Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian
Press Release

Kenosha Mayor Calls on Governor’s Office, Members of the Community to Help the City Rebuild

Mayor Antaramian requests $30 million to help cover damages and revitalize the community

By - Aug 30th, 2020 06:55 pm

KENOSHA, Wis. – (August 30, 2020) – City of Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian announced that he has requested $30 million in state funding from Governor Tony Evers to help the City of Kenosha rebuild and heal after the week of violence and damage experienced particularly in the downtown, uptown and surrounding areas of the city.

“Kenosha is a safe community with hardworking individuals who are mourning and facing immense tragedy and devastation,” said Mayor John Antaramian, City of Kenosha. “We’re asking the state and community partners to help rebuild what was lost and to invest in programs and training for our young people.”

The damage caused by violent demonstrators and rioters, led largely by people from outside the city, destroyed dozens of businesses, homes, and city buildings. Sunday evening, rioting and looting led to burnt buildings, homes, car dealerships, city transit vehicles and more. The city is working with local business owners to estimate the total cost of damaged property.

“The City of Kenosha has experienced a significant economic impact, both our small business owners and large corporate tenants who have lived and worked here for generations,” said Common Council President David Bogdala. “We need to move quickly to provide aid to our local businesses so we can get people back to work and enjoying our beautiful city.”

The closure of businesses due to COVID-19 and then the protests have put immense financial strain on the community of Kenosha.

“The events that occurred in Kenosha this week are tragic and impacted our community emotionally and physically,” said Wisconsin State Representative Tod Ohnstad, 65th Assembly District. “Kenosha has lived through economic devastation before and the community will rebuild again.”

The City of Kenosha plans to use the state aid to help cover property damages, housing and business revitalization, initiatives that will encourage new businesses to invest in the area and costs incurred by the city during the recent violence.

“We are living through unprecedented times with compounding crises facing our communities,” said Wisconsin State Representative Tip McGuire, 64th Assembly District. “Our Kenosha community is resilient, and we’ve exemplified that over the last several days, but we need state funding to address the devastation in the community.”

The mayor has participated in several conversations with the governor’s office, business leaders, community advocates, clergy members and residents to discuss the community’s needs. Each stressed the importance of the city coming together.  The mayor will continue these meetings into the coming weeks and work with the City of Kenosha Common Council toward the betterment of the community.

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.

Mentioned in This Press Release

Government:

Recent Press Releases by Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian

Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian

Kenosha Mayor Says City Has Sufficient Support in Advance of Presidential Visit

Local law enforcement and National Guard stand ready with additional aid on the ground to provide support

Kenosha Mayor Calls on Governor’s Office, Members of the Community to Help the City Rebuild

Mayor Antaramian requests $30 million to help cover damages and revitalize the community

Leave a Reply

You must be an Urban Milwaukee member to leave a comment. Membership, which includes a host of perks, including an ad-free website, tickets to marquee events like Summerfest, the Wisconsin State Fair and the Florentine Opera, a better photo browser and access to members-only, behind-the-scenes tours, starts at $9/month. Learn more.

Join now and cancel anytime.

If you are an existing member, sign-in to leave a comment.

Have questions? Need to report an error? Contact Us