Passion for serving others is what’s driving Felesia Martin’s run for county board seat
By Thomas E. Mitchell, Jr.
“If you want something done, you have to do it yourself!”
That’s an iconic phrase all of us have heard at one time or another. It best sums up the “do it yourself” mentality we often times adopt when something needs to be done and there’s no one else to do it or help you do it.
That’s the attitude Milwaukee County Board candidate Felesia Martin adopted when outgoing County Board Sup. Michael Mayo revealed to her he was stepping down at the end of his term representing the seventh supervisory district.
“No one else wanted to run, or feel they could beat an incumbent (which Mayo was before he announced his retirement from the board several months ago),” said Martin in a recent interview about her candidacy.
Mayo told Martin he was stepping down during a meeting the two had in his county courthouse office. Martin was there to discuss the issues facing the district like transportation and juvenile corrections.
Martin asked Mayo when was he going to retire, noting she had an interest in public service dating back to her childhood.
“That’s when he told me he was going to retire,” said Martin, adding it was the moment she decided to throw her proverbial hat into the ring. “I had an inkling I would run (for Mayo’s board seat). But his announcement of his retirement solidified it for me.”
And what intangibles does Martin bring to the district? Aside from her 40-plus year residency in the district and knowing its challenges and strengths (such as its diversity), she said her passion and love for the area ultimately drove her to stay when she had an opportunity to leave.
That same passion and love is driving Martin in the race to be the seventh district’s voice and champion for positive change.
But the political bug didn’t bite Martin until she got involved in her first election campaign, knocking on doors for President Barack Obama’s two campaigns, and the campaigns of other political office holders. She later joined Organizing America.
“I’ve always connected to the community and what residents are looking for to improve the quality of their lives, like fighting for health care.”
Martin also participated in the campaign against Gov. Scott Walker’s Act 10 legislation which stripped state labor unions of most of their collective bargaining power.
The board candidate said her most potent strength is her ability to look at both sides of an issue and try to find common ground.
“(The ability to) negotiate is part of my success,” said Martin. “I always try to add value to people’s lives. I try to get an idea of how other peoples’ values and faith match up with mine.
“I try to listen and understand their needs and where they are, where they want to go, and want to accomplish.
“I may not be a well-known face or name, but if you’re involved in politics in Milwaukee and Wisconsin, I’m very well-known.”
But Martin is well known at the Medical College of Wisconsin, where she has worked for 31 years in an administrative capacity, monitoring and managing government budgets for academic research. She feels her expertise in this field will be an asset when it comes to scrutinizing budgets that come before the board.
Martin has also worked for the Boy Scouts of America, where she helped establish Scout troops in predominately Black neighborhoods.
Asked what areas she would focus on if elected April 3 over her opponent, Kenneth Ginlack, Sr., Martin said she would focus on three areas: Parks and recreation, mass transit, and public safety.
Parks—
Martin said parks contribute to the health of a community and are safe, clean spaces for children and families.
Mass Transit—
Martin said the focus shouldn’t be solely on connecting people to jobs with Fox Conn. She said transit dollars and resources should also be focused on expanding transit service to what she calls “WOW” Counties: Waukesha, Ozaukee, and Washington counties.
Public Safety—
Though strides are being made to rectify the problem in the area, Martin said the Sherman Park Neighborhood has a serious crime issue, which is what drove many in the Jewish community (and other ethnic and racial groups) to outlying metropolitan areas. Martin said she would like to see more residents in Sherman Park, and the district as a whole, organize watch clubs and hold neighborhood meetings to discuss crime issues, as well as improve police-community relations.
Martin also stressed the need for more informed trauma care for residents psychologically impacted by the shootings, speeding cars, and the residual effects of the unrest in the Sherman Park Neighborhood in 2016.
She explained informed trauma care focuses on children and families and treats them using a wholistic approach, giving them the tools to cope with the depression and anger they’re dealing with.
Despite the downsizing of the county board’s hours, salary and influence on metropolitan affairs, Martin is confident the governmental body can still make a positive impact on the welfare of its residents.
“Working with the county executive, we can still change Milwaukee for the better.”
To learn more about Martin and her compaign, go to her Facebook page (Martin for Milwaukee), her website (martinformilwaukee.com), phone (414)-745-9185.