Dear Governor-Elect Crowley,

We are a grassroots group of Milwaukee-area residents who advocate for safe streets, quality public transit, and financially resilient communities. We’re incredibly excited for this new era of leadership in Wisconsin, and hope to work in partnership with our local and state governments to enact meaningful change to benefit our entire state.

As a group with transportation as a primary focus, we would like to see the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) work alongside both our group and partner organizations to further our shared vision for safe, accessible, and efficient transportation options for Wisconsinites.

In the past, it has been common for the DOT to be at odds with our efforts. We feel that current and past decisions by the DOT placed the speed of cars over safety, the wants of drivers over the needs of non-drivers, and the status quo over bold action in the face of the climate crisis. This has resulted in an inequitable transportation system that imposes sometimes deadly consequences on our most vulnerable neighbors.

For this reason, we are calling on Governor-Elect Crowley to nominate a new Secretary of Transportation for the State of Wisconsin. We ask that this new, visionary Secretary commit to leading the Wisconsin Department of Transportation along a path to prioritize the following:

• Emphasizing safety above all else in roadway design, contributing to the “Engineering” aspect of the Vision Zero (elimination of deaths and serious injuries from vehicle crashes) philosophy 

• Building transportation systems that accommodate the needs and safety of all users, whether driving, walking, rolling, or taking transit

• Closely partnering with local transportation agencies to uplift, improve, and expand public transit at the nexus of state and local governance

• Embracing a people-first planning philosophy, where community engagement is viewed as a key pillar

• Leading our state in mitigation of climate change causing greenhouse gas emissions

• Creating and maintaining “right-sized” transportation systems that are financially feasible for our state to construct and maintain

To be an effective leader in these efforts, we ask that appointed candidates possess qualifications among these listed below:

• Professional and/or educational background as a transportation planner or engineer with demonstrated success in implementing multimodal systems and complete streets

• Professional experience as a public official with a demonstrated history of leading improvements in public transit, built environment, and other transportation systems

• Thorough understanding of the climate, equity, environmental, and social impacts of our transportation systems, and a proven commitment to ensuring continued reductions in the negative externalities our current systems inflict

• Have a clear understanding of how urban and rural transportation systems should differ in form, function, and human interface

We encourage Governor-Elect Crowley’s staff to search far and wide for possible candidates, and as such, we are not suggesting any specific candidates. Our focus is advocating for a leader that will demonstrate a commitment to addressing the diverse transportation needs of Wisconsinites in a way that builds on and amplifies the work of past administrations in collaboration with local leadership, advocacy groups, and community members.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned Members of Strong Towns Metro Milwaukee