Municipal elections in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (2016)

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The mayor's chair and 15 seats on the Milwaukee Common Council were up for general election on April 5, 2016. Tom Barrett sought his fourth term as mayor of Milwaukee. Two alderman, Robert Donovan and Joe Davis Sr., as well as political newcomer James Methu, filed to challenge the incumbent. Barrett led the primary race on February 16, 2016, with Donovan coming in second. Barrett defeated Donovan in the general election.[1]

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

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
Green check mark transparent.png Tom Barrett Incumbent 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
Green check mark transparent.png Ashanti Hamilton Incumbent 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
Green check mark transparent.png Chevy Johnson 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
Green check mark transparent.png Nik Kovac Incumbent 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
Green check mark transparent.png Robert Bauman Incumbent 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
Green check mark transparent.png Milele A. Coggs Incumbent 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
Green check mark transparent.png Khalif Rainey 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
Green check mark transparent.png Robert G. Donovan Incumbent 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
Green check mark transparent.png Chantia Lewis 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
Green check mark transparent.png Michael J. Murphy Incumbent 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
Green check mark transparent.png Mark Borkowski Incumbent 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
Green check mark transparent.png Jose G. Perez Incumbent 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
Green check mark transparent.png Terry L. Witkowski Incumbent 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
Green check mark transparent.png Tony Zielinski Incumbent 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
Green check mark transparent.png Russell W. Stamper Incumbent 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

Results

Mayor of Milwaukee, Primary Election, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Tom Barrett Incumbent 46.14% 30,239
Green check mark transparent.png Robert G. Donovan 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
Green check mark transparent.png Chevy Johnson 38.03% 1,436
Green check mark transparent.png Sherman Morton 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
Green check mark transparent.png Nik Kovac Incumbent 76.77% 4,489
Green check mark transparent.png Shannan Hayden 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
Green check mark transparent.png Robert Bauman Incumbent 57.93% 1,614
Green check mark transparent.png Monique Kelly 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
Green check mark transparent.png Milele A. Coggs Incumbent 67.79% 2,479
Green check mark transparent.png Tory Lowe 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
Green check mark transparent.png Khalif Rainey 31.51% 1,351
Green check mark transparent.png Michael Bonds 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
Green check mark transparent.png Robert G. Donovan Incumbent 62.81% 1,098
Green check mark transparent.png Justin Bielinski 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
Green check mark transparent.png Robert W. Puente Incumbent 42.57% 1,831
Green check mark transparent.png Chantia Lewis 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



BP-Initials-UPDATED.png 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.

MilwaukeeDistrictMap.jpg

Issues

Mayoral race

Mayor Tom Barrett

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.

Bob Donovan

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]

Milwaukee streetcar image from the official website
Vote Common council members
Yea3.png Ashanti HamiltonNik KovacRobert Bauman
Milele A. CoggsWillie C. WadeMichael Murphy
Jose G. PerezTerry L. WitkowskiRussell W. Stamper
Nay3.png Joe Davis Sr.Jim BohlRobert G. Donovan
Robert W. PuenteJoe DudzikTony 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.

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
Official Seal of the City of Milwaukee.png
Seal of Wisconsin.png
Municipal Government Final.png
Local Politics Image.jpg


External links

Footnotes

  1. City of Milwaukee, "Upcoming Elections," accessed August 17, 2015
  2. FOX6, "Spring primary election: Some communities 'caught off guard' by voter turnout," February 17, 2016
  3. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Tom Barrett has more than $800,000 for re-election bid," January 15, 2016
  4. City of Milwaukee, "Campaign Finance Reports 2016 Election Cycle," accessed January 20, 2016
  5. Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Candidate finance report dates," accessed February 23, 2016
  6. WTMJ, "Mayor Barrett's State of City address," February 8, 2016
  7. WTMJ, "Conversations with Milwaukee mayor candidates: Bob Donovan," February 11, 2016
  8. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Ousted from mayor's race, Joe Davis endorses Bob Donovan," February 17, 2016
  9. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Milwaukee Homicide Tracker," accessed March 1, 2016
  10. FOX6, "145 homicides in Milwaukee in 2015: Families gather to remember those whose lives were lost," December 30, 2015
  11. City of Milwaukee, "Mayor Tom Barrett: Public Safety," accessed March 1, 2016
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 Robert Donovan campaign website, "Issues," accessed February 25, 2016
  13. CBS58, "Alderman and Mayoral Candidate Bob Donovan unveils public safety plan," May 19, 2015
  14. FOX6, "Department of Justice starts Collaborative Reform Initiative with Milwaukee Police Department," December 17, 2015
  15. FOX6, "Common Council okays $124 million streetcar project, Barrett signs legislation to move it forward," February 10, 2015
  16. The Milwaukee Streetcar, accessed February 25, 2016
  17. The Milwaukee Streetcar, "Costs & Funding," accessed February 26, 2016
  18. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Milwaukee Common Council OKs streetcar plan," February 10, 2015
  19. Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  20. Urban Milwaukee, "A big league city needs big league public transit options," November 19, 2014
  21. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Milele Coggs got it right on Milwaukee streetcar," December 17, 2014
  22. Justin Bielinski campaign website, "Issues," accessed February 11, 2016
  23. WUWM Milwaukee Public Radio, "Milwaukee Plans Major Steps in the Weeks Ahead for Streetcar Project," September 14, 2015
  24. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Restaurateur, streetcar opponent to move to city to run for council," February 23, 2015
  25. OnMilwaukee.com, "Building the streetcar doesn't hurt MPS," February 9, 2015
  26. Wisconsin Gazette, "Ald. Tony Zielinski: Milwaukee streetcar is a luxury the city can’t afford," January 29, 2015
  27. Bay View Compass, "A little levity concerning the proposed streetcar from Ald. Stamper," January 23, 2015