Tag Archives: Common Council President Willie L. Hines Jr.

Talk Show Host’s Commentary on Common Council Pres. Willie Hines

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Found this commentary on Milwaukee Common Council President Willie Hines very intresting in some of the points made by the host. I think he’s dead wrong about Sheriff David Clarke having support from the Black Community because 4 black people called his show…In fact, I find that very funny.

His points on Hines were pretty spot on when he said NOBODY hears from Hines on anything, but when it came to Pres. Obama not getting support from the sheriff’s office he hit the ceiling. I thought the radio host also correctly pointed out that Hines knows he cannot (then, now, or in the future) beat Tom Barrett in a run for the mayor’s office. To me, that speaks volumes when the 2nd most powerful man in Milwaukee elected office cannot muster a serious threat to the throne. He’s been in elected office how long? And he has know base? Doesn’t even have the Black Vote in his pocket.

I just found the commentary to be very insightful and I would hope that Hines can listen to it as well.

TMD Heard: Ald. Willie Hines To Be Next Secretary of the Housing Authority

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A few days ago, The Drum was contacted by one of our friends who has ties to the Housing Authority with news of a succession plan. According to this source, current Secretary Tony Perez will be stepping down and Ald. Willie Hines (Pres. Common Council) will be assuming the position. The source continued that Hines has been a long-time appointee to the Board of the HA and has lost his desire to compete for Mayor Barrett’s throne. This also impacts the other chess pieces… Ald. Mike Murphy has withdrawn his interest in the city’s treasurer role and is now in play to assume Hines’ seat as President of the Common Council.

Stay tuned.

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Ald. Hines Pleads To Gov. Walker For Fairness On Budget Repair Bill

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Alderman Hines and Alderman Bauman Urge State Legislature to Be Consistent, Fair in Budget Repair Bill

Common Council President Willie L. Hines, Jr., and Alderman Robert Bauman today released a statement criticizing the State’s Budget Repair Bill for its political pandering and significant policy inconsistencies. 

“Governor Walker and the Republican-led State Legislature profess to spearheading a reform agenda that will restore fiscal sanity to Wisconsin,” said President Hines. “However, the largest portion of every municipal budget – close to 70 percent for the City of Milwaukee – is exempt from these reforms. In order to have integrity and truly be responsible to taxpayers, the State Legislature must not create a caste system that favors particular unions over others, based on politics. Everyone should be at the table to solve these financial shortfalls.” 

The two aldermen also took issue with the draconian proposal to entirely do away with collective bargaining and eliminate any safeguards to ensure worker’s rights.

“It’s one thing to ask government workers, including teachers, to make economic concessions at the bargaining table – it’s another thing to do away with the bargaining table completely,” said Alderman Bauman. “Many workers have already made economic concessions and are willing to make more, but they must retain their basic right to organize.” 

As written, the Budget Repair Bill is deemed unfair and inconsistent by President Hines and Alderman Bauman, which is why they are in opposition.

TMD Exclusive: Ald. Willie Hines Will Hold Press Conference Nov. 2nd, Will Run For Mayor

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TMD sources have confirmed that Common Council President Willie Hines Jr. will indeed run for mayor regardless of the gubernatorial election. Our sources told us that Hines will hold a press conference November 2nd (election day) and make the formal announcement.

You’ve read for months on The Drum that Hines was gearing up to make his push for the mayor’s office. During the past three weeks, we’ve received confirmation from more than one very credible source.

The Drum has also learned of a meeting Hines is pulling together of many of Milwaukee’s brightest and best professional talent scheduled for later this week. It has not been made certain to us exactly what the goal is for the meeting, but our guess is that he’ll be asking them to support his candidacy. When we learn more about the meeting you can bet you’ll read it hear.

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Mayor Hines, MPS Super Dr. Thornton A United Front

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Optimism Amid the Challenges: Gregory Thornton’s Message to Aldermen

September 21, 2010 | Posted by: Alan J. Borsuk – Marquette University Law School Faculty Blog

“Milwaukee stands at the threshold of doing something very great,” Gregory Thornton, the new superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools, told the Milwaukee Common Council on Tuesday.

It’s nice to hear that kind of optimism when it comes to educational success for Milwaukee’s children. But everyone knows how much needs to change for that to become true in a city where reading scores are among the lowest in America.

That’s the balancing act Thornton has been undertaking as a he continues to reach out to both leaders and the general public in his first months as chief of the 80,000-student system.

He needs to strike a positive tone about what is going to happen, but he also needs to make it clear that he’s here to change the state of things, and that’s going to take major work. Thornton appears to have received generally favorable reviews for how he is doing and what he is saying. He has met with numerous political, business, and philanthropic leaders and groups, visited a large number of schools, and made appearances throughout the city.

At the invitation of Common Council President Willie Hines, Thornton spoke for about 20 minutes at the start of the meeting in the ornate Common Council chambers, a rare venue for an MPS superintendent. Thornton hit many of his main themes: The financial challenges facing MPS (it will cost $55 million more next year to do the same things being done this year, he said). The new administrative team he has brought in (he named and described the background of several of them). The need to deal with the high cost of employee benefits. The need to save money in areas such as food service. The need to do something about the large number of empty buildings MPS is holding. And the urgency of doing something about the low reading ability of so many Milwaukee children.

“I want to ask you for your partnership – we’re in this together,” Thornton told the aldermen, giving a message he has given to community leaders in general. He asked the aldermen to back the new literacy plan being implemented in MPS this fall. Turning to something that falls more under the purview of City Hall, he asked the aldermen to do all they can to keep children safe in the city.

Thornton even hit a positive tone on the issue that has caused the most divisiveness in education politics in Milwaukee in the last two decades, the voucher program which allows more than 20,000 children to attend private schools using public money. “Milwaukee is the choice capital of the world,” Thornton said. “I think we should be proud of that.” But, he said, every school and child should be held accountable to the same standards. “We need a common yardstick,” he said.

One large step in that direction is already becoming a reality. Unlike conventional schools and charter schools, voucher schools were not required to administer or report the results of the state’s standardized tests known as the WKCEs in the past. But the Legislature changed that in 2009, and this year will be the first in which the approximately 110 private schools in the program will have to make the performance of their students a matter of public information.

As he has most everywhere he has gone, Thornton appeared to get a warm reception from Common Council members. Sure, it’s a honeymoon period, but that’s better than no honeymoon. Reality will cast its vote on the new team at MPS in a lot of ways as things unfold. But give Thornton credit for hitting the ground running – and, it appears, in some good directions.