Municipal elections in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (2016)
All 15 common council seats were up for election. In seven of the 15 common council districts, more than two candidates filed to run—necessitating a primary election. Incumbents in all but two districts filed for re-election: Joe Davis Sr. in District 2 and Willie C. Wade in District 7. Davis filed to run against Mayor Tom Barrett. In addition to running in the mayoral race, Donovan simultaneously ran for re-election to his position representing District 8.
With the exception of the 2012 primary, 2016 was the first year that Wisconsin voters were required to show a photo ID at the polls.
Elections
General election
Candidate list
Mayor of Milwaukee
District 1
District 2
Note: Incumbent Joe Davis Sr. ran for mayor.
District 3
District 4
District 5
- Jim Bohl (i)
District 6
District 7
Note: Incumbent Willie C. Wade did not file for re-election.
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
District 15
Results
Mayor of Milwaukee, General Election, 2016 | ||
---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
70.01% | 111,016 | |
Robert G. Donovan | 29.69% | 47,082 |
Write-in votes | 0.3% | 475 |
Total Votes | 158,573 | |
Source: City of Milwaukee, "Spring Election Official Results," April 11, 2016 |
Milwaukee City Council District 1, General Election, 2016 | ||
---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
78.88% | 7,042 | |
Vincent Toney | 20.86% | 1,862 |
Write-in votes | 0.27% | 24 |
Total Votes | 8,928 | |
Source: City of Milwaukee, "Spring Election Official Results," April 11, 2016 |
Milwaukee City Council District 2, General Election, 2016 | ||
---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
52.12% | 4,583 | |
Sherman Morton | 47.32% | 4,161 |
Write-in votes | 0.57% | 50 |
Total Votes | 8,794 | |
Source: City of Milwaukee, "Spring Election Official Results," April 11, 2016 |
Milwaukee City Council District 3, General Election, 2016 | ||
---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
73.43% | 10,047 | |
Shannan Hayden | 25.95% | 3,550 |
Write-in votes | 0.62% | 85 |
Total Votes | 13,682 | |
Source: City of Milwaukee, "Spring Election Official Results," April 11, 2016 |
Milwaukee City Council District 4, General Election, 2016 | ||
---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
57.64% | 4,217 | |
Monique Kelly | 41.85% | 3,062 |
Write-in votes | 0.51% | 37 |
Total Votes | 7,316 | |
Source: City of Milwaukee, "Spring Election Official Results," April 11, 2016 |
Milwaukee City Council District 6, General Election, 2016 | ||
---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
65.49% | 5,714 | |
Tory Lowe | 33.90% | 2,958 |
Write-in votes | 0.61% | 53 |
Total Votes | 8,725 | |
Source: City of Milwaukee, "Spring Election Official Results," April 11, 2016 |
Milwaukee City Council District 7, General Election, 2016 | ||
---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
53.77% | 4,909 | |
Michael Bonds | 45.80% | 4,181 |
Write-in votes | 0.43% | 39 |
Total Votes | 9,129 | |
Source: City of Milwaukee, "Spring Election Official Results," April 11, 2016 |
Milwaukee City Council District 8, General Election, 2016 | ||
---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
51.70% | 2,260 | |
Justin Bielinski | 48.02% | 2,099 |
Write-in votes | 0.27% | 12 |
Total Votes | 4,371 | |
Source: City of Milwaukee, "Spring Election Official Results," April 11, 2016 |
Milwaukee City Council District 9, General Election, 2016 | ||
---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
53.25% | 4,668 | |
Robert W. Puente Incumbent | 46.28% | 4,057 |
Write-in votes | 0.47% | 41 |
Total Votes | 8,766 | |
Source: City of Milwaukee, "Spring Election Official Results," April 11, 2016 |
Milwaukee City Council District 10, General Election, 2016 | ||
---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
85.98% | 10,006 | |
Richard Geldon | 13.47% | 1,568 |
Write-in votes | 0.55% | 64 |
Total Votes | 11,638 | |
Source: City of Milwaukee, "Spring Election Official Results," April 11, 2016 |
Milwaukee City Council District 11, General Election, 2016 | ||
---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
63.99% | 7,844 | |
Tim Kenney | 35.66% | 4,372 |
Write-in votes | 0.35% | 43 |
Total Votes | 12,259 | |
Source: City of Milwaukee, "Spring Election Official Results," April 11, 2016 |
Milwaukee City Council District 12, General Election, 2016 | ||
---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
69.66% | 2,879 | |
Angel Sanchez | 29.71% | 1,228 |
Write-in votes | 0.63% | 26 |
Total Votes | 4,133 | |
Source: City of Milwaukee, "Spring Election Official Results," April 11, 2016 |
Milwaukee City Council District 13, General Election, 2016 | ||
---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
53.66% | 6,262 | |
Christopher Wiken | 46.11% | 5,380 |
Write-in votes | 0.23% | 27 |
Total Votes | 11,669 | |
Source: City of Milwaukee, "Spring Election Official Results," April 11, 2016 |
Milwaukee City Council District 14, General Election, 2016 | ||
---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
68.09% | 8,971 | |
Meagan Holman | 31.72% | 4,179 |
Write-in votes | 0.2% | 26 |
Total Votes | 13,176 | |
Source: City of Milwaukee, "Spring Election Official Results," April 11, 2016 |
Milwaukee City Council District 15, General Election, 2016 | ||
---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
76.65% | 4,793 | |
Sean Muhammad | 22.87% | 1,430 |
Write-in votes | 0.48% | 30 |
Total Votes | 6,253 | |
Source: City of Milwaukee, "Spring Election Official Results," April 11, 2016 |
Primary election
The primary election took place on February 16, 2016. Voter turnout was almost 21 percent, which is significantly higher than the typical turnout of 10 to 12 percent for these types of primaries. Some polling places that expected fewer voters had to scramble to print out more ballots. "Voters were a little more informed than I was giving them credit for," said Neil Albrecht of the Milwaukee Election Commission.[2]
Candidate list
Mayor of Milwaukee
District 2
Note: Incumbent Joe Davis Sr. ran for mayor.
District 3
District 4
District 6
District 7
Note: Incumbent Willie C. Wade did not file for re-election.
District 8
District 9
Results
Mayor of Milwaukee, Primary Election, 2016 | ||
---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
46.14% | 30,239 | |
32.44% | 21,261 | |
Joe Davis Sr. | 18.51% | 12,132 |
James Methu | 2.68% | 1,755 |
Write-in votes | 0.22% | 147 |
Total Votes | 65,534 | |
Source: City of Milwaukee, "2016 Spring Primary Final Results," February 19, 2016 |
Milwaukee City Council District 2, Primary Election, 2016 | ||
---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
38.03% | 1,436 | |
23.33% | 881 | |
Larresa Taylor | 15.36% | 580 |
Keith Bailey | 11.84% | 447 |
Tracey Dent | 11.04% | 417 |
Write-in votes | 0.4% | 15 |
Total Votes | 3,776 | |
Source: City of Milwaukee, "2016 Spring Primary Final Results," February 19, 2016 |
Milwaukee City Council District 3, Primary Election, 2016 | ||
---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
76.77% | 4,489 | |
16.69% | 976 | |
Ira Robins | 5.88% | 344 |
Write-in votes | 0.65% | 38 |
Total Votes | 5,847 | |
Source: City of Milwaukee, "2016 Spring Primary Final Results," February 19, 2016 |
Milwaukee City Council District 4, Primary Election, 2016 | ||
---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
57.93% | 1,614 | |
22.18% | 618 | |
Andrew Shaw | 19.27% | 537 |
Write-in votes | 0.61% | 17 |
Total Votes | 2,786 | |
Source: City of Milwaukee, "2016 Spring Primary Final Results," February 19, 2016 |
Milwaukee City Council District 6, Primary Election, 2016 | ||
---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
67.79% | 2,479 | |
17.34% | 634 | |
Ronny Thompson | 10.28% | 376 |
Majungaray Watts | 3.77% | 138 |
Write-in votes | 0.82% | 30 |
Total Votes | 3,657 | |
Source: City of Milwaukee, "2016 Spring Primary Final Results," February 19, 2016 |
Milwaukee City Council District 7, Primary Election, 2016 | ||
---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
31.51% | 1,351 | |
26.03% | 1,116 | |
David Crowley | 22.44% | 962 |
Randy Jones | 14.30% | 613 |
Vivian Redd-Fehr | 5.32% | 228 |
Write-in votes | 0.4% | 17 |
Total Votes | 4,287 | |
Source: City of Milwaukee, "2016 Spring Primary Final Results," February 19, 2016 |
Milwaukee City Council District 8, Primary Election, 2016 | ||
---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
62.81% | 1,098 | |
27.57% | 482 | |
Josh Zepnick | 9.10% | 159 |
Write-in votes | 0.51% | 9 |
Total Votes | 1,748 | |
Source: City of Milwaukee, "2016 Spring Primary Final Results," February 19, 2016 |
Milwaukee City Council District 9, Primary Election, 2016 | ||
---|---|---|
Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
42.57% | 1,831 | |
20.30% | 873 | |
Martin Mac Weddle | 18.74% | 806 |
David D. King | 7.18% | 309 |
Penny Sikora | 6.37% | 274 |
Frank Emanuele Jr. | 4.53% | 195 |
Write-in votes | 0.3% | 13 |
Total Votes | 4,301 | |
Source: City of Milwaukee, "2016 Spring Primary Final Results," February 19, 2016 |
Campaign finance
The first campaign finance reports were submitted on January 15, 2016. Mayor Tom Barrett's campaign began 2016 with over $800,000 on hand. During the reporting period from July 1, 2015, to December 31, 2015, he raised $272,000.[3] As of March 21, Barrett had spent over $724,000, compared to Donovan's $206,000. The following table shows contributions, expenditures, and the amount of money each mayoral candidate's campaign had on hand as of March 21, 2016. For Barrett and Donovan, who began raising money before July 1, 2015—the beginning of the first reporting period—the totals in the chart include money from all of 2015.
Mayoral campaign finance amounts as of March 21, 2016[4] | |||
---|---|---|---|
Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
Tom Barrett (i) | $716,941.22 | $724,206.52 | $492,916.79 |
Robert G. Donovan | $188,390.06 | $206,861.41 | $11,638.74 |
Joe Davis Sr. | $75,523.76 | $98,004.8 | $13,933.19 |
James Methu | $12,696 | $12,696 | $0 |
Below are the four campaign finance reporting periods and filing deadlines that candidates filed for during the 2016 election:[5]
Report | Reporting period | Due date |
---|---|---|
January Continuing | July 1, 2015 - December 31, 2015 | January 15, 2016 |
Spring Pre-Primary | January 1, 2016 - February 1, 2016 | February 8, 2016 |
Spring Pre-Election | February 2, 2016 - March 21, 2016 | March 28, 2016 |
July Continuing | March 22, 2016 - June 30, 2016 | July 15, 2016 |
The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may not represent all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer, and campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Districts map
Below is a map of Milwaukee's 15 common council districts.
Issues
Mayoral race
Mayor Tom Barrett and Alderman Robert G. Donovan faced each other in the general election on April 5, 2016. Barrett was first elected mayor in 2004. He previously served in the Wisconsin State Assembly, the Wisconsin State Senate, and the U.S. House of Representatives. He ran against Governor Scott Walker (R) in 2010 and in the 2012 recall election. Donovan was elected to the Milwaukee Common Council in 2008, representing District 8. Barrett has emphasized the improvements made during his time as mayor, while Donovan has said that far too little has been done to help the city.
In Barrett's State of the City address on February 8, he spoke about new programs that focus on improving reading in schools and said the unemployment rate was the lowest it has been since 2001. He acknowledged an increase in gun violence and car theft in 2015 and said the city needed to focus on youth crime and enact more severe punishments for car theft. Ending on a hopeful note, he said, "Of course we have our challenges, but together we've put Milwaukee on a strong foundation and we can address and overcome anything that stands in our way."[6] Listen to the full speech here.
In an interview on Radio 620 WTMJ, Donovan stressed that the city had a leadership problem. "We're a city that is great on meeting. Boy, we meet on every issue under the sun. We hold summits and have special workshops for this issue or that, but we're short on decision making," Donovan said. "That falls on the mayor." In addition to his critiques of Barrett's leadership, Donovan proposed bulking up the police department, ensuring that courts and district attorneys hold people accountable for their crimes, and reforming the juvenile system. "Milwaukee could take off without a doubt if we have the guts to tackle the nagging problems that are holding us back from this city really reaching its full potential," said Donovan.[7] Listen to the five-minute interview here.
After Joe Davis Sr. lost in the mayoral primary, he endorsed Robert Donovan in the race over incumbent Mayor Tom Barrett. "He certainly has a passion for what I consider the areas of greatest needs and that is specifically the African-American community," said Davis.[8]
Crime
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that there were 152 homicides in Milwaukee in 2015. 145 of these deaths met the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) criteria for homicides, which does not include deaths that were deemed to have occurred due to self-defense. This was a significant increase from the 86 UCR homicides that occurred in 2014. According to the Sentinel's Homicide Tracker, 84 percent of those killed in Milwaukee in 2015 were black and 88 percent were male.[9][10]
Given the marked increase in homicide deaths, many 2016 candidates made crime and public safety a focus in their campaigns. On Mayor Barrett's office website, it says his "budgets have consistently ensured the Milwaukee Police Department has the staffing and the resources needed to effectively address crime, fear and disorder."[11] Conversely, Donovan was very critical of Barrett's policies around crime. On his campaign website, he claimed that the response time of the police was slow. "This is not the fault of our city’s brave officers, rather it is the result of Mayor Barrett’s reckless cuts of 302 police members since 2008," he said.[12] Donovan said he would hire 300 to 400 additional police officers.[13]
On April 30, 2014, Milwaukee Police Officer Christopher Manney shot and killed Dontre Hamilton, an unarmed black man, at Red Arrow Park. Manney was fired from the police department, but he was not charged with any crime. After the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it would not seek federal civil rights charges against Manney, Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn requested that the Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) collaborate with the city's police department. Flynn said he sought the program because "there are many in this community that still question this department's commitment to reform as well as its commitment to transparency." The Collaborative Reform Initiative for Technical Assistance program was announced in December 2015. "As part of the collaborative reform process, the COPS Office will conduct a thorough, independent and objective assessment of the Milwaukee Police Department's policies, practices and accountability systems," said COPS director Ronald Davis.[14]
Streetcar
The effort to build a streetcar line in Milwaukee has been a dividing issue in the city. Supported by Mayor Tom Barrett, the $128 million project was approved by the council in January 2015. Some council members delayed final approval, however, so that opponents of the streetcar could have more time to collect signatures for the petition that sought to put the issue on a referendum. It was officially approved on February 10. The vote was 9-6 in favor of passing the streetcar project. The table below shows how each council member voted.[15][16]
Vote | Common council members |
---|---|
Ashanti Hamilton • Nik Kovac • Robert Bauman Milele A. Coggs • Willie C. Wade • Michael Murphy Jose G. Perez • Terry L. Witkowski • Russell W. Stamper | |
Joe Davis Sr. • Jim Bohl • Robert G. Donovan Robert W. Puente • Joe Dudzik • Tony Zielinski |
According to the official Milwaukee streetcar website, the total cost was estimated to be $128.1 million. Two federal grants supported the project, totaling $69.1 million, with the remaining money coming from TIF districts in Cathedral Square, Amend Erie St., and East Michigan St.[17] After the proposal was passed in the council, Michael Murphy said, "We believe the streetcar not only complements a larger transit network, but also serves as a city-building tool within a broader development plan — a plan that improves mass transit while attracting commercial and residential development in the heart of the city's tax base."[18]
Mayoral candidate Robert G. Donovan voted against the streetcar as an alderman. During his mayoral campaign, he was very vocal about his disapproval of the project. The following quote was taken from his campaign website:[12]
“ | A billion dollar streetcar is Mayor Barrett’s plan to save Milwaukee from out of control crime, poor performing schools and multigenerational poverty? Milwaukee doesn’t need a streetcar—it needs safer streets, better schools & thousands of new jobs! I have been an outspoken opponent of the streetcar since 2010 when I was the only alderman to call for a public referendum on the project. Mayor Barrett stood in the way of a public referendum time after time—he did not want to listen to or acknowledge the strong public opposition. If I am elected mayor I will do everything I can beginning my first day in office to undo the streetcar project and prevent any future expansion of the downtown streetcar starter route.[19] | ” |
—Robert Donovan[12] |
Open the blue box below to see comments from other candidates—incumbents and challengers—about Milwaukee's streetcar.
Click [show] to read comments from Milwaukee's 2016 candidates on the streetcar. | ||||||||||||||||
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About the city
- See also: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is a city located in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. As of 2010, its population was 594,833.
City government
- See also: Mayor-council government
The city of Milwaukee uses a strong mayor and city council system. In this form of municipal government, the city council serves as the city's primary legislative body and the mayor serves as the city's chief executive.
Demographics
The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.
Demographic Data for Milwaukee, Wisconsin | ||
---|---|---|
Milwaukee | Wisconsin | |
Population | 594,833 | 5,686,986 |
Land area (sq mi) | 96 | 54,167 |
Race and ethnicity** | ||
White | 44.4% | 85.4% |
Black/African American | 38.7% | 6.4% |
Asian | 4.3% | 2.8% |
Native American | 0.6% | 0.9% |
Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% |
Two or more | 4% | 2.4% |
Hispanic/Latino | 19% | 6.8% |
Education | ||
High school graduation rate | 84% | 92.2% |
College graduation rate | 24.6% | 30.1% |
Income | ||
Median household income | $41,838 | $61,747 |
Persons below poverty level | 25.4% | 11.3% |
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2010). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2014-2019). | ||
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Milwaukee Wisconsin election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Wisconsin | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ City of Milwaukee, "Upcoming Elections," accessed August 17, 2015
- ↑ FOX6, "Spring primary election: Some communities 'caught off guard' by voter turnout," February 17, 2016
- ↑ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Tom Barrett has more than $800,000 for re-election bid," January 15, 2016
- ↑ City of Milwaukee, "Campaign Finance Reports 2016 Election Cycle," accessed January 20, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Candidate finance report dates," accessed February 23, 2016
- ↑ WTMJ, "Mayor Barrett's State of City address," February 8, 2016
- ↑ WTMJ, "Conversations with Milwaukee mayor candidates: Bob Donovan," February 11, 2016
- ↑ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Ousted from mayor's race, Joe Davis endorses Bob Donovan," February 17, 2016
- ↑ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Milwaukee Homicide Tracker," accessed March 1, 2016
- ↑ FOX6, "145 homicides in Milwaukee in 2015: Families gather to remember those whose lives were lost," December 30, 2015
- ↑ City of Milwaukee, "Mayor Tom Barrett: Public Safety," accessed March 1, 2016
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Robert Donovan campaign website, "Issues," accessed February 25, 2016
- ↑ CBS58, "Alderman and Mayoral Candidate Bob Donovan unveils public safety plan," May 19, 2015
- ↑ FOX6, "Department of Justice starts Collaborative Reform Initiative with Milwaukee Police Department," December 17, 2015
- ↑ FOX6, "Common Council okays $124 million streetcar project, Barrett signs legislation to move it forward," February 10, 2015
- ↑ The Milwaukee Streetcar, accessed February 25, 2016
- ↑ The Milwaukee Streetcar, "Costs & Funding," accessed February 26, 2016
- ↑ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Milwaukee Common Council OKs streetcar plan," February 10, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Urban Milwaukee, "A big league city needs big league public transit options," November 19, 2014
- ↑ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Milele Coggs got it right on Milwaukee streetcar," December 17, 2014
- ↑ Justin Bielinski campaign website, "Issues," accessed February 11, 2016
- ↑ WUWM Milwaukee Public Radio, "Milwaukee Plans Major Steps in the Weeks Ahead for Streetcar Project," September 14, 2015
- ↑ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Restaurateur, streetcar opponent to move to city to run for council," February 23, 2015
- ↑ OnMilwaukee.com, "Building the streetcar doesn't hurt MPS," February 9, 2015
- ↑ Wisconsin Gazette, "Ald. Tony Zielinski: Milwaukee streetcar is a luxury the city can’t afford," January 29, 2015
- ↑ Bay View Compass, "A little levity concerning the proposed streetcar from Ald. Stamper," January 23, 2015
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