Today the Common Council unanimously approved establishing the Pioneering Innovations Commission to keep track of developments in research and emerging strategies for addressing societal issues.

Alderman Khalif J. Rainey, the primary sponsor of the legislation creating the new commission, said the new body will include two Council members, the Mayor or his designee and one representative each from Marquette University, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee Area Technical College, the Milwaukee School of Engineering and the Medical College of Wisconsin.

“Establishing a Pioneering Innovations Commission to review developments in academic research and a broad range of emerging strategies for dealing with societal issues will ensure the city is positioned to evaluate and implement the latest technological innovation and policy initiatives to operate more effectively and best serve city residents,” Alderman Rainey said.

“The City of Milwaukee is blessed to have numerous institutions of higher learning where important research is taking place regularly on some very timely and important issues, and the Commission could help tap into some of that work and create an important synergy that could help our city as a whole as we try new approaches and make changes,” he said.

The Commission will be staffed by the City Clerk’s Office and will report on its work to the Common Council at least once annually.

Co-sponsors on the Pioneering Innovations Commission legislation: Alderwoman Milele A. Coggs, Alderman Ashanti Hamilton, Alderman Tony Zielinski, Alderwoman Chantia Lewis, Alderman Russell W. Stamper, II, Alderman Cavalier Johnson and Alderman Mark A. Borkowski.