Meet Chris Larson, Candidate For Milwaukee County Executive

MILWAUKEE, WI — Chris Larson is one of several candidates who will be on the Feb. 18 primary ballot for Milwaukee County Executive.

Larson, a Wisconsin State Senator whose district covers the greater Milwaukee area, says tackling homelessness and state shared revenue are two items that are at the top of his to-do list.

"On any given night, Milwaukee County could see eighty families in need of emergency shelters and it is three times cheaper to keep a family in their home than to have them in a shelter. If a child doesn't know where they are going to live, there are serious consequences - from health to education," he told Patch. He's outlined an entire plan addressing homelessness, which can be viewed in his candidate profile below.

Larson also says Milwaukee County is getting squeezed when it comes to receiving shared revenue from the state. "As the only candidate in the Milwaukee County Executive race who was on the county board, has a finance degree, and has the political relationships in Madison to make headway on this issue; I believe the time is right to finally get dedicated funding for parks, transit, cultural attractions, emergency medical services and property tax relief," he told Patch.

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Name: Chris Larson
Age: 39
Hometown: Born in West Allis, Lives in Bay View
Occupation: State Senator for WI District 7

Political experience:

I graduated from UW-Milwaukee with a degree in Finance and a minor in Political Science. In 2008, I successfully ran for Milwaukee County Supervisor on a platform of adequately investing in our shared parks and transit system. In my first year as a Supervisor, I led the “Quality of Life Alliance” coalition which successfully helped pass a countywide advisory referendum to fund our parks, transit, and emergency medical services with a 1 percent sales tax while reducing property taxes.

I was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate on Nov. 2, 2010 after defeating an establishment incumbent from my own party. I was the youngest State Senator upon my election. Two years later, I was selected by my colleagues to serve as Senate Democratic Leader for the 2013-2014 Legislative Session. I won re-election to the State Senate in 2014 with 60 percent of the vote and again in 2018 with 66 percent of the vote.

In the Wisconsin State Senate, I've fought for increased funding for our public education system, the removal of lead in our public water supply, dedicated funding for transit, the legalization of marijuana, the rights of workers to collectively bargain, drunk driving prevention, increased governmental transparency and campaign finance reform, nonpartisan redistricting, and the expansion of affordable and accessible healthcare.

Top issues and how I would approach them if elected:

Ending family homelessness will be my top priority as Milwaukee County Executive, and I know we can get it done in my first term with a "housing first" model. On any given night, Milwaukee County could see eighty families in need of emergency shelters and it is three times cheaper to keep a family in their home than to have them in a shelter. If a child doesn't know where they are going to live, there are serious consequences - from health to education. For the full plan, please visit voteforlarson.org/housing.

Another big issue is shared revenue. Milwaukee drives Wisconsin's economy. We have the largest employers, most employees, and most visitors and events - all of which produce the largest share of revenue for the state. Unfortunately, the money raised here doesn't stay here. We send more money out of our county to the state than we get back and worse, we are denied the ability to raise and invest our tax dollars to the programs that we most value. These artificially imposed restrictions on revenue generation lead to budget cuts that threaten public services.

The state has refused to allow Milwaukeeans to decide what is best for Milwaukee, and Milwaukee County needs a better deal.

Over the last nine years, my work in the legislature has allowed me to build relationships across Wisconsin. Other communities have been artificially restricted by the state, too, and are ready for change. We need a solution so it doesn't look like it's just Milwaukee County looking for special treatment (sadly, this is an excuse for some legislators to vote against it). As the only candidate in the Milwaukee County Executive race who was on the county board, has a finance degree, and has the political relationships in Madison to make headway on this issue; I believe the time is right to finally get dedicated funding for parks, transit, cultural attractions, emergency medical services and property tax relief. No one is going to work harder than me to fight for our county. For more details, please visit voteforlarson.org/fair-revenue-sharing.

An interesting fact about me:

I've successfully completed the Ironman Wisconsin triathlon and run over 30 marathons. I have a long-term goal of running a marathon in each state. Also, of the many campaign promises I made at my announcement (including running a campaign eschewing corporate PAC and dark money), the most important to my children was that when we win we'll be getting a dog!