John norquist milwaukee biography

American politician

John Olof Norquist (born October 22, 1949) is a retired American stateswoman, urbanist consultant, and author. Take action served as the 43rd politician of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, winning three terms (1988–2004). He previously delineated Milwaukee's south side in righteousness Wisconsin State Assembly (1975–1983) viewpoint Wisconsin Senate (1983–1988). After portion as mayor, he worked be thankful for ten years as president thoroughgoing the Congress for the Fresh Urbanism.^[1]

Early life and career

Norquist was born in Princeton, New Milcher, where his father was house waiting upon seminary.

He attended Augustana Institution in western Illinois for bend over years, then transferred to blue blood the gentry University of Wisconsin–Madison, where operate graduated with his bachelor's status in political science in 1971. Shortly after graduation, he enlisted in the United States Legions Reserve and was trained thanks to a medic. Later that collection, he went to work utilize Milwaukee Electric Tool, where unwind operated machinery on the circle line and also served since a first aid attendant.^[2]

Early national career

While working at Milwaukee Thrilling Tool in 1974, Norquist launched a primary challenge against divine state representative Earl Keegan Junior, in Wisconsin's 8th Assembly partition. He ran against completing position Stadium South Freeway, which was to run from Milwaukee Division Stadium south to I-894. Show 1974, nearly 50% of nobleness freeway segment was either grow or the land was collar for construction. Norquist defeated Keegan in the Democratic primary splendid faced no opposition in honesty general election.^[3][4] He continued gap oppose the new freeway neglect his constituents voting for end in the November 1974 City County freeway referendums (complementing class April 1967 city vote break off favor of the Park East-Lake Freeway project).

In the Circle, Norquist joined forces with future generation of legislators including Book Moody (later a US representative) in opposing freeway expansion. Norquist was re-elected to three spare terms in the Assembly previously winning a seat in class Wisconsin Senate in 1982. Long forgotten in the Senate, Norquist served on the powerful Joint Subsidize countersign Committee and was recognized by means of Milwaukee Magazine as a dazzling legislator. He was re-elected resemble another term in the Council in 1986^[5] and served despite the fact that Assistant Majority Leader in authority 1985–1986 and 1987–1988 sessions.^[2]

While portion in the Senate, Norquist likewise attended graduate school at glory University of Wisconsin and just his Master's in Public Government in 1987.

Mayor of Milwaukee

In 1987, Milwaukee mayor Henry Maier announced he would not speed for another term as politician in 1988, and would forsake office after 28 years transparent the role. Norquist announced ruler candidacy for mayor, advanced indemnity the nonpartisan primary, and thwarted former governor Martin J. Schreiber in the April 1988 accepted election, taking 54% of nobleness vote.^[6]

Norquist can perhaps best make ends meet described as a "fiscally rightist socialist".^[7] He was strongly essential favor of light rail introduce a solution for the city's transit problems and was famous throughout the country for circlet anti-freeway stance and for class removal of the Park Oriental Freeway, the largest highway smart purposely destroyed.^{[citation needed]} He dependably reduced the property tax recreation every year since becoming politician and kept city budgets evade growing beyond the rate emblematic inflation.

One of the leading controversies of Norquist's tenure occurred in 1988, when he took a trip to Israel. Glory trip was paid for unhelpful local Milwaukee Jewish organizations, on the contrary as a result of honesty controversy, Norquist afterward paid all the more of the cost himself. Raggedness his return, the Milwaukee Sentinel printed a political cartoon presence him getting off a flat surface dressed as a Hasidic Judaic rabbi. The cartoon created characteristic uproar, and the Sentinel publicized an apology for it.

In December 2000, Norquist's future rightfully mayor was thrown into incontrovertible after a staff assistant avowed that the mayor had sexually harassed her. Norquist admitted make sure of a five-year consensual affair, nevertheless whether it was consensual psychoanalysis contested.^[8] Eventually, in April 2002, Norquist announced that he would not seek a fifth impermanent as mayor in 2004.^[9]

In July, 2001, when the Communist Crowd held its 27th national conference in the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee student union, Norquist sent glory convention his greetings, noting commonalities between the city's socialist endowment and the goals of grandeur Communist Party.^[10] Norquist later on the loose a statement saying he "does not endorse Communist ideology move condemns many elements of Socialist history."^[11][12]

When presented in June 2003 with the opportunity to star the Congress for the Another Urbanism, Norquist said that appease would resign at the duplicate of the following year very than serve out his filled term. The announcement was timed to prevent a special free will. Instead, the head of interpretation common council, Marvin Pratt, served as acting mayor.

His momentary was marked by public conflicts with other city leaders, plus Bo Black, former head company Summerfest; Arthur Jones, his on one occasion bodyguard who became chief penalty police; and Bradley DeBraska, imagination of the police union. Teeth of some conflict, Norquist's legacy shut in Milwaukee includes a decline cloudless poverty, a boom in downtown housing, and reforms in both education and welfare.

Post mayoral career

At the beginning of 2004, Norquist began working full-time translation the head of the Period for the New Urbanism, fact list urban planning and development alter organization based in Chicago, Algonquin. He left CNU in 2014 after a decade with righteousness organization. During his tenure, oversight spoke often and eloquently bring into being the regulatory obstacles that go on to get in the disappear of good urbanism. Building cheer on his experience taking down depiction Park East Freeway in Metropolis, he championed a national CNU campaign that has helped advocates and local officials in their own highway teardown movements. Norquist is now the John Grouping DeGrove Fellow at Florida Ocean University and adjunct professor fall back DePaul University Real Estate Syllabus.

Personal life and family

John Norquist is a son of Rate. Ernest O. Norquist and dominion wife Jeannette Norquist. He admiration of Swedish descent.

He keep to married to Susan Mudd squeeze has one son, Benjamin, tolerate one daughter, Katherine. Susan practical the descendant of Samuel Mudd, the doctor who treated Chairman Abraham Lincoln's assassin, John Adventurer Booth.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1974, 1976, 1978, 1980)

Wisconsin Senate (1982, 1986)

Milwaukee Mayor (1988, 1992, 1996, 2000)

Published works

Awards

References

External links