A leader of the Milwaukee Area Labor Council says the group’s process for making endorsements in this spring’s local elections was more pointed and aggressive than in previous years.
“We’re looking for more out of our elected officials,” Sheila Cochran, the group’s secretary-treasurer and chief operating officer, told WIsPolitics.com. “We didn’t want to keep going in the same direction we always did.”
Cochran pointed to the council’s endorsement of Eyon Biddle, Sr. over Milwaukee Common Council President Willie Hines as a fairly significant race. Biddle gave up his seat as a county supervisor to challenge the incumbent.
“That’s definitely a change,” she said. “A change in style, a change in direction.”
In a statement, Biddle said he was honored to receive the endorsement.
“Milwaukee was made great by the hard working men and women of organized labor," Biddle said. "Together we can restore Milwaukee’s promise as a city where all of our residents enjoy opportunity, freedom, and shared prosperity
Cochran said the council chose not to endorse a candidate in the mayoral race.
“We need more leadership out of the mayor’s office as well,” she said. “We need to see a more aggressive posture … from a lot of people.”
The Milwaukee Labor Press has a detailed look at the endorsement process and the candidates who were picked, plus those that were passed over: http://www.milwaukeelabor.org/in_the_news/article.cfm?n_id=00226.
– WisPolitics.com
