Milwaukee, WI
The ‘Sewer Socialist’ led Milwaukee into the future in 1938. What’s your idea? | Opinion
Our goal is to root out inefficiency and improve service while reducing costs to taxpayers. Often times, the best ideas come from ordinary citizens and the private sector.
Downtown Milwaukee seen from a drone camera
See downtown Milwaukee via a drone camera
“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.” — Charles Dickens, “A Tale of Two Cities.“
That reflection could easily describe Milwaukee. With a gleaming downtown on Lake Michigan and led by a dynamic mayor, Cavalier Johnson, the city is poised for greatness. It successfully hosted the Republican National Convention and received positive reviews nationwide, leading to a dramatic rise in convention business.
Yet, the same city was on the verge of fiscal insolvency until securing of a 2% local option sales tax from the State Legislature in 2023. And Milwaukee still faces a large structural deficit and ongoing challenges like high levels of crime, a backlog of street repairs and maintenance, and unacceptable levels of poverty.
Every day, Milwaukee citizens benefit from a wide variety of municipal services. While it has shown dramatic innovation, as represented by the automated system of garbage and recyclables pickup weekly, the city hasn’t fully tapped the potential for automation, which includes AI and robotics through the delivery of services and simultaneously reducing costs.
Daniel Hoan Foundation awarding $40,000 for best idea
The Daniel Hoan Foundation is again calling on the citizens to submit their best ideas for improving our community. This year’s focus is on how Milwaukee city government might improve services and reduce costs in the process. Our goal is to root out inefficiency and improve service while reducing costs to taxpayers. Often times, the best ideas come from ordinary citizens and the private sector.
The contest will award $40,000 to the best idea that surfaces. Last year, prizes were awarded for the best ideas to improve Milwaukee County’s Parks System while reducing crime was the focus in 2023.
Specifically, the contest will focus on municipal government services such as sanitation services, street, sidewalk, and bridge maintenance, drinking water, sewer management, public works, the public schools and neighborhood services. It also encompass seasonal issues such as snow and ice removal and parking regulations as well as public facilities that people use, such as libraries, offices for small business development, and public buildings.
For those interested, please go to https://innovatemkegov.org/ and submit your detailed ideas in a format that does not exceed two pages in length. The deadline for submission of ideas is Sept. 15.
Hoan a celebrated Milwaukee mayor known as the sewer socialist
The Daniel Hoan Foundation was created by my grandfather, a long-serving leader of Milwaukee who historians have ranked as the eighth-best mayor in the history of the United States. He was featured on the cover of Time Magazine in 1938 as the mayor of the best-run city in America.
Under his tenure, crime dropped dramatically, and he invested in infrastructure, so the health of the citizens dramatically improved. In fact, he was known as the “sewer socialist” because he created an advanced sewage system. Milwaukee’s fiscal health was the envy of cities throughout the country. None of this may seem very glamorous, but this city functioned, and citizens continued to return him to office for 24 years.
We no longer have to be a city that fits the description of a Charles Dickens novel. I served as chairman of the Board of Directors that oversaw the Port of Milwaukee. During my tenure, Milwaukee became the fastest-growing port on the Great Lakes, thanks to a great port director hired from the private sector, Ken Szallai.
If I’ve learned anything about the government is that the private sector was critical to our success. Szallai continually tapped the resources and ideas of the private sector to assist the miracle turnaround. Our port director entered into numerous arrangements to efficiently deliver products necessary to our economy, including steel, fertilizer, cement, salt, etc., in a way the port could not do independently.
Milwaukee’s innovation officer will help judge best ideas
Fortunately, Milwaukee has a competent, qualified mayor who cares deeply about the city and is willing to do what’s necessary to turn this picture around. He is open to ideas coming from the private sector and our fellow citizens. Jim Bohl, the city’s newly appointed innovation officer, will serve as the chief judge of a small panel of judges.
Bohl’s office was recently created and is charged with the responsibility for implementing innovation and creating efficiency in government. Add in the fact that Bohl has a lifelong track record of service in government, so he knows how to get things done.
Milwaukee is on the comeback. Let’s earn a reputation as a city that proves it can tap the resources of its citizens to provide dramatically innovative solutions to challenges.
Daniel Steininger is president of the Daniel Hoan Foundation and former chair of the Board of Harbor Commissioners for the City of Milwaukee.
Division-leading Brewers aim to avoid series sweep against Skenes and the Pirates
Having won two of their last three series, the Pittsburgh Pirates return home to PNC Park on Sunday afternoon for a matinee matchup against the Milwaukee Brewers in search of a third straight victory and their first series sweep since May in the final game before the All-Star Break. The Brewers are 23 games over .500 as the season hits the mid-Summer Classic, but are in danger of being swept for the first time since April during their season-longest six-game losing skid. Milwaukee will send left-hander Robert Gasser (2-3, 4.15 ERA) to the mound in search of his third win in his last four starts, while the Pirates will counter with three-time All-Star Paul Skenes, who is looking for just his second win since mid-May.
How to Watch Milwaukee Brewers vs Pittsburgh Pirates:
Date: July 12, 2026
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
TV Channel: MLB.TV – Pittsburgh Pirates
Location: PNC Park
Live Stream the Milwaukee Brewers vs Pittsburgh Pirates game on Fubo: Start watching now!
Skenes (7-8, 3.58 ERA), now in his third season in the majors, has struggled to replicate the success he had in his first two seasons, where he took home NL Rookie of the Year Award followed by the NL Cy Young Award the following year, having posted just one victory in his last 10 starts. The 24-year-old right-hander had his worst outing of the season on July 1 when he gave up seven earned runs, including a pair of home runs, in just four innings as part of a 10-6 loss to the Phillies.
Brewers first baseman Jake Bauers leads the team with 18 home runs and 59 RBIs this season, both marking career highs for the 30-year-old journeyman. Bauers broke into the majors in 2018 with Tampa Bay, but had bounced around the league playing in Cleveland, Seattle, and with the Yankees before landing the everyday job with Milwaukee in 2024, helping the Brewers make consecutive playoff appearances.
What time is Brewers vs Pirates?
Coverage of the Milwaukee Brewers vs Pittsburgh Pirates game starts Sunday, July 12, at 12:00 p.m ET. Tune in to see if the Brewers can avoid the series sweep or if Skenes can find his form and lead the Pirates to the home win.
What channel is the Brewers vs Pirates game on?
Looking to watch the game? Subscribers can tune to MLB.TV – Pittsburgh Pirates to catch the action. Make sure you subscribe to Fubo now to watch this matchup at home or on the go with the Fubo TV app.
Watch the Milwaukee Brewers vs Pittsburgh Pirates game on Fubo: Start watching now!
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WEST ALLIS, Wis.– IndyCar racers test-drive at the Milwaukee Mile ahead of the August doubleheader.
The IndyCar Series has back-to-back races at the track on August 29 and August 30.
Racers had the rare opportunity to practice laps in West Allis on Wednesday, July 8.
“It’s a tough place; it’s a very tough course,” said four-time IndyCar series champion Álex Palou. “I feel like every time I come here, the car and the driving feels very different.”
Palou currently leads the 2026 IndyCar Series in points and will race the Milwaukee Mile next month.
“It just makes everything super close, especially being the second to last event of the year and having two races ” said Palou. “If you have a good weekend, it’s great, but if you don’t, you can be crying after it.”
The IndyCar Series consists of 18 races across the United States and Canada.
Milwaukee is the only doubleheader race on the schedule, making the event worth double the points and potentially swinging the series championship leaderboard.
“It’s one of those tracks that you need a car that gives you a lot of confidence, but you need to have confidence in this place as well.”
IndyCar driver Josef Newgarden is eager to get back on the Milwaukee Mile.
“It’s the most historic racetrack that you’ll find in North America, and it’s very historic when you think of IndyCar,” said Newgarden. “I’ve always wanted to be back here.”
According to the Wisconsin State Fair website, the Milwaukee Mile is the oldest operating motor speedway in the world.
The first automobile race was held there in 1903 on a dirt track. Cars similar to IndyCars first competed on the West Allis track in 1933.
“I love this market,” said Newgarden. “I think Milwaukee’s a great place to race and we’ve got a good fan base here.”
The IndyCar Series raced at the Milwaukee Mile annually from 2004 to 2015. The track did not host the series from 2016 through 2023. IndyCar returned in 2024 and has raced there each year since.
The Milwaukee Mile will host the IndyCar Series for the Snap-on Makers and Fixers 250 on Saturday, August 29, and the Snap-on Milwaukee Mile 250 on Sunday, August 30.
Milwaukee has officially joined the Global Swimmable Cities Alliance, aligning with other Great Lakes communities like Sheboygan and Ottawa in a growing movement to make urban waterways safer for recreation.
Milwaukee Riverkeeper Cheryl Nenn joined WTMJ’s Jeff Sherman on The Upswing to discuss what that means for the city. With a background in environmental science and experience working with both the City of New York and the U.S. Forest Service, Nenn says joining the alliance builds on years of water quality progress – while also creating accountability through a clear action plan.
Efforts are already underway to improve both safety and accessibility. Nenn says Milwaukee Riverkeeper is pursuing grants to install more safety ladders along lower piers throughout the river system, ensuring that anyone who ends up in the water has a way to get out. At the same time, the organization is working with the city and local businesses to green riverfront areas, creating healthier habitats for wildlife and improving the overall ecosystem.
Nenn emphasized that becoming a swimmable city is a community effort. Residents can play a role by picking up trash along beaches and rivers, keeping streets and storm drains clean, and reducing plastic use.
The Upswing is presented by Horicon Bank.
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