Packing House Owner Announces Run for Milwaukee Alderman 13th District
The second-generation owner of Milwaukee’s famous The Packing House Restaurant has announced his candidacy to run for alderman in the Milwaukee district that is home to the popular restaurant.
The second-generation owner of Milwaukee’s famous The Packing House Restaurant has announced his candidacy to run for alderman in the Milwaukee district that is home to the popular restaurant. Christopher Wiken, 45, is running for the 13th District aldermanic seat, currently held by incumbent Terry Witkowski, to represent the citizens of Milwaukee’s far south side. The district includes General Mitchell International Airport, much of the 27th Street business corridor and the southernmost edge of the City of Milwaukee.
Christopher Wiken
“The voters of the district deserve an elected official who represents their interests, understands the needs of their community, will listen to them and not be bullied by outside interests,” said Wiken. Pointing to the recent streetcar debate as the catalyst for his candidacy, Wiken said many of Milwaukee’s elected representatives were “tone deaf” to the needs of the city and the voters.
“We have a crime problem in Milwaukee, and we’re furloughing police officers to save money; yet we can find $64 million city tax dollars for a 2.1 mile downtown trolley route,” said Wiken. “The trolley supporters on the council need to understand they work for the voters. Our voices and tax dollars do matter.”
“The streets in Milwaukee are cratered with potholes, our fire department is faced with brown-outs risking injury and loss of life, our public school system is not producing enough graduates and Milwaukee was just rated the second poorest city in the nation, right behind Detroit,” said Wiken. “The people of Milwaukee need to take back their city or risk succumbing to the collapse of all the hard work and effort of people like my parents who built a wonderful business, provided good jobs and were proud to be part of the fabric of Milwaukee.”
Wiken called himself a boomerang candidate, meaning he and his family would be moving from their current home in Brookfield to a new residence near an area where he grew-up, and a business which has been in his family’s hands for over 45 years.
Wiken added his experience as a small businessman would fill a void in a common council filled with many former government employees. “When you’re used to signing the front of a paycheck, not just the back, you have a greater appreciation for where those dollars came from,” said Wiken. “I look forward to sharing my vision and listening to the voters as I begin to knock on doors and getting to know the needs of my neighbors.”
Wiken has selected Mark Borkowski, who currently represents the 11th District on the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors, to be his campaign treasurer. Borkowski is the longest tenured supervisor on the current board having served 22 years.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
Look at his restaurant’s health inspection reports. If his ability to serve non-tainted food to customers is a sign of his ability to lead, then that district is doomed if he won.
Yes, just what the city needs: a backwards thinking suburbanite, completely out of touch with what contributes to a vibrant urban realm. And apparently someone that lacks basic understanding of how TIFs work…
“Boomerang” candidate. Just what we need. Bay View and Town of Lake areas have been doing so well. We must be ripe for Donovan-lite kookiness.
If crime is actually as horrible and pervasive as he claims, why would he move back?
If he is running became of Ald. Witkowski’s streetcar support, why didn’t he announce this campaign in 2011 when the Alderman voted to approve the project the first time?
Good luck, you’re going to need it.
What an a$$hole. He doesn’t even live here, has no idea (or continues the great lie) how TIFs work and his fish fries are decidely mediocre. PASS!
Well, hold on now. Because what’s the alternative? Keeping Witkowski who publicly stated that his constituents mostly oppose the streetcar but he’s voting in favor of it because “they are misinformed”.
The beauty of local government is supposed to be easy access to the ear of your elected officials. You really want local leaders who blatantly ignore and vote against the wishes of the majority of the people they’re supposed to represent? And then go so far as to call them “misinformed”? I don’t.
Time for a change! Maybe not this particular guy….but a change nonetheless.
LILL, what are you even talking about… let’s see the example where the alderman said that.
In response to “terry witkowski misinformed streetcar”, Google finds a couple of links to the same 3m45s video posted on some anti-streetcar sites, but after watching the video twice, the only place I found the word “misinformed” was in the summary text attached to the video. Witkowski used the word “misinformation” in his speech as part of a sentence reading “…heard from my constituents after they’ve been fed a lot of misinformation…” Hearing misinformation alone does not make one misinformed, so, no surprise, this is a bit of a leap on the part of opponents. Further, as he was speaking that, his gaze moved around the council chambers to specific members. The rest of his speech goes on to explain his reasoning for the yes vote even though that does go against the wishes of some of his constituents.
You can’t rail against our representative democracy only when its outcome doesn’t suite your preferences.
Just a note on those tax dollars that carpetbagger Chris Wiken speaks of.
The majority of those dollars are coming from the federal government and are restricted to public transportation projects. Use it or lose it.
Think of the jobs the construction will create, the revenue increases from businesses attracted to the line area.
Carpetbagger, go home.