Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley announces run for re-election in 2024

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley is announcing his bid to run for re-election on Wednesday as he highlights his wins with the 0.4% sales tax bump approval and an increase in state shared revenue, investing in the county's health and equity initiatives, and improved dialogue with lawmakers in Madison.

While his bid is not surprising, Crowley said he has unfinished business to keep the county on a positive course.

"When I first ran for this seat, one of my priorities was focused on getting Milwaukee County back on that fiscal footing that we needed," Crowley told the Journal Sentinel. "That's what we've been able to do within the past three years. Knowing that we've gotten all this done, within my first term, I still believe that there's so much work to do."

Crowley most recently announced his $1.36 billion budget for 2024, the first in decades that saw more investments in county services and very few cuts. His proposal has earmarked money to tackle the county's capital improvement backlog, as well as investments in criminal justice initiatives, affordable housing, and maintaining transit services. The revised surplus projection at the time the sales tax increase was approved reached $31.6 million for 2024, according to county's July five-year fiscal forecast.

Crowley is heading into next year's election with almost $209,000 in his campaign fund, according to his July campaign finance report. Former Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele has donated $6,000.

A then-two-term legislator, Crowley succeeded Abele, who announced his departure from office after nine years with the county. During the race, Abele provided a big financial boost to Crowley's campaign in 2020, investing $767,000 into ads and mailers.

After his defeat of state Sen. Chris Larson, Crowley was sworn into office on May 4, 2020, outside of his home and with spectators masked and social distancing at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

For now, Crowley runs unopposed — a far cry from his last bid where the race was punctuated with the political hijinks of candidates booted off the ballot and growing concerns surrounding the outbreak of the novel COVID-19 virus.

His tenure has been marked by obstacles and successes.

This year, the county signed off the new county tax of 0.9%, an increase from its previous 0.5% tax, after Crowley — along with Milwaukee County Board Chairwoman Nicholson, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Milwaukee Common Council President José Pérez — went to bat for Milwaukee in Madison, navigating lengthy negotiations with state legislators.

"The negotiations with the state Legislature for the sales tax, those were hard times and they weren't necessarily Kumbaya moments, when you're negotiating a deal of this magnitude," he said. "So, when I when think about those good days, the day after or the day of the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors were fully on that sales tax, it was almost a surreal moment for me."

The new tax, which is set to go into effect on Jan. 1, is projected to rake in an extra $82.2 million in revenue. It would increase to $92 million by 2028. The same state legislation that enabled Milwaukee County to increase its sales tax also produced an increase in shared revenue from the state, amounting to a $7.6 million bump in 2024.

Some other successes Crowley noted were: Milwaukee County's East-West Bus Rapid Transit that launched in June to improve mobility, access to jobs and increasing ridership for the county's transit system, and breaking ground on the new Marcia P. Coggs Health and Human Services Center, situated at 1230 W. Cherry Street.

Crowley's tenure has also welcomed the creation of the new Mental Health Emergency Center in the city's King Park neighborhood to deliver mental health services to residents and the use of opioid lawsuit settlement funds to invest in services, such as the purchase and installment of harm reduction vending machines across the county.

"I just want folks to know that we're keeping Milwaukee County residents at the heart of every decision that we make," Crowley said.

While he called negotiations surrounding the county's contributions to the future funding of the Milwaukee Brewers stadium, American Family Field, a "surprise," Crowley said he felt the county was in a good place with an amendment that reduced the expected contribution from the county and the City of Milwaukee.

"I think that we have been able to find a bipartisan solution that is good for the taxpayers, good for the state of Wisconsin, in our jurisdiction here within Milwaukee County, but also good for the Brewers," he said.

All this has kept Crowley busy, but when he does have downtime, Crowley said he enjoys spending time at the county's northwest side Nash Park, golfing, studying for his community engagement and education degree at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, or with his family, in particular his three daughters.

When asked of his plans to seek higher office, Crowley didn't rule out the option but said goals are set on Milwaukee County and winning re-election in the spring.

"Anybody who is in office has some level of ambition," he said. "It's not to say that I don't have that level of ambition, but, right now, I think that we've been doing great work at the County Executive level and so the plan is to continue to serve as as County Executive for another four years."

Contact Vanessa Swales at 414-308-5881 or vswales@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @Vanessa_Swales.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley announces run for re-election