The race for Waukesha’s next mayor is wide open for the first time in more than a decade as current Mayor Shawn Riley is not seeking a fourth term. Common Council President Alicia Halvensleben and State Rep. Scott Allen are vying for the seat.
Though the race is non-partisan, Allen is a Republican state representative and has the endorsement of Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow. Halvensleben has the endorsement of Riley, the current mayor, and the Waukesha County Democratic Party.
Watch: Voters ask the questions of the Waukesha mayoral candidates
Voters are sharing the issues they care about most ahead of the election, with taxes and housing affordability at the forefront.
"To me, taxes are huge," Stephen Siever, a Waukesha voter, said.
"We need more tax money returned to Waukesha," Pam Kramer, another Waukesha voter, said.
"The advantage that I bring, having been in the legislature, is I have the relationships and I know my way around, not just in the Capitol but in the state law as it relates to state finance and can make greater headway," Allen said.
"I want to make sure I am serving as a good ambassador for our city and say to our state legislature that we need to go back to the drawing board and come up with a formula that works," Halvensleben said.
Another voter, who did not want to be identified, asked how the candidates would deal with the housing shortage in Waukesha.
"We need more low, middle, or middle-income housing," the voter said.
"Retired folks are living in housing that they would like to get out of. That would free up a lot of housing inventory if we could find those seniors the right opportunities. So we need housing at all levels across all socio-economic developmental profiles," Allen said.
"I want to make sure we are working with developers to have the right kinds of developments that are going to come into Waukesha. Things that are going to fit with our historic charm but also increase the number of housing units," Halvensleben said.
Early voting in the city is open until Friday. Voters can also vote in person on April 7.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist 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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