State Sen. Lena Taylor Will Take On Mayor Tom Barrett In April Election

State Senator Lena Taylor bumped out Ald. Tony Zielinski and Paul Rasky Tuesday night for the right to challenge incumbent Mayor Tom Barrett in the April 7 general election. 

Barrett was at 50%, Taylor at 31%, Zielinski at 16% and Rasky at 3% of the total votes Tuesday night.  

Taylor, who grew up in Milwaukee’s North side, was happy with the results. In her speech after the results came in, Taylor told her supporters that she heard them.  

“I heard you saying that we need a city that is equitable for everyone,” said Taylor. “I am so honored to be able to continue on this journey to make Milwaukee a city that we can all be proud of.” 

Taylor’s is campaigning on plans to reduce crime, increase community policing, work towards a $15 minimum wage and replacing lead pipes in Milwaukee if she is elected.  

Before entering the political world, Taylor earned a law degree from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, worked as a public defender, then started a general practice law firm in Milwaukee, according to her campaign’s website.  Taylor has been a state senator for the fourth district since 2005.  

Taylor has called out the incumbent Mayor Barrett for being disconnected to many communities in Milwaukee, specifically those of color. Taylor called for Barrett to resign in December over mismanagement of the Fire and Police Commission in a press release from her campaign. 

“Under the 15 years of Barrett’s leadership, the MPD engaged in hundreds of racial profiling illegal stop of people of color. A report in October revealed MPD lawsuits payouts are over $30,000,000 with five potentially very expensive settlements still pending, all paid for with taxpayers’ money,” the press release says.  

Barrett has been the Mayor of Milwaukee since 2004 and is seeking his fifth term as Mayor. Barrett said Tuesday night that he is happy with the results and expected to come out victorious. 

The Mayor’s victory speech focused on his track record and highlighted the 20,000 jobs he has created as mayor as well as the reduction in crime. 

“I want to thank the city of Milwaukee for giving me the opportunity to represent them and lead this city forward,” Barrett said Tuesday night at his primary victory speech.  

Barrett made job creation the center of his campaign and wrote a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos in 2018 asking the business mogul to bring an Amazon distribution center to Milwaukee’s north side in an effort to create jobs in the area that suffers from high unemployment rates. 

“I invite Amazon to look into building a distribution center on Milwaukee’s north side in proximity to people looking for work, in a neighborhood with high unemployment. I encourage Amazon to consider the low-wage workers who spend hours navigating inefficient transportation alternatives. Amazon has an opportunity to alter the way site location decisions are made so that many more people can share the economic benefits of an amazing company,” Barrett wrote in a letter to Bezos in 2018. 

The company decided to open a distribution center in Oak Creek, a small city just south of Milwaukee.  

State Sen. Chris Larson and state Rep. David Crowley will face off in April for the county executive position. The two pushed Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors Chairman Theodore Lipscomb and businesswoman Purnima Nath off the ballot.  

Larson and Crowley almost tied with Larson receiving 37% of the vote and Crowley receiving 35% of the vote. Lipscomb and Nath received 16% and 13% of the vote, respectively.  

Click this link to view the full results of Tuesday night’s election.