The chaos continues around Tuesday’s election, following two Supreme Court rulings Friday evening.
First, Election Day will be held as scheduled, after Gov. Evers initially ordered it suspended on Monday afternoon, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled.
Then the U.S. Supreme Court court ruled all absentee ballots must either be returned or postmarked by April 7 to be counted — a reversal of a ruling last week that gave voters until April 13.
Details on the rulings here … and you can read my broader concerns about our leaders in Madison here. I also delivered a citywide phone message this evening, and you can see the contents of that here.
Long story short, we will get it done locally tomorrow, thanks to the hard work of our clerk’s office, all of our teams supporting them, and all of those working at the polls and counting ballots in the days ahead. Because that’s what we do. Accountability for our state leaders must come later.
Governor Evers has ordered the suspension of Tuesday’s election, and Republican leaders have vowed to fight it in front of the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
In other words, as I write this, we are less than 18 hours from the start of live voting, and we still do not know what will happen when polls open on Tuesday.
That is a failure of leadership from our governor and lawmakers. Shame on all of them.
Let me be clear: We have been taking necessary steps to make the experience as safe as possible for voters and our poll workers. Whenever the election is held, we are planning to enforce social distancing, sanitizing, and even adding locally made acrylic barriers between workers and the public.
You can read more about the steps South Milwaukee is taking here.
No matter what happens on Tuesday, I can’t thank City Clerk Karen Kastenson and her team enough for getting us ready for this day – and to all of the poll workers (including a number of city workers being redeployed) for stepping up to help this week and beyond.
While many of our poll workers have understandably declined to work on Tuesday, at least South Milwaukee has enough to pull this off. A number of communities in the county are using National Guard members to help.
The City of Milwaukee has been forced to reduce its number of polling locations from 180 to five – five! – for a city of nearly 600,000 people. Oak Creek reduced its voting sites to one, from six. Waukesha, with a population of more than 70,000, also went to just one.
Thankfully, about 45% of registered voters in South Milwaukee have either voted or have a ballot in their hands as you read this, including the approximately 600 who voted in-person at City Hall the past two weeks.
But the reality is stark: That means more than 5,000 people have noted yet, in an election that was expected to draw more than 80% of voters to the polls. Do the math: Unless Gov. Evers’ order is upheld, we could see thousands people at the polls on Tuesday.
Of course, if the election is held, turnout will be lower, and that would be one of consequences of the inaction of our leaders in Madison. There will be disenfranchisement in this election if the election is held on Tuesday. People will “sit this one out” vs. risk infection at the polls – it’s a guarantee.
That is most likely to happen in larger cities like Milwaukee. For example, how many will choose not to vote in the Sherman Park neighborhood, the epicenter of the outbreak in Wisconsin? How many will choose not to vote because of the long lines almost certain to materialize as thousands of people show up at five Milwaukee high schools on Tuesday?
Of course, this has political implications, which is obscene to even think about here. But it most assuredly is being contemplated by some in power, just like most decisions being made in Madison these days, even in the middle of a pandemic. That is the state of our state in 2020.
Many saw this coming weeks ago.
On March 22, I joined more than 300 leaders from across the state in signing a letter to Governor Evers, Rep. Vos and Sen. Fitzgerald asking them to “take action now to reduce the risk of our residents, members of our staff and our election workers, and to avoid unnecessary disenfranchisement of voters.” I helped write the letter that the League of Wisconsin Municipalities circulated for signatures – that is how strongly I felt about this then, and still do.
We heard no response. So I wrote a personal letter on March 26. From it …
Over the weekend, you received a letter from the League of Wisconsin Municipalities co-signed by more than 300 local leaders from across the state, urgently asking you to offer us options around voting in the middle of a pandemic.
Four days later, I have seen no response, and there remains no unified action at the state level. That is a failure of leadership, and, to me, a willful choice to not respond to those who are focused on delivering this election safely and fairly as you read this. Instead, as this election moves to chaos, you offer us hand sanitizer and well wishes.
Again, I received no response. The election was to go on as scheduled.
Meanwhile, local communities did exactly what I thought they would: pursue their own fixes to try and keep the public and workers safe. Some closed early voting entirely. Some limited hours. Some offered it via drive-through, or by appointment. Some asked everyone to purposely misrepresent their situation to get around the ID requirement. Some filed lawsuits, seeking even more dramatic solutions.
Then came the last few days.
Friday’s call for a special session by Governor Evers smacked of a “too little, too late” half measure, with a predetermined outcome made real when the legislature gaveled in and gaveled out their sessions in less than a minute.
But that decision was made years earlier, the result of years of discord and divisiveness between the two parties. There is no way the legislature was going to work with the governor on a solution because in today’s zero-sum game of politics, compromise is weakness. If I’m right, you must be wrong – and you must be angrily criticized and ridiculed for taking the position you do, even during a pandemic. Especially during a pandemic.
Governor Evers knew Saturday’s result the minute he called for a special session. Just as legislative leaders knew what the response would be when they floated the idea the next day of allowing churches to reopen for Easter services.
In that way, this is just another example of political gamesmanship, rhetorical bomb throwing and disgusting demagoguery at a time when we can least afford viral opportunism.
So it’s no surprise we are where we are today in Wisconsin, faced with encouraging the largest gathering of people in the country in the month of April on Election Day, faced with having to act against the advice of health professionals to hold a live election that could and should be held any number of other, safer, ways.
That’s probably the worst part of this. All along, we have been saying how important it is to listen to the advice of health leaders. “Be safer at home,” they said. “Limit personal contact.” “Stay at home and save lives, and flatten the curve.”
On Tuesday, before Gov. Evers issued his 11th-hour order, we were left with no choice but to ignore their clear directives, due to dysfunction in Madison and the lack of political will to do anything about it.
In February, we announced plans to launch “Bridges,” a new City of South Milwaukee news magazine in partnership with the South Milwaukee School District. We quickly went to work preparing for our first edition … and then the world changed.
So we’ve regrouped, and we have a new plan for our first magazine: A special publication of “Bridges” all about supporting local businesses, including free ad space.
We are proud to announce that each South Milwaukee business will be given space for a 1/6th-page ad – 2.33 inches wide by 4.875 inches tall – to promote their operations during and/or after the emergency order.
Let customers know what your business is doing during these challenging times. What ways are you meeting with clients during this time of social distancing? Are you offering carryout or delivery? Any special discounts or free add-ons? If you are closed now, what are your plans to reopen when this crisis is passed? You get the idea.
Interested? Fill out this form by noon on Thursday, April 2.
You can either submit your own completed ad (high-resolution, color PDF for print), or complimentary ad design will be provided, if needed. All ad content will be needed by end of day on Tuesday, April 7. We will not be able to accommodate you after this date.
We are anticipating mailing the newsletter the week of April 13.
The City of South Milwaukee is fully funding design, print and mail costs, and we and the school district will include a small amount of content related to our local response to COVID-19.
Thanks to Caprile Marketing/Design for stepping up to help with this issue.
Design or other questions? Call Barb Caprile at 414-215-7999.
South Milwaukee always steps up. Always. And it is now, as we get through the COVID-19 pandemic, together.
I’ve already written about the work our city teams are doing. The selfless, team-first approach being shown by our workers – led our first responders, Health Department and Clerk’s office, which is trying to run an election in the middle of all of this, as well as the nurses coming out of retirement to help, the Street personnel helping guide in-person absentee voters as they arrive at City Hall, and others staffing up to process absentee ballot requests, and more – their work continues to inspire me.
Local retailers like Walmart, Pick ‘n Save, Ace Hardware, ALDI and Mara’s Sewing House have stepped up to assist the city in obtaining supplies that are critical to assure continuity in essential city operations. Mara dropped off 50 hand-sewn masks at the South Milwaukee Fire Department on Friday – adding to the 100 already donated anonymously. Learn more on the department Facebook page.
South Milwaukee Human Concerns, as usual, is stepping up too. While they have limited their hours, they continue to their mission of getting food in the hands of those who need it most – a need that will only grow as the economic recession takes hold. Details here.
And don’t forget South Milwaukee schools and the Grobschmidt Senior Center – they are also working to ensure no one goes hungry during this emergency.
The Senior Center continues to serve drive-through lunches for seniors Monday-Friday. Interested? Or know a friend, neighbor or family member who is? Sign up here.
Also, the South Milwaukee School District is resuming its meal service program on Monday, March 30. All kids in the city are eligible, with lunches (and a breakfast pack for the next day) being served from 11:30 to 1 p.m. at three locations. Details here.
We are stepping up as a city to help local businesses, too. Details here.
A special shoutout to American Acrylics USA, a South Milwaukee company that has stepped up to quickly produce plastic shields we will use to separate voters from our poll workers on Election Day, April 7. The order came in Thursday and they quickly tackled the project – and other communities are ordering too. Thanks to owner Mike Wittman and all of the workers at this local company, as we take the steps necessary to keep us safe come Election Day, proudly shopping local in doing so.
Businesses are helping businesses, too. One example: Last week, Rose Mob Grill food truck cooked food from the temporarily closed South Milwaukee Café, lest it go to waste, with all proceeds going to the cafe owners. They also donated a portion of proceeds and all tips to Human Concerns during fish fry service, and donated food to hospital workers. Owner Brittany Rosales is also supporting Moran’s Pub with sales from their online store.
I also love how churches are stepping up, offering remote worship in many cases, daily affirmations and more.
Know of another example of South Milwaukeeans stepping up to help? Let me know! brooks@smwi.org.
It’s a new normal for South Milwaukee churches, too.
Click the links to see how some area congregations are changing their approach to worship amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Many are doing some sort of Facebook Live or recorded YouTube video services.
We can use all of the prayers we can get these days.
Here is a sampling of those offering online worship …
Please continue to shop local during “Safer at Home” order, supporting local essential businesses wherever possible.
Click here to see the Shop Local South Milwaukee Facebook page.
There are two resources to lean on during the emergency (and beyond): the Shop Local South Milwaukee Facebook page, which I am regularly updating throughout the day, and this page from MJ Media and Jim Shelenske.
And here are some South Milwaukee options for your Friday fish fry!
All of these restaurants are offering takeout or delivery service …
And if you’re not in the mood for fish, try China Chef, Cousins, Island Jam, San Fong, and Taco Stop MKE. Or eat at chains like McDonald’s, Burger King, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Toppers, and Subway, Dunkin’ Donuts and more — many of these owned by local franchisees.
If I missed one or two that are open, I apologize. Please comment below!
According to the order, “each government body shall determine its essential government function, if any, and identify employees and contractors necessary to the performance of those functions.” And while that statement gives us a lot of latitude and discretion, we are leaning on our department heads to drive our execution of the directive.
Those leaders have been working on plans for two weeks, and are ready to put them in place. In consultation with the administration, we have asked them to determine what services we should continue during the order, and how.
They are bringing those plans to life now.
Those services will obviously include our police, fire and health departments, as well as those supporting our elections, utilities, and garbage pickup, among others. There are also more internal-facing functions that must continue to ensure bills are paid, administrative support is available, engineering projects continue, etc.
Some will work from home, where possible, and some may not be asked to work at all — with a need to remain flexible based on staffing needs. Other employees will be asked to redeploy to other functions where needed, based on their skills and the city’s needs, and we have been doing this very well on a small scale for a week. We will be stepping up those efforts in the days, weeks and likely months ahead.
Our employees have been stepping up throughout the pandemic, and I can’t thank them enough. I detailed a lot of their work in a previous Mayor’s Message.
Our department heads lead the way, and they have hundreds of years of experience behind them as they take the steps necessary today to confront this “new normal.” I have leaned on them throughout this effort, and will continue to, as we adapt to delivering services in a “Safer at Home” environment and make collaborative decisions necessary along the way.
The health and safety of our people — and all of you — will be our first priority at all times. Please heed the order.
Stay safer at home, knowing that there are lots of people who may not be able to do that because of the jobs they do.
For More Information
If you have any questions about a certain service, please contact us at 414-762-2222. You can also get regular updates on COVID-19 on the city’s website and on our Facebook page. We will also be using the SM Works platform to share information on our response to COVID-19 via email to interested individuals. To join the email list, please sign up for the service and/or app, and submit your email address.
Also, we are using our AlertSense platform to share updates during the pandemic via phones. Sign up here, and ask others to do so, too. You can also sign up for text alerts. All landlines are already included in the service, but mobile phone lines must be added individually.
It goes into effect on Wednesday at 8 a.m. and expires on April 24.
And here is a statement from me and South Milwaukee Police Chief William Jessup on the order.
Remember, you can get regular updates on COVID-19 on the city’s website and on our Facebook page. We will also be using the SM Works platform to share information on our response to COVID-19 via email to interested individuals. To join the email list, please sign up for the service and/or app, and submit your email address.
Also, we are using our AlertSense platform to share updates during the pandemic via phones. Sign up here, and ask others to do so, too. You can also sign up for text alerts. All landlines are already included in the service, but mobile phone lines must be added individually.
A few updates on this continually changing emergency …
First, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers is issuing a “Safer at Home” order on Tuesday related to the COVID-19 Pandemic. We will share the order and additional information on our city communication platforms as soon as it is made available.
Statement from South Milwaukee Mayor Erik Brooks
I stand behind the decision of the governor, with the support of our health administrator. Decisions we make will be, and need to be, guided by our health officers. This order — as with other rules, guidance and recommendations issued during the pandemic – are being put in place to slow the spread of the virus and improve public health. We need compliance from the community for this to make a difference. Please read the order when it is issued, and act accordingly. Stay home.
Statement from South Milwaukee Police Chief William Jessup
We are going to work in concert with our Health Department to ensure orders are followed. We believe the vast majority of the community is concerned for themselves, their families and their neighbors, and fully intend to voluntarily comply with this order. If violations arise, law enforcement will take note and educate and inform those individuals. Enforcement will be a last step.
Positive Case Reported
Also, the South Milwaukee/St. Francis Health Department has become aware that an individual residing in South Milwaukee has tested positive for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).
It is the city’s first positive case.
Following private testing, the individual returned directly home and has remained under isolation. To prevent the spread of illness, the South Milwaukee/St. Francis Health Department is conducting a contact investigation to identify and follow up with any individual who had close contact with this person.
Close contacts will be monitored by local public health department staff, do daily symptom and temperature checks, and self-quarantine.
I proudly signed on to a letter being circulated by the League of Wisconsin Municipalities circulated Friday and Saturday asking Governor Evers and legislative leaders to offer options and solutions to local communities, like us, poised to begin early in-person absentee voting on Monday.
In fact, I helped write the letter the League then shared with all of its members seeking support on Friday. That’s how strongly I feel about this.
And I’m proud to say almost 300 local leaders from across the state signed on. More details here. Here is the letter.
Now, let me be clear: We have taken sensible measures to protect everyone who will be coming to City Hall to vote in the next two weeks, and at polling locations on Election Day. You can see them in the pictures with this post: dots on the sidewalk leading into the building, allowing only a limited number of people in at once, confining voters to only the lobby of City Hall, separating our clerk’s staff by plastic glass, even handing out pens to be thrown away once people use them.
And we will be staffing up to enforce these measures.
But I hope it doesn’t come to that. Request a ballot online, via email or by mail. Details here.
Or, better still, act, Governor Evers, Sen. Fitzgerald and Rep. Vos.
Here is the full text of the letter …
Dear Governor Evers,
We want to thank you for your leadership during the past couple weeks related to the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been thoughtful, responsible, and smartly aggressive, as you take the actions necessary to reduce spread of the illness and keep Wisconsinites safe.
We urgently ask you to apply that same approach to voting. Please take action now to reduce the risk of our residents, members of our staff and our election workers, and to avoid unnecessary disenfranchisement of voters.
In almost all communities across Wisconsin, in-person absentee voting will start on Monday, and continue for the next two weeks. Based on our experience in the last few days, it is almost certain that large numbers of people will show up at government buildings to vote this way. The health risks involved will become a bigger issue with even more coming to vote on the actual Election Day, April 7.
Please offer us solutions to prevent this from happening.
Your office has been presented with a number of options for protecting citizens’ health and rights to vote by various local government organizations. But as yet we have not seen a sufficient response from the state.
Advice and orders from federal, state and local public health professionals is clear: Limit personal contact, especially in large groups (more than 10 currently). Please give us the tools to live by this when it comes to voting.
We recognize concerns about disenfranchisement, and we fully support our rules around elections in normal situations. But these are not normal circumstances — and the potential for disenfranchisement is actually higher if we proceed like we are. Many people will stay away from the polls for fear of contacting COVID-19, or spreading it, unless something changes.
Please do not force citizens to choose between getting sick, or voting. Act now.
We are only as strong as our people, especially in times of crisis. And, South Milwaukee, you can rest assured we are as strong as ever during this pandemic.
And that’s because of a team that is demonstrating the focus, resiliency, flexibility and “all hands on deck,” team-first mentality needed now, more than ever. I knew this was the case for years. I have seen it in action every day the past two weeks.
Be confident in that as we continue to navigate these uncharted waters and continue to make collaborative and informed decisions in the best interest of the city.
Public Health
I start with our Health Department because this is where we have to start in an emergency like this. We rely on their experience in making sometimes terribly difficult decisions like closing city buildings, and we full-throatedly stand behind their orders like closing bars and restaurants. This is a public health crisis, and our actions are and will always be guided by these too-often overlooked professionals.
It has been especially inspiring and reassuring to see the leadership of Health Administrator Jackie Ove and the dedicated work of her team the South Milwaukee and St. Francis Health Departments. They are showing why our investments in public health are so critical, and it’s been easy to see in the past week that Jackie has earned her positions as a trusted and respected voice in the county, region and state. There is a lot more work to do with this group, and we have the right team and leader in place.
First Responders
They continue to step up in really difficult situations, and I am so, so grateful. They will need to continue to do that, and I have complete confidence they will. These people are heroes, and there will be more lives to save. They are more than up for the challenge. And that starts at the top, with two incredible leaders. We are blessed to have Police Chief William Jessup and South Milwaukee Fire Chief Joe Knitter, and their combined nearly 70 years of experience, guiding those departments. Chief Jessup is the head of MCLEA, the organization of chiefs and other law enforcement leaders across the county, and is speaking on behalf of that organization at all major county emergency operations meetings. Chief Knitter has just as strong a voice with the fire department chiefs organization, and is also playing a leadership role in the countywide emergency response.
Clerk and Treasurer’s Offices
We are trying our best to run an election in the middle of this, and are adapting to a huge shift in how people vote, on the fly. Absentee ballot requests have been pouring in by the thousands, and it’s been “all hands on deck” to process those and get them in the mail. We are also preparing for in-person absentee voting starting on Monday, reworking our process to ensure we are keeping social distancing, and making similar plans for Election Day on April 7. (Again, we are strongly advising people to order a ballot online. Details here.) This work is led by City Clerk Karen Kastenson, and I can’t thank her enough for her leadership, dedication and willingness to adapt age-old voting processes to our current reality. Her team is making it happen and will in the next two weeks.
Our payroll clerk, Katie Crosby, also doubles as our communications coordinator, and she, along with Assistant City Administrator Patrick Brever, have done some amazing work in this area the past couple of weeks. From the day it became clear this might be where we were headed, we decided to focus on communications, knowing the sharing of timely, clear, relevant and, most importantly, accurate information would be vital. I’m proud of what we — they — have delivered, and we will continue to.
Bills still must be paid, and payments collected, and that is the work of our treasurer’s team, led by Treasurer Karen Skowronski. Her steady hand and the hard work of her team never wavers, and their teamwork in supporting the Clerk’s Office work is appreciated.
Street Department
Garbage is still being picked up, and our Self-Deposit Station remains open. Signs are being made (especially critical these days), and vehicles are being maintained. While they are taking measures to protect themselves and you, the fact that we continue to deliver these services — and the many others performed by our Street Department — so seamlessly is a testimony to the leadership of Superintendent Dan Ratajski and the hard work of his team. Now hopefully we can hold off on any more salt or plow operations this season …
Water and Sewer Utilities
Our investments in fresh water pay off now, as what happens when you turn on your faucet and flush your toilet is no different now than it was two weeks ago. That won’t change. Thanks, Doug Fischer and Ben Huffman, and your teams, for your continued focus on these critical services, especially in difficult times.
Grobschmidt Senior Center
We acted quickly to shut down the senior center, out of an abundance of caution. But that doesn’t mean the work of Director Sandy Quinlan has stopped. She now leads our senior meal program dropoff site at the center and pitches in in other ways. If you are a senior who could use a free lunch each weekday — or know of one who does — check out information on the front page of our website. Thanks to Sandy and her group of volunteers for leading this important part of our safety net.
South Milwaukee Public Library
The library shut down on Tuesday, and after trying curbside pickup briefly, have instead turned to some really cool virtual efforts like a book club and storytime. (Details on their Facebook page.) And they are using this downtime to catalog materials to support the new RFID checkout system being installed. We are also redeploying resources to help in the clerk’s office on elections.
Sorry for the long post, but every city service is impacted by COVID-19 — and every city department is stepping up. There are plenty more to thank here — work is still happening in engineering, inspections, assessment, etc. — and I thank them every chance I get.
But I want to close with a word about our city administrator, Tami Mayzik. Mayors come and go, and I’ll do the same at some point. I suppose Tami will retire at some point, hopefully many years from now. Until she does, she will continue providing the same strong, steady, thoughtful, compassionate, and unbreakable leadership she has for well over a decade. She often works behind the scenes, and wants it that way. But we (I) would never be able to navigate through something like this without her. She is my right and left hand, and I am so blessed to have her by my side every day, especially in these times of crisis. Tami loves this city and wants what is best for it at all times, and that shows through every day.
That last sentence applies to me too. But I could not, would not, do this without my team, in crisis and not.
I made an all-city phone call on Thursday evening, and may make more in coming days and weeks. Here is the transcript of the Thursday call.
Importantly, if you have not added your mobile phone to our phone list, please do ASAP. It is easy to do, and will give another way to stay in touch on updates on COVID-19, in addition to our website, Facebook page, the SM Works app and other platforms.
The impacts of COVID-19 have touched all of us, illness or not. At the top of that list are small, independent businesses, especially bars and restaurants.
They need our help, and it’s time for us to step up and help them.
Shop local. Eat local — takeout or delivery from a local bar or restaurant. Spend local. It’s advice we can live by all the time, especially now.
It’s a matter of survival for some of these businesses.
Here are two resources to help …
Former City Clerk Jim Shelenske has lunched a new web page devoted to sharing information on local businesses, focused on bars and restaurants. Check it out here, and if you want to have your South Milwaukee business listed, email Jim at jim@southmilwaukee.org
I also continue to operate and regularly update the Shop Local South Milwaukee Facebook page, where I share updates from other local business Facebook pages throughout the day. Give it a like, too.
Look for regular updates on both sites. And shop local!
It’s Da Crusher, of course! Shot the night of Crusherfest, as we unveiled this statue to the world. Do you have a photo you’d like to share on the blog? Send it along.
South Milwaukee Blog 