In addition to advocating for neighborhood safety as a UWM student, he has an extensive record of volunteer work, including raising AIDS awareness, and demonstrating leadership in the LGBT community.

As a long-time civil rights activist and a leader in non-profit efforts in the Milwaukee area, 3rd District aldermanic candidate Patrick Flaherty has proven successful when it comes to generating reforms in areas such as nondiscrimination rules and neighborhood services.

“My background is in non-profit managing and community organizing,” said Flaherty. “I’m in the rubric of helping government respond to everyday people’s needs.”

As a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee student in the early 1990s, Flaherty became actively involved in local politics. In addition to advocating for neighborhood safety as a UWM student, he has an extensive record of volunteer work, including raising AIDS awareness and demonstrating leadership in the LGBT community.

One of Flaherty’s main concerns is improving the often sour relationship between UWM students and permanent residents in the campus-area neighborhood. As a Riverwest resident who often rents to students, he says that he’s seen a very significant decline in the connection between students and residents.

“Clearly, there is a strain,” he said. “Everybody deserves to be treated with respect. We need to strike a balance.”

Flaherty recognizes that some students, often intoxicated, can be loud and generally disrespectful to permanent residents, but believes that only a small percentage of students is actually causing problems. He says that he understands students’ frustration at being treated unfairly by residents.

“I kind of know what it’s like to be unfairly tarnished,” Flaherty added, making reference to his effort to become Milwaukee’s first openly gay Common Council member. “It needs to be a mature relationship based around responsibility.”

In addition to student-resident relations, Flaherty feels that campus-area safety is an important issue, especially in the eyes of the students.

“It is a real concern, and I like what UWM is doing with extra patrols,” he said.

However, Flaherty believes that the number of assaults and armed robberies can be drastically decreased by doing more than hiring more police officers. He has founded a youth program to help young people find mentors and stay off the streets, and he believes similar efforts can help to reduce campus area crime.

“I want to work with students and the student government. Policing is only part of the solution. As alderman, you can count on me to use legislation creatively to get to the root of these problems,” said Flaherty.

During his campaigning, Flaherty has united diverse groups of people, such as local clergy and gay-rights supporters, in support of his ideas for the East Side. He cited student efforts to make a difference and fight discrimination as his inspiration for running for the 3rd District alderman position.

“I first got involved in community activities in the 1990s when I was at UWM, such as helping to organizing the Take Back the Night marches,” he said. “Over the years, I’ve stayed involved with things like co-founding the Fair Wisconsin movement. An inspiration to me was the way students really came forward for that.”

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