4 issues on minds of Green Bay's Black, Hispanic, Hmong and refugee voters ahead of election
GREEN BAY - A spring election forum Thursday night brought Green Bay city and school board candidates together to talk about the issues important to Green Bay's growing Black, Hispanic, Asian, immigrant and refugee communities and voters.
Hosted by 9to5 Wisconsin and United Front for Social Change, the forum brought 11 total candidates together for a nearly two-hour discussion at the Brown County Central Library.
United Front is a coalition led by We All Rise: African American Resource Center, Casa ALBA Melanie and COMSA, a resource center for immigrants and refugees. 9to5 Wisconsin is the state chapter of the national working women's advocacy group. All the community resource groups wanted the forum to focus on improving social mobility for Green Bay's BIPOC residents and educating minority voters who face impediments to learning about issues and casting their ballots.
Minority communities accounted for 76% of Brown County's population growth from 2010 to 2020, according to U.S. Census Bureau data, but they also have historically been marginalized or pushed out of the political process. Moderator Panhia Thao of 9to5 Wisconsin asked questions drawn from residents who rely on the resource groups in order to put the candidates' focus on Green Bay's Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, immigrant and refugee voters.
You can watch the forum on Facebook to see all the candidates' responses to questions that focused on how each candidate would build connections with Green Bay's Black and brown residents, combat systemic racism and amplify all the community's voices.
Here are four takeaways from the event.
Only City Council candidates forum ahead of the April 2 election drew 8 candidates plus 3 School Board candidates
The forum was the only time ahead of the April 2 election that multiple Green Bay City Council candidates participated in the same discussion. The League of Women Voters of Greater Green Bay canceled its March 16 City Council forum after it could not get both candidates in any the 11 contested council races to participate.
Eight of 22 council candidates participated: Barbara Dorff, Bill Galvin, Jon Shelton, Joey Prestley, Adrian Liddicoat, Alyssa Proffitt, Ben Delie and Kathy Hinkfuss.
Three of four Green Bay School Board candidates attended: Andrew Becker, Kou Lee and Alex Mineau.
Green Bay Superintendent Claude Tiller's resignation still hurts
How the district handled Claude Tiller's resignation as Green Bay School District superintendent and the community's calls for his reinstatement remains a fresh wound for Black, Hispanic, and minority families.
Thao asked the candidates why they thought those residents remain hurt by what happened.
Shelton said Tiller's comments did not warrant Tiller losing his job while several candidates sought to improve the process going forward. Mineau said he was upset because it was the "first time our Black and brown community had a bright light in a leadership position in our district that was making positive changes across the board."
Prestley, a candidate for the District 6 council seat, said he saw "the community was in mourning because they had a great loss" and drew some applause when he said the district's decision sent the wrong message to minority students.
"There were children in the district, Black kids who were looking up and saying, 'I could be a superintendent someday,'" Prestley said. "When he was forced into resignation, the message then was 'You can be a Black superintendent, but you can't make a mistake.'"
Green Bay needs to get more aggressive about providing safe, affordable, culturally appropriate housing
Thao asked the candidates how they would advance housing justice and increase access to safe, affordable, culturally appropriate housing options.
A January 2023 Equal Rights Commission report, authored by Shelton, highlighted the struggles encountered by immigrants who speak little English, victims of domestic partner violence, LGBTQ+ young people, and minority communities as they seek safe, affordable housing in a very tight housing market.
Pretty much every candidate said voters repeatedly told them the region needs more housing that's safe, affordable and fits their needs.
Hinkfuss, a candidate for Council District 12 and current member of the city's Redevelopment Authority, said that board has encouraged housing developers to include more three-bedroom apartments in their project plans. Galvin said the city and the Council get involved when possible to support affordable housing construction.
Proffitt, a candidate for Council District 7, referenced the commission's equitable housing report and said the city's exploration of creating a community land trust could spur the creation of long-term affordable housing options. Becker suggested the school district could work to convert closing schools to housing or close the district headquarters building on Broadway and convert the property to affordable housing
Shelton said the community needs to go further than it has and explore zoning reform, hold landlords accountable and look to limit the conversion of traditional homes into short-term rentals booked on sites like Airbnb.
"We can do a lot around housing," Shelton said.
Your vote is your voice
Advocates with We All Rise, COMSA, Casa ALBA and 9to5 said the forum was the start of their efforts to engage, educate, register and energize the communities they serve to get more involved in elections and community issues. The primary goal is to help
Here's how you can contact the resource centers:
Casa ALBA Melanie is located at 314 S. Madison St.. You can visit during normal hours, call 920-445-0104 or email amanda@casaalba.org.
COMSA, the immigrant and refugee center, is located at 201 S. Military Ave., Suite 101. You can visit during normal hours, call 920-770-4070 or email info@comsausa.org.
We All Rise: African American Resource Center, is located at 430 S. Webster Ave. You can visit during normal business hours, call 920-785-9115 or email weallriseaarc@gmail.com.
Amanda Garcia, executive director of Casa ALBA Melanie, said there's been a shortage of voter registration drives so the Hispanic and Latino resource center is trying to fill the void. She said staff can help voters translate ballots, learn about candidates, and get to the polls on election day.
Christina Thor, director of 9to5 Wisconsin, said the groups all plan to collaborate to identify and share resources with community residents for the April 2 election and encourage more diverse candidates to run in future elections.
"We need to improve turnout and get back involved after being disinvited for so long," Thor said.
Contact Jeff Bollier at (920) 431-8387 or jbollier@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JeffBollier.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Green Bay groups quiz council, school candidates ahead of election
