MILWAUKEE COUNTY

The race for District 13 aldermanic seat is already crowded. Here's who has filed papers

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Within a day of Milwaukee Ald. Terry Witkowski's announcement that he planned to vacate his seat, three candidates filed papers to run.

That brings the total to four, including his legislative assistant, Scott Spiker, who filed papers Tuesday, according to the city's Election Commission.

Three more people filed their papers Friday:

City Plan Commission Chairwoman Patricia Torres Najera
Former Milwaukee state Rep. Josh Zepnick
Jacob Krieg, who said he is the general manager at Canfora Bakery and a member of the Marine Corps Forces Reserve

Witkowski announced Thursday afternoon that he would step down May 30 from the District 13 aldermanic seat he has held since winning a special election in 2003.

“I’m not getting younger,” Witkowski said at a news conference Thursday.

Because more than two candidates are running, a primary is required. Common Council President Ashanti Hamilton said that would take place in mid-July, with a general election in mid-August.

In a statement, Spiker praised Witkowski's service, saying he is running "with a healthy sense of respect for the size of the shoes I look to fill."

He said he has known Witkowski since 2007 and has been his legislative assistant since 2015. That role has put him in consistent contact with residents and allowed him to learn the inner workings of City Hall, he wrote.

"There is no better way — to my mind — to get to know a district than to speak to its residents each day about the challenges they face and the vision they have for their neighborhoods," he wrote.

If elected, he said he would be focused on keeping the streets safe and free from potholes, "making sure investment downtown does not come at the cost of the neighborhoods," and continuing the events that contribute to the quality of life in the district.

Torres Najera said in a statement that she's lived in the district for 35 years.

"My number one priority is to have safe neighborhoods where family and individuals can live, work, and play," she wrote, adding that she aims to attract more business development and "maintain our great schools."

In addition to her experience on the Plan Commission, she is director of partnerships and development at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Electa Quinney Institute for American Indian Education. She recently received her doctorate in urban studies from UWM.

Zepnick told the Journal Sentinel that he was not really looking at running again but realized that a lot of the area covered by his district in the state Legislature overlapped with District 13.

"I just thought, I really do believe strongly in public service, and I think it's good to have some new eyes and ears and new energy on the council," he said Friday. "Milwaukee is at a point where there's a lot of great things going on, there's a lot of challenges."

One such challenge is getting a fair share of funding from the state and federal governments, he said. He's also focused on the city's budget and lowering property taxes.

Zepnick lost his state Assembly seat in the Democratic primary last year after having been elected eight times since 2002. The loss came less than a year after he was accused of kissing female colleagues against their will.

He said then that the incidents happened at a point in time when he was drinking irresponsibly. Zepnick said he got sober after he was convicted of drunken driving in 2015.

He had previously told the story of how his sister was killed by a drunken driver, and he had pushed for tougher drunken driving laws.

"I don't know anyone who has run for office or not run for office who is completely perfect," he said Friday. "I've been very open that there have been past mistakes in my life, a lot of which dealt with a heavy drinking problem, which I have taken full responsibility for."

He said he has changed his life around "quite enormously" and is in his fourth year of sobriety.

He said he is focused on the future and what he can do to serve the community.

Krieg said he is general manager at Canfora Bakery, which his parents own. He said he had been mulling a run for a few years.

He said he wants to run because he loves this city and wants to address issues, including constituent services and transparency. He would want to connect with the community and would hope to put out weekly videos on social media to "keep District 13 better informed."

He said safety, business development and ensuring that infrastructure repairs are happening are also top priorities.

Krieg said he would also want to develop a "welcoming place" around Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport that would draw visitors to that area of the city.

Contact Alison Dirr at 414-224-2383 or adirr@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter @AlisonDirr.