The mayor position is commonly disregarded by voters. Less voters go to the polls to vote for a mayor compared to a presidential election and a fraction of the population doesn’t even know what a mayor does. However, the mayor does a lot for their city and can improve it in many ways. It is a crucial role in the operation of cities and they decide where the funds should be allocated. This decides the direction the city will go in for the next four years and can have even greater impact since there is no term limit. Being the mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, would allow me to change things for the better and allocate funds into more appropriate areas of the community. My main agendas as mayor would be to reduce illegal drug use and introduce education reforms.

According to Ashley Sears (2017) drug related deaths in Milwaukee County are the highest they have been and heroine has been a growing problem. People of all ages have been overdosing and kids are becoming orphans because of the rapidly increasing amount of deaths. My solution to the problem is to increase funding for drug task forces, K-9 units, and rehab centers. In order to fund these projects I will cut spending for arts and recreational programs until the issue is at a more controllable level. I believe this will help crack down on the supply of drugs in the area and the overall crime. Reducing the supply will prevent more people from obtaining lethal drugs and stunt the rapid increase in drug related deaths. The K-9 units will be able to assist with school drug searches and prevent kids from bringing drugs to school. People start drug use at a young age and can lead to an addiction to drugs for their whole life. The increased searches will prevent future drug use and stop minors from overdosing. Increasing the funding for rehab centers and providing free rehab provides a solution to the high demand for drugs. Decreasing the supply will only have an impact if the demand is lowered as well. Rehab is the best way to treat addiction and gives people a chance to turn their life around.

Amy Hetzner and Erin Richard’s (2010) study showed that the Milwaukee Public School system ranked among the worst in the country. While these results are somewhat outdated, it is clear that the problem is still there. I want to raise standards for teachers in the school system and offer higher pay by cutting spending to things like the trolley project. A enhanced teaching standard will help the kids learn more and give them an improved chance to graduate and go to college. A raised standard in education will help the drug problem to an extent as well. The increased quality of education doesn’t guarantee lower drug use, but it does help prevent it at a young age. A improved education will lead to more wealth in the city, help people break out of poverty, and provide future generations with more wealth in the future. I believe the upgrades to the school system will benefit minorities and give them the chance to have a similar education to people who live in the suburbs.

Preventing drug use and providing a better public education system will lead to an increase in future wealth and the overall happiness. As the mayor, the citizens happiness and well being is the highest priority. Improving the education system and removing drugs from the street will greatly improve both those factors. The poverty rate will lower and increase the overall economic growth of the city. The refined education system can lead to a lower use of the more dangerous drugs like cocaine and heroine. More people will be able to get jobs with the better education and it will be easier to keep their jobs if they are no longer using drugs. Overall, I feel that if I was mayor I would greatly improve these two areas and increase the quality of life in my city.