MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley delivered his 2025 State of the County address Wednesday at the Marcus Performing Arts Center.
While Crowley touched on several topics, the message behind all of them was the importance of partnerships.
“Partnerships will be key,” said Crowley. “By working together, we can achieve great things. By working together, the state of Milwaukee County is getting stronger, healthier and brighter every single day.”
One partnership is with Visit Milwaukee. President and CEO Peggy Williams-Smith said the close bond between Visit Milwaukee and the county makes their job easier.
“It would be impossible to pull off what we do pull off without partnerships,” said Williams-Smith. “At every level, making sure that everyone knows what we’re doing and they make sure we know what they’re doing so we can tell those stories.”
Crowley said he’s proud of the partnerships formed with first responders and community organizations to combat the opioid crisis.
“In 2024, our numbers are still being finalized, but the data from our overdose dashboard shows that we are on track to have a 30% decline in opioid overdose deaths compared to 2023,” said Crowley.
Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said a 30% reduction is huge.
“I can tell you, boots on the ground, those partnerships have absolutely made a difference,” said Lipski. “In a very positive way for the city, for the county.”
Crowley said a main priority moving forward is updating the Milwaukee County Courthouse Safety Building.
“We’re not delivering justice the way we need to,” said Crowley. “It’s not the safest place for our jurors, for our defendants, for our victims, for the people that work in that building. Tackling that issue won’t only save and protect our tax payers but will allow us to deliver justice at a timely manner in our region.”
