Tom Barrett (politician)

Tom Barrett
Barrett in 2010
38th Mayor of Milwaukee
Incumbent
Assumed office April 15, 2004
Preceded by	Marvin Pratt
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 5th district
In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2003
Preceded by	Jim Moody
Succeeded by	Jim Sensenbrenner
Member of the Wisconsin State Senate from the 5th Senate District
In office December 13, 1989[1] – January 3, 1993
Preceded by	Mordecai Lee
Succeeded by	Peggy Rosenzweig
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 14th Assembly District district
In office March 5, 1984 – December 13, 1989
Preceded by	Thomas Crawford
Succeeded by	David Cullen
Personal details
Born	December 8, 1953 (1953-12-08) (age 57) Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Kris Barrett; four children
Alma mater	University of Wisconsin–Madison (B.A. 1976) University of Wisconsin Law School (J.D. 1980)
Religion	Roman Catholic

Thomas Mark "Tom" Barrett (born December 8, 1953) is the Democratic Mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, serving since 2004. He ran for Governor of Wisconsin in November 2010, losing by a margin of 52 percent to 47 percent to Republican Scott Walker.^[2] Previously, Barrett served in the United States House of Representatives representing Wisconsin's 5th congressional district from 1993 to 2003. He began his political career serving first in the Wisconsin State Assembly beginning in 1984, then in the Wisconsin State Senate from 1989 to 1993.

Early life, education, and early career

Barrett was the oldest son of Thomas J. and Gertrude V. Barrett. His father was a World War II veteran who was presented the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1944 for 30 missions over Germany as a navigator. His mother was a war widow when she met his father at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. They married and moved to Milwaukee where Barrett was born. He grew up on the city's west side.

Barrett graduated from Marquette University High School, earned his B.A. in Economics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1976 and his J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1980. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He served as a law clerk for Judge Robert W. Warren on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin from 1980 to 1982. He was a Private practice lawyer and served as a bank examiner for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

Political career

State Assembly and Senate

Barrett made his first run for office at age 28 for the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1982, but was unsuccessful. He ran again 1984, this time successfully,^[3] and served two terms before making a successful run for the Wisconsin State Senate in a December 1989 special election.^[1][4] He continued to serve in the State Senate until moving to higher office in 1993.^[5]

U.S. House of Representatives

Barrett in 1993

In 1992, when Congressman Jim Moody vacated his congressional seat to run for the U.S. Senate, Barrett successfully ran to succeed Moody. He was reelected to four more terms representing Wisconsin's 5th congressional district.^[6]

As a Congressman he worked with his colleagues in the United States Congress to get aid for flood remediation projects in his district. In Congress, he also worked to modernize the Community Reinvestment Act, and he frequently voiced in support of Milwaukee's Midwest Express Airlines.^{[citation needed]}

Barrett was on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and served on its Subcommittee on Health and the Environment. He was also a member of the following committees in the United States Congress; House Government Reform, House Financial Services, House Ways and Means, House Education and the Workforce, and House Administration.^[7]

Barrett sponsored 37 bills between January 5, 1993 and October 10, 2002. He co-sponsored 1345 bills during the same time period.^[8] He served from the 103rd Congress to the 107th. Barrett was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention from Wisconsin in 2000.^[9]

2002 Wisconsin gubernatorial election

After the 2000 census determined that Wisconsin would lose a congressional seat, redistricting combined Barrett's district with fellow Democrat Jerry Kleczka's 4th district. Rather than run in a primary against his colleague, Barrett decided to run for governor in 2002. In a heated Democratic primary, Barrett came in a close second to then-Attorney General Jim Doyle, who went on to win the general election, with Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk coming in third.^{[citation needed]}

Mayor of Milwaukee

In 2004, then out of office, Barrett ran successfully for Mayor of Milwaukee, defeating the city's incumbent mayor, Marvin Pratt, who had taken office following the resignation of John Norquist, with 54% of the vote. He was reelected in 2008 with 79% of the vote, the largest percentage a Mayoral candidate had received in 40 years.^[10]

He is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition, a bipartisan group with a stated goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The Coalition is co-chaired by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

On February 25, 2009, Barrett gave his State of the City Address. He praised the city's past achievements and outlined his plan to increase green jobs, economic development and workforce training in the coming year in his State of the City address this morning. Barrett called on the citizens of Milwaukee to remain optimistic during the international economic downturn; “I am fully confident that Milwaukee will withstand the current economic downturn,” Barrett said. “We will make smart investments, continue to build strong partnerships, provide training to our workforce and improve our public schools. We will emerge as a stronger and more competitive city.”^[11]

Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle and Mayor Tom Barrett, joined by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Elizabeth Burmaster, announced a broad effort improve the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS). The announcement followed the completion of a comprehensive independent review of the finances and non-instructional operations of MPS commissioned by the Governor and Mayor in October 2008.

Barrett met with Vice President of the United States Joe Biden and testified before the House Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment when he traveled to Washington, D.C. on March 18, 2009. Barrett attended a White House Recovery and Reinvestment Act Implementation Conference hosted by Biden. The conference addressed questions from state, county and local government officials on how to effectively oversee the spending of Recovery Act funds.^[11]

2010 Wisconsin gubernatorial election

Main article: Wisconsin gubernatorial election, 2010

In August 2009, Doyle announced his decision to not seek reelection to a third term in 2010 leading many to believe Barrett would run for governor.^[12] On August 25, a group named "Wisconsin for Tom Barrett" formed, encouraged Barrett to run for governor.^[13] On October 26, a website, TomForGovernor.com, was launched after Barbara Lawton, the lieutenant governor, backed out of the 2010 governor's race.^[14] A story in The Politico reported that President Barack Obama's political director Patrick Gaspard met with Barrett on November 4, 2009, amid speculation that the White House wanted him to run for governor of Wisconsin.^[15]

Barrett ended months of speculation by officially announcing on November 15, 2009, that he would enter the race for governor.^[2] Barrett's campaign raised more than $750,000 in its first seven weeks. In an e-mail thanking supporters, Barrett said his campaign had more than $1.5 million in the bank, a significant start given that he did not declare candidacy for the Democratic primary until November 15, 2009.^[16] Barrett ultimately lost the election to Scott Walker, who won 52 percent of the vote.^[17]

In a survey of 768 Wisconsin voters conducted between February 24–27, 2011, during the 2011 Wisconsin budget protests, a poll by Public Policy Polling found that 52 percent of respondents said they would vote for Barrett if the election had been held then, while 45 percent said they would vote for Walker.^[18][19]

Personal life

Barrett and his wife live in Milwaukee's Washington Heights neighborhood with their four children.

Physical assault on Barrett

Barrett was the subject of national news headlines when he was attacked outside the Wisconsin State Fair on August 15, 2009, by a man wielding a tire iron. He and his family were leaving the fair when they responded to a woman's cries for help. While Barrett was dialing 911, a young man charged and physically assaulted Barrett with the tire iron. Governor Jim Doyle visited Barrett in the hospital the next morning and said he "found him to be in good spirits and looking good considering what happened... The mayor's heroic actions clearly saved a woman and others from harm", Doyle said in a statement. The mayor was briefly hospitalized.^[20] The suspect, identified as 20-year-old Anthony J. Peters, was arrested the next day.^[20] Both President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden telephoned Barrett in the hospital to check on his condition, and Obama told Barrett that he went above the call of duty and said he was proud of Barrett's actions. Barrett suffered injuries to the head, broken teeth, and a severely fractured hand which is now permanently damaged.^[21]

Electoral history

Wisconsin gubernatorial election, 2010
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage
	Republican	Scott Walker	1,128,941	52%
	Democratic	Tom Barrett	1,004,303	47%
	Republican gain from Democratic

2008 election for Mayor (Milwaukee)
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage
	Democratic	Tom Barrett - incumbent	'	79%
	Independent	Andrew Shaw		21%
	Democratic hold

2004 election for Mayor (Milwaukee)
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage
	Democratic	Tom Barrett	'	54%
	Democratic	Marvin Pratt		46%
	Democratic hold

2002 Race for Governor — Democratic Primary
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage
	Democratic	Jim Doyle	'	38%
	Democratic	Tom Barrett		34%
	Democratic	Kathleen Falk		27%

1993-2003 U.S. House of Representatives, Wisconsin's 5th district

1989-1993 Wisconsin State Senate

1984-1989 Wisconsin General Assembly

See also

• Fresh Coast - term coined by Tom Barrett.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} David E. Umhoefer (December 13, 1989). "Barrett wins easily in State Senate race". Milwaukee Journal. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=N64cAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_SsEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3962,5478690. Retrieved March 2, 2011. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Lee Bergquist (November 14, 2009). "Barrett says he's healed, ready to run for governor". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/70123762.html. Retrieved March 2, 2011. 
3. ^ "Members of State Legislature". State of Wisconsin 1985-1986 blue book: Biographies and pictures. p. 31. http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/WI/WI-idx?type=goto&id=WI.WIBlueBk1985&isize=M&submit=Go+to+page&page=31. Retrieved March 2, 2011. 
4. ^ "Members of the State Legislature". State of Wisconsin 1991-1992 blue book: Biographies and photos. p. 30. http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/WI/WI-idx?type=goto&id=WI.WIBlueBk1991&isize=M&submit=Go+to+page&page=30. Retrieved March 2, 2011. 
5. ^ James B. Nelson (November 4, 1992). "Barrett easily defeats Hammersmith in 5th". Milwaukee Sentinel. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=znoWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8BIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6404,497448. Retrieved March 2, 2011. 
6. ^ "Tom Barrett". NNDB. http://www.nndb.com/people/896/000056728. Retrieved March 2, 2011. 
7. ^ "The House Committee on Energy and Commerce: Welcome". Archives.energycommerce.house.gov. http://archives.energycommerce.house.gov/membios/106fullsubmship.shtml. Retrieved 2010-07-12. ^{[dead link]}
8. ^ "Congressman Tom Barrett - At Work for Wisconsin". Webarchives.loc.gov. http://webarchives.loc.gov/collections/lcwa0002/20021212205829/http://www.house.gov/barrett/atwork.htm. Retrieved 2010-07-12. ^{[dead link]}
9. ^ Lawrence Kestenbaum. "Index to Politicians: Barre to Barrett". The Political Graveyard. http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/barreiro-barrett.html. Retrieved March 2, 2011. 
10. ^ "Mayor Barrett's Biography". city of Milwaukee, Office of the Mayor. http://city.milwaukee.gov/Biography331.htm. Retrieved March 2, 2011. 
11. ^ ^{a b} "Mayor Barrett Delivers 2011 State of the City Address". Office of Mayor Tom Barrett. City of Milwaukee. February 21, 2011. http://www.ci.mil.wi.us/router.asp?docid=306. Retrieved March 2, 2011. 
12. ^ Lee Bergquist, et al. (August 15, 2009). "Doyle won't seek re-election in 2010". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/53302852.html. Retrieved March 2, 2011. 
13. ^ "New Group Supports Tom Barrett For Governor". WISN Milwaukee. August 25, 2009. http://www.wisn.com/politics/20550714/detail.html. Retrieved March 2, 2011. 
14. ^ "Wisconsin Governor Race: 15-year-old Sheboygan Democrat gathers online support for possible Barrett campaign". WITI. Fox6now.com. November 4, 2009. http://www.fox6now.com/news/witi-091104-barrett-governor,0,472583.story. Retrieved 2010-07-12. ^{[dead link]}
15. ^ Alexander Burns and Carol E. Lee (November 15, 2009). "Gaspard, Barrett meet amid 2010 buzz". Politico. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1109/29174.html. Retrieved March 2, 2011. 
16. ^ Scott Anderson (2010-01-06). "Barrett's gubernatorial campaign shows financial muscle despite late start". Racine Journal Times. Wisconsin State Journal. http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt_and_politics/article_0a1b952a-fb26-11de-88f5-001cc4c002e0.html. Retrieved March 2, 2011. 
17. ^ Governor's Race: Walker Beats Barrett^{[dead link]}
18. ^ "Wisconsin Rematch Survey Results February 24–27". Public Policy Polling. http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/BarrettWalkerRematchResults.pdf. Retrieved March 2, 2011. 
19. ^ Jon Terbush (February 28, 2011). "Poll: Wisconsin Voters Wouldn't Elect Gov. Walker In Do-Over". TPMDC. http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/02/poll-wisconsin-voters-woudlnt-elect-gov-walker-in-do-over.php?ref=fpa. Retrieved March 2, 2011. 
20. ^ ^{a b} Chuck Johnston. "Arrest made in attack on Milwaukee mayor". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/08/16/milwaukee.mayor.attacked/index.html. Retrieved March 2, 2011. 
21. ^ "Barrett lost teeth in battle with suspect". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. August 17, 2009. http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/53477862.html. Retrieved March 2, 2011. 

External links

• Mayor Barrett's Biography official city government site
• Tom Barrett for Mayor official campaign site
• Biography, interest group ratings, public statements, vetoes and campaign finances at Project Vote Smart
• Campaign contributions at FollowTheMoney.org
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
• Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Appearances on C-SPAN programs

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by Jim Moody	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 5th congressional district 1993–2003	Succeeded by Jim Sensenbrenner
Political offices
Preceded by Marvin Pratt	Mayor of Milwaukee 2004–present	Succeeded by Incumbent

Persondata
Name	Barrett, Tom
Alternative names
Short description	Mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Date of birth	December 8, 1953
Place of birth	Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Date of death
Place of death