Civic Partnership to Present Milwaukee Mayoral Candidate Forum February 9th at Turner Hall Ballroom

All of the Milwaukee mayoral candidates who will face off in the February 15^th primary have been invited and are expected to take part in an election forum set for 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, February 9^th at Turner Hall Ballroom, 1040 N. Vel R. Phillips Avenue.

The forum, co-hosted by the Pabst Theater Group, the Milwaukee Press Club,  WisPolitics.com, Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and Listen MKE, [a collaboration among the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WUWM 89.7, and Milwaukee PBS,] will be free and open to the public. Registration for in-person attendance is required and seating will be limited.

The forum also will be livestreamed at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Facebook page for those who cannot attend in person.

The candidates:

Milwaukee Ald. Marina Dimitrijevic

Former Milwaukee Ald. Bob Donovan

Milwaukee community activist Ieshuh Griffin

Acting Mayor and Milwaukee Common Council President Cavalier Johnson

Milwaukee County Sheriff Earnell Lucas

Business owner Michael Sampson

State Sen. Lena Taylor

Moderators will be Charles Benson, reporter and news anchor at TMJ4 – WTMJ TV, and James Causey, columnist and special projects reporter at the Journal Sentinel. Topics will include important issues facing Milwaukee and its residents.

“The Milwaukee Press Club is extremely proud to be part of this forum, which will provide an opportunity for voters throughout the city to learn more about the candidates seeking to become Milwaukee’s next mayor through this historic election,” said Corri Hess, press club president and reporter at Wisconsin Public Radio. “We are grateful to the Pabst Theater Group, our media co-hosts and our community partners for making this possible. We encourage all of our partners to share information about the forum with their members and audience.”

Gary Witt, Pabst Theater Group CEO, noted the rare opportunity for an open mayoral election after former Mayor Tom Barrett resigned to become U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg. “Milwaukee mayoral primaries without an incumbent happen about as often as cicadas emerge, around every 17 years,” Witt said. “I’m hopeful that events like this help more Milwaukeeans from all communities to become aware and to vote. This is important because more people attend a Packers game than the total who voted in our last mayoral primary.”

Community partners for this election forum to date include the Milwaukee Bucks, Milwaukee Community Journal, Wisconsin Voices, WNOV 860 AM and 88Nine Radio Milwaukee.

For an updated, current list, go to https://milwaukeepressclub.org/events/  

Everyone attending the event must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, as defined by the CDC. Proof of vaccination will be checked at the door. Under the city of Milwaukee’s mask ordinance, masks will be required indoors.

To register to attend the forum in person, go to: https://milwaukeepressclub.org/events or pabsttheater.org.

To view the livestream February 9, go to: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Facebook page. Please use #MKEMayoralForum22 for social media.

For questions or more information, contact Joette Richards at the Milwaukee Press Club, joette@milwaukeepressclub.org, or call 262-894-2224.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.