In thinking about which candidate to endorse for Milwaukee County Executive, my choices boiled down to former State Sen. Jim Sullivan and philanthropist Chris Abele. Having spent time with each candidate discussing the issues and challenges facing Milwaukee County, there’s no doubt that either candidate would serve Milwaukee County’s residents well as our next County Executive, as each clearly has an understanding of not only the problems facing the county, but how they’d address those problems.
However, while I believe both Jim Sullivan and Chris Abele have what it takes to excel as the next Milwaukee County Executive, I believe Chris Abele is the right choice for Milwaukee County voters heading into tomorrow’s primary vote. Having talked with Chris, it’s clear he recognizes that while he has some good ideas on how best to tackle Milwaukee County’s fiscal challenges, he also recognizes he doesn’t have all the answers. While some may view Chris’ stated desire to reach across party lines to find solutions to the issues facing Milwaukee County as a bad thing, it seems pretty clear to me that fixing Milwaukee County needs to be an “all hands on deck” situation, and Chris Abele seems best suited to reach across the partisan divide to find solutions to get Milwaukee County back on solid financial footing. Though he did not receive the endorsement of AFSCME, which represents a good number of Milwaukee County workers, I’m confident Chris understands the vital role Milwaukee County’s workers play in ensuring services are provided in an efficient, effective fashion.
I believe Chris Abele is the right choice to serve as Milwaukee County Executive, and I’m proud to endorse his candidacy.
A vote for Abele is a vote for privatization. He would be a disaster for Milwaukee County.