MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson appeared focused on growth as the city moves forward in 2024. The mayor delivered his annual State of the City Address Monday.
Johnson’s State of the City Address comes as he seeks a second full term in office. Johnson is up for reelection in April.
Johnson began the speech be reiterating his goal of having Milwaukee be a city with more than one million residents. According to the 2020 census, Milwaukee has a population of just over 577,000, a roughly 3% decline from 2010.
Johnson focused on the expansion of the Baird Center convention space and the upcoming Republican National Convention in July. He said having more convention space is expected to attract an additional 100,000 out-of-state visitors to the city annually.
In addition, Johnson talked about funding for security with the upcoming RNC.
“We are seeking $75 million in federal money to fully fund our safety plans, and just yesterday Senator Tammy Baldwin informed me of a major step forward when that funding was included in pending legislation. I encourage Congress to finalize that safety money,” Johnson said.
Johnson also addressed safety in the city at large. He touted a reduction in crime so far in 2024 compared to the same period last year. However, he said more needs to be done, not just in the city, but by state and federal lawmakers.
“Sometimes it’s a felon who illegally brandishes a handgun, a teenager who uses a firearm to settle a dispute or a young child who grabs a parent’s unsecured weapon and kills. None of these people should touch a firearm,” Johnson said. “State and federal legislators must do more to protect people from gun violence.”
Land redevelopment was also a large focus of Johnson’s speech. He was pleased that the city now has ownership of the long-shuttered Northridge Mall property on the city’s North Side, and spoke of redevelopment programs to turn foreclosed properties into livable housing.
The State of the City Address was held inside the factory of Western Building Products. The company moved from Wauwatosa to Milwaukee’s Far Northwest Side in 2021 after securing vacant land and tax incentives. Company president Aaron Buesing said it was a great experience getting to host the mayor, especially now that his company can call the city home.
“We got to take an empty field and turn it into something which is a lot of fun. Being this close to the highway and this close to services, this close to transportation for our employee owners it has really helped and spurred some growth for us,” Buesing said.
While much of Johnson’s address drew applause from the audience, some said they want to make sure he stays focused on growing the entire city in the next year. Jennifer Potts is executive director of Milwaukee’s Center Street Marketplace Business Improvement District, or BID. Potts said she is pleased to hear the mayor is focused on growing the population, but wants to make sure the area of the city she represents sees some of the investment and infrastructure improvements he touted in his speech.
“With vacant and blighted properties, individuals don’t want to come and shop, don’t want to start a business. However, we have a strong commercial corridor on Center Street. Right now we have an Economic Development Corps as well, so we want to build Center Street however we deserve the same thing. We deserve funding; we deserve safe streets,” Potts said.