Kenosha Alderman Jan Michalski, Third District

Some things will not change.

• You will always get a quick response to calls and emails
sent to me. Everyone, regardless of the neighborhood where you live deserves good representation.

I hope that you’ll find my record of the past two years has earned your trust and your vote for another term.

Kenosha has many challenges. No doubt your biggest concerns are those which you experience directly, where you live. You should feel safe in and around your home. You should not have to deal with piles of trash, potholes, blight, or inadequate City services. Kenosha has recently experienced many abandoned homes and foreclosures. We should not allow these to become deteriorated. We’ve removed many blighted properties, but better isn’t good enough We need to find creative, leaner ways to meet our needs, without raising taxes. I’ve worked hard to help the Third District deal with these issues. I ask you district residents to work with me. I hope to continue the fight to improve our neighborhoods.

With your help and that of the Police, we’ve closed down drug houses in the district.  We’ve made Narcan available to all emergency personnel to deal with otherwise fatal OD’s.  We need compassion for those trapped in opioid  addiction, but need to be ruthless with dealers.  We’ve gotten trash picked up and put certain absentee landlords on notice.  Children are once more playing in Bain Park. I’ve worked with DA Gravely to address the gun shot issue City wide. With the assistance of Carthage College professors, we are narrowing data down to factual statistics, trying to address the problem much like a health epidemic. We’ll make the results and recommendations public this Spring. We’ll also be seeking your input.

The “Uptown Brass Villiage” business district and the 60th Street corridor should be assisted in every way the City can help. These business owners have impressed me with their commitment to the “heart of town”. While the Downtown and lakefront are important; the Uptown area should not be neglected. No business should be confronted with needless bureaucratic roadblocks. Many have noticed the Uptown improvement. In this regard I secured a pledge from the Mayor to assist in the redevelopment.

Kenosha needs good jobs. We need to encourage new businesses to not only locate in Kenosha; but to locate in the more established parts of town. Development further and further West is not only less convenient but with the high cost of gas, it’s wasteful.

In cooperation with Uptown merchants, we’ve created an ordinance limiting the concentration of payday loan operations. I’ve gotten money inserted into the budget to paint and maintain the light posts and decorative metalwork in the uptown. The Streetscape has been delayed for a year, but your input has been crucial in the area’s redesign.

I’ll support good ideas no matter who they come from; but I’ll stand firm against the bad ones. I hope to hear from you as issues come up. Your alderman needs to be YOUR voice on the Council.

I’m proud that I worked with city attorneys to write and then pushed through the ordinance that banned synthetic marijuana sales in the City. The County has used my ordinance as a model for their own and so have other Wisconsin Communities. This has kept a dangerous drug out of the hands of our children. My ordinance was passed unanimously. I’ve also gotten passed certain changes to nuisance lighting codes, and back yard salvage dumps which made for more harmonious neighborhood relationships. Most people were dismayed to learn that carriage walks and lawn-park plantings were prohibited. I authored ordinances to permit this common decorative practice.

I have worked for the repair and upgrade of City streets and helped add funds for resurfacing 7th Avenue. I have helped push into the budget the money to hire more paramedics and police officers. There is more to do, but taxes are your money and must be spent judiciously.

I am Chairman of the Historical Preservation Commission and a long time preservationist. I helped block the razing of the Heritage House giving it an opportunity to live on as a boutique hotel for Downtown, the Stella.  It’s happened.  The old KYF is apartments with preserved facade.   I worked hard to find ways to preserve and repair the Southport Beach House, and work with the new association to find private funds for that end.  It and Simmons Beach house now have funding and restoration has begun. There is a lot being done to preserve our coastline; more is coming.
I grew up in Kenosha. I know that Kenoshans have always found ways to persevere through tough times and to create a better future. Our best days are ahead of us. As Alderman, I’d like to continue to be part of that process. Together, we can make it happen. Please vote on April 7th. Your vote is very important. I humbly ask that you vote to retain me, Jan Michalski as Alderman of the Third District.  I don’t see this as a stepping stone to higher office, but promise dedication to the district and the City on your behalf.