With the Nov. 3 election right around the corner, NNS talked to seven women about voting and their top community priorities in this fall’s general election.
Here’s what they said.
‘Protecting reproductive health and mental wellness’
Name: Joy Boyd
Neighborhood: 53205
Age: 32
Do you plan to vote?
I do plan to vote because it is something I grew up watching my mom do and advocate for. I was civically engaged by default, which isn’t a bad thing. As an adult who thinks for herself, I vote because I refuse to sit back and let rights be taken away.
What are your key issues/concerns in the community?
My main concerns are linked to education and health. Not only should both be affordable for most families, but the care and support should be of quality. Wisconsin’s next governor should focus on protecting reproductive health and mental wellness amongst all Wisconsinites. When people want to be healthy and they have the proper education, tools and choices, they will thrive.
‘One way I can speak up for my community‘
Name: Elizabeth Perdomo
Neighborhood: I work closely with the communities in the Clarke Square neighborhood and the Kosciuszko Park area.
Age: 54
Do you plan to vote?
Yes, I plan to vote because I want a community where everyone has the opportunity to feel safe, heal and thrive. Through my work with individuals and families affected by domestic violence, I see how public decisions affect everyday lives. Voting is one way I can speak up for my community and help shape its future.
What are your key issues/concerns in the community?
My key concerns are domestic violence, affordable housing and access to mental health care. I would like the next governor to strengthen funding for community organizations, expand safe and affordable housing and make counseling and survivor services easier to access.
We need leadership that listens to people with lived experience and invests in both preventing harm and helping families rebuild.
‘Prioritize shared revenue’
Name: Joyce Boyland
Neighborhood: East Side
Age: 60s
Do you plan to vote?
I plan to vote, because this election is extremely close and the stakes are incredibly high. It seems extra-important to vote because so many people I’ve talked with have lost hope and have given up one of their strongest tools to stop the bleeding, which is voting.
The dishonest ads are keeping people home, making them think that (David) Crowley is responsible for Milwaukee County’s fiscal problems and the cuts and taxes that they necessitated, when actually it’s the state’s war against Milwaukee starving us of the revenue the state owes to us and tying our hands. Getting Crowley into the governor’s office would enlarge the pie, rather than forcing us to cut services and fight among ourselves for the crumbs.
What are your key issues/concerns in the community?
A critical and urgent issue is the correction of the decades-long structural deficit in transit funding that originates at the state level. The governor needs to prioritize restoring shared revenue at least to parity to what we bring into the state, as well as setting up transit funding that can be counted on for long-term planning.
MCTS has done heroic work in keeping the cuts at bay, but the fiscal cliff that is created at the state level (and that people in the know were warning about for decades) was going to show up sooner or later, and that time has now come to do or die – and MCTS dying would be catastrophic, even for people with cars.
We need better
Name: Roxie Touchstone
Neighborhood: North Side resident and McGovern Park Senior Center patron
Age: 65
Do you plan to vote?
I definitely vote on the day of because I feel more patriotic and our ancestors fought and died so we can go to the voting poll on that day.
What are your key issues/concerns in the community?
Touchstone said she’s concerned about the lack of grocery stores and pharmacies across Milwaukee and how it’s impacting seniors.
“They take everything away in the Black community and not replace anything,” she said. ​“They’re putting out these Archwell Health buildings, and I don’t have anything against them, but I don’t know if it’s really free for seniors.”
She’s also concerned about how children are being cared for in the public schools.
“Our kids are being lost in the sauce and left behind,” she said. “We need better schools and lunch programs.”
Strengthening our neighborhoods
Name: Dee Reneé Harper
Neighborhood: North Side resident and broker/owner of The Luxe Estates by Dee Reneé
Do you plan to vote?
Voted early and thinks voting is crucial.
What are your key issues/concerns in the community?
I encourage people to do their own research, ask questions, look beyond social media headlines and understand the issues before casting their ballots. We don’t all have to agree politically, but we should all care enough about our communities to make informed decisions.
I care deeply about the future of our city and the opportunities available to the people who call it home. I believe we need to focus on strengthening our neighborhoods, helping families build generational wealth and making sure residents have access to the resources and opportunities they need to thrive.
Primary issue is ICE
Name: Lillian Hassan Thomas
Neighborhood: North Side resident and Milwaukee teacher
Age: 22
Do you plan to vote?
I plan to vote. I will vote because the right to vote for women and people of color was hard-won and I do not take this history for granted.
What are your key issues/concerns in the community?
My primary issue is ICE presence in Wisconsin. I would like the future governor to limit ICE presence in Wisconsin and specifically in Milwaukee. To me, this needs to include restricting law enforcement contracts as well as much stricter rules regarding agents identifying themselves and where operations can stage.
Cost of living
Name: Jayla Taylor, Milwaukee teacher
Neighborhood: South Side
Do you plan to vote?
I am 100% ready and waiting to vote in the race for senator. As I have a bachelor’s degree in political science. I have always been invested in participating in our voting system. Also, as someone who works so closely with the youth of our community, I want to ensure that I fully invest my voice/vote for not only myself but the community I serve.
What are your key issues/concerns in the community?
My key issues/concerns that I see immensely within my community/state, have to do with the cost of living. Specifically with housing, and currently how unattainable it feels to live on your own as a young adult. As a 1-year postgraduate, this is an issue I have had to navigate closely, and an issue I see within my occupation as well.
We’re navigating relationships with our students, who are facing unimaginable difficulties at home that stem from the cost of living as well. I would hope the next governor would be able to minimize these costs or at least make them feel a small amount less taxing on day-to-day life.
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