Housing, relationships shape race for Tosa mayor

 

WAUWATOSA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Officially, Wauwatosa is the 14th biggest city in Wisconsin with a population of more than 48,000. During the day, however, the presence of the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center and Mayfair Mall means there are oftentimes more than 100,000 people in this suburb that borders Milwaukee to the west.

How to best manage the continuing growth in Wauwatosa is a defining issue in the race for mayor here. Voters on Tuesday will decide whether incumbent Mayor Dennis McBride gets a second term or if Ald. Andrew Meindl's calls for a bolder vision resonate with votes.

McBride said in an interview he's most proud of his apolitical approach to basic city functions, such as snow plowing and garbage collection, as well as the relationships he's formed with other leaders in southeastern Wisconsin.

"I work well with mayors and city administrators and village presidents around this state to advocate for the things we need," McBride.

Meindl's campaign message is 'Tosa should think even bigger.' He accused the current city government of not following its words with bold actions. He pointed to the city not adopting bird-safe building standards and maintained McBride hasn't been forward-thinking enough on the environment.

"Dealing with climate change, which my opponent decided not to fund a sustainability position in the executive budget," Meindl said.

Divide over Mayfair apartments

Housing and development are also key areas where there's a split in the candidates' views. Both McBride and Meindl mentioned the development near the former Boston Store at Mayfair Mall.

Wauwatosa is giving developer, Barrett Lo, $58 million as an incentive to build a $400 million project that will include a 900-unit apartment complex on what's currently part of the parking lot at the south end of Mayfair Mall.

McBride said it's a wise use of a Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) district, which traps the property taxes collected within a designated zone and uses that money to pay off the city's share of the financing.

In successful TIFs, the land has become more valuable and once the financing is paid off, the city can enjoy more tax revenue than it otherwise would have.

Meindl said it was an irresponsible giveaway and maintained the city would have been better off using those dollars to specifically build more affordable housing.

"We're giving the developer $60 million in direct subsidy of taxpayer funds," Meindl said. "We keep talking about affordable or market-rate housing here, but those are gonna be luxury apartments."

Meindl said Wauwatosa should look to Madison, Seattle and Vancouver as models of how to emphasize land use policy as incentive. He said, for example, the city could waive height restrictions for certain projects or expedite the permitting process to seal a deal.

McBride said the challenger was being unrealistic and displayed a lack of understanding of how municipal government works. The incumbent mayor said the city's current use of TIF incentives was proving to be effective.

"[Meindl] doesn't understand that you don't get redevelopment unless the city invests sometimes in that redevelopment," McBride said.

What's an endorsement worth?

When discussing his own relationships with other leaders, McBride was quick to point out 13 of Wauwatosa's 16 alders have endorsed him in the race, instead of their colleague on the common council.

"I think that should tell you a lot," McBride said. "He has difficulty working with others."

McBride is also endorsed by Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. 

Meindl touts endorsements from various progressive groups, including Run for Something, Our Wisconsin Revolution and Citizen Action of Wisconsin.

He said McBride getting endorsements from most of the common council was a sign of incumbency bias and maintained he'd have no problem working with alders should he become mayor.

"I have no qualms and no worries about being able to get stuff done with my colleagues going forward," Meindl said. "They are open-minded, wonderful people that help serve our community."

For more information about how to vote in Wauwatosa, including arranging curbside voting with the city clerk's office and aldermanic ward maps, CLICK HERE.

To find your polling location and view a sample ballot for Tuesday's election, CLICK HERE.