Ald. Khalif Rainey
Press Release

Key Details Missing from the Mayor’s Account of Lead Testing Crisis

He has not provided me with information about how many 7th District residents are affected by the notification errors.

By - Jan 31st, 2018 11:22 am

As Mayor Tom Barrett tries to control the public relations damage from the Health Department notification debacle involving families whose children tested positive for elevated lead levels in their blood, there are some critical details that he is not sharing with members of the Common Council.

Specifically, he has not provided me with information about how many 7th District residents are affected by the notification errors, and where in the district they live. This is critically important information that I would like to have as soon as possible. If I know where these affected constituents are in my district, then I can help them and be a positive change agent on their behalf.

By not knowing I feel I am being shut out and kept in the dark. It’s an unfortunate crisis that they (families) didn’t ask for, and that the Mayor claims he knew nothing about until reports started hitting the news media.

I want to know if these families live in the same neighborhoods that the U.S. Postal Service wanted to abandon recently, or if they reside in the same neighborhoods and ZIP codes hardest hit by poverty, joblessness and other reasons for lost hope.

I deserve to know as soon as possible where in my district the affected constituents are, and my constituents deserve many more answers from the Mayor about this troubling episode that occurred under his watch.

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

One thought on “Key Details Missing from the Mayor’s Account of Lead Testing Crisis”

  1. sharon pendleton says:

    Alderman Rainey: if these constituents are so distressed by a faulty notification, why have they not already notified you? The problems associated with childhood lead poisoning are complex and giving you a list/name of someone in your district who may/may not have been properly notified is a foolish starting point as a solution.

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