Tom Barrett

Tom Barrett was elected Milwaukee's 40th Mayor on April 6, 2004, and has been reelected with over 70% of the vote in 2008, 2012 and 2016.

As Milwaukee’s Chief Executive, Tom Barrett is making neighborhoods safer by strengthening public safety services, targeting gangs and illegal guns and forging partnerships with neighborhood organizations. He is a founding member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns.

Mayor Barrett continues to strengthen the City’s economy by creating family-supporting jobs and provide assistance to entrepreneurs. He is creating hope in the lives of young people throughout the city with a number of workforce initiatives, including his Earn &Learn initiative which has placed nearly 20,000 students in summer jobs.

Mayor Barrett has enacted his vision for a more sustainable Milwaukee by establishing the Office of Environmental Sustainability, which promotes cost-effective sustainability practices that meet Milwaukee’s environmental, economic and social needs while enhancing economic growth. He is also one of the region’s greatest champions for the Great Lakes and is the past Chair of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, a binational organization comprised of local officials actively working to protect and restore the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River. The Mayor is recognized as a national leader on stormwater mitigation, sustainable manufacturing and urban agriculture.

Tom Barrett grew up on Milwaukee's West side, graduated college and law school from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was a member of both the Wisconsin State Assembly and Senate and served five terms in the U.S. Congress.