In 2004, Tom Barrett was elected to lead the City of Milwaukee. As Mayor,
Barrett is committed to creating family supporting jobs, strengthening
neighborhoods and making Milwaukee a safe and healthy environment for every
resident.
As Mayor, he has kept his promise to hold the line on
property taxes and is working to foster an education system that helps children
while protecting Milwaukee taxpayers. Barrett is committed to creating safer,
healthier neighborhoods and worked with the Milwaukee Police Chief to
reestablish the gangs and violent crime unit. Barrett is working closely with
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the Wisconsin Board of Regents to bring a
School of Public Health to the City of Milwaukee. Barrett has also outlined his
vision for a "greener" Milwaukee and has established the Milwaukee Green Team to
bring cleaner air and a healthier environment to residents.
Mayor Barrett has made it a priority to bring more jobs to the City of
Milwaukee. He paved the way for the Harley-Davidson Museum that is expected to
create 420 to 570 jobs and attract more than 350,000 visitors a year. Barrett
also worked closely with Bucyrus International, Capital Returns and Palermo
Villa, Inc. to locate or expand in Milwaukee. Under Mayor Barrett's leadership,
Brady Corporation is building a new $10 million distribution center on the
Northwest side; Falk Corporation is adding jobs in the Menomonee Valley; and
Manpower has announced plans to relocate their world headquarters from suburban
Glendale to downtown Milwaukee.
Tom Barrett was born in Milwaukee on December 8, 1953. He attended Marquette
University High School, and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of
Wisconsin-Madison in 1976 with a degree in economics. In 1980, he graduated from
the University of Wisconsin Law School with honors. After clerking for Federal
Judge Robert Warren, he went into private practice from 1982-1985, specializing
in business law.
From 1984 through 1992, Barrett served in the Wisconsin Legislature, first as
a Member of the Assembly, and later as a State Senator. Barrett was elected to
the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992 and served for five terms.
The Mayor and his wife, Kris, live in Milwaukee's Washington Heights
Neighborhood with their four children: Tommy, Annie, Erin and Kate.
