St. Catherine’s elementary schools and graduated from Milwaukee’s Madison High School in 1980. In 1986, he earned a B.S. degree in Geological Sciences from UW-Madison and he has since completed graduate course work toward a Master’s Degree in Public Administration. To pay his way through college, he worked in the Milwaukee Public Museum’s Geology Department and as a lab technician at Great Lakes Research Institute researching the effects of heavy metal contaminants in the Fox River Valley.

Murphy has been reelected six times. Since April 2004 he has served as chair of the Common Council’s budget-writing Finance and Personnel Committee. He is also vice chair of the Steering and Rules Committee and a member of the Council’s Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee.

Murphy has served on many different boards over the years. He currently serves as chair of both the Investment Committee of the Employees’ Retirement System and the Milwaukee Arts Board. Murphy describes himself as a long-time supporter of the local arts.

In 2012, Murphy received the “Common Ground Hero Award” from the Southeastern Wisconsin branch of the non-profit Common Ground group. He was cited for his work in helping the group fight the foreclosure crisis in Milwaukee. Murphy worked with Common Ground to secure $33.8 million from five major banks (Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, Deutsche Bank, US Bank and Wells Fargo) to help rescue homeowners facing foreclosures.

Murphy also received the Arts Leadership Award from the String Academy of UW-Milwaukee for his “long term dedication to the importance of the arts in the lives of Milwaukee’s citizens and children.”

Murphy, along with the Common Council, has supported 180 Degree Properties, LLC to fight unemployment.

Murphy met with Aurora Health Care officials out of concern that Sinai Medical Center might close its emergency department.

Seeing a growing need for supportive housing for Milwaukee’s at-risk populations, Alderman Murphy brought to life the Housing Trust Fund Task Force in 2006, which has helped fund numerous housing projects throughout the community.

Murphy was among nine aldermen who criticized the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for misleading the public about how the police department reported crime data.