TMJ4 has partnered with the Milwaukee County Intergovernmental Cooperation Council to host a Wisconsin governor's debate on Thursday, Oct. 8 at 6 p.m.
The debate will feature Democratic candidate David Crowley and Republican candidate Tom Tiffany. Both candidates have been invited, though neither has publicly committed as of this report.
The format is designed to address issues facing city, suburban, and rural voters.
Watch: TMJ4 prepares for town hall debate as Wisconsin voters decide race for governor
The ICC, made up of all Milwaukee County mayors and village presidents, approached TMJ4 early in the year about hosting the event. Wauwatosa Mayor Dennis McBride, a member of the ICC, said the organization wanted to bring the candidates directly to the state's most populous county.
"Milwaukee County is obviously the largest county in the state in population. We have 19 municipalities. We think it's important for the candidates to come here, but we're going to partner with you and your statewide network and make sure that everyone hears what the candidates have to say," McBride said.
The debate will be broadcast statewide and will follow a town hall format. TMJ4 reporters representing various counties across southeast Wisconsin will participate, and the station will partner with outlets across the state.
McBride said local elected officials are uniquely positioned to speak to the concerns residents face, and he wants the candidates to answer for how they plan to work on key issues facing voters.
"We are the elected officials that people know best. They know where we live. They see us in the stores, in the churches. We give them basic services, and we think the state is not being a good partner with us in providing those services," McBride said.
"We want to put the candidates to the test and say how are you going to work with us to make sure that our constituents, the state's constituents, the residents get what they need," McBride said.
Key issues expected to be raised include shared revenue, property tax levy caps, and the possibility of a broader or local sales tax. McBride noted that school districts face the same financial constraints as municipalities, leaving property taxes as the primary revenue source for local governments.
"People say to us, 'Well, why are you raising our property taxes?' And I say, we don't want to do that, but we have one revenue source really, and that's property taxes. We need to partner with the state. The state needs to partner with us," McBride said.
TMJ4 has partnered with the Milwaukee County Intergovernmental Cooperation Council to host a Wisconsin governor's debate on Thursday, Oct. 8 at 6 p.m.
This story was reported on-air by Charles Benson and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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