“*I want to treat every resident in the district with respect,*”
Flaherty said.

If you are a student who is fed up with parking around campus, trying to find an affordable apartment to rent or worried about crime on the East Side, then it would be highly advantageous to vote in the April 1 election.

The next alderman, either Patrick Flaherty or Nik Kovac, could have a significant impact on these and other local issues.

Nik Kovac grew up in the third district and graduated cum laude with a degree in mathematics from Harvard University. He has worked on newspapers in both New York City and Milwaukee.

Kovac is a member of Milwaukee’s Urban Ecology Center, the Riverwest Neighborhood Association and the Milwaukee River Work Group. He is also a board member of Historic Milwaukee, Inc., which promotes the history and architecture of the city.

Patrick Flaherty is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. His political activism during his time at UWM included organizing Take Back the Night marches that supported safety on the East Side.

Flaherty has worked as the Operations Manager of the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin. He also created Center Advocates, a center that promotes equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender members of the community, and co-founded Fair Wisconsin, which opposed the 2006 state marriage amendment that banned gay marriage and civil unions.

The candidates were recently asked about some of the issues on students’ minds this election season.

In regards to the parking problem on the East Side, Flaherty said if elected he would promote alternatives to driving, such as public transit and making roads more bike friendly. He also said he “hears students loud and clear” in their frustration with cars being towed. He added he would make it a high priority to find a better solution.

Kovac said his number one priority on parking was to reform parking regulations. “Parking regulations need to be for regulating parking, not to generate revenue,” Kovac said. According to Kovac, “There should not be quotas,” and students should not be “ticketed and towed because the city needs money.”

On the issue of crime Kovac said he, “[wants] to be a part of the solution” and referenced being a member of his own Block Watch. For short-term fixes, he supports UWM’s Safety Awareness for Everyone and Community Outreach and Assistance for Student Tenants programs. He also hopes for increased communication between the UWM police, the Milwaukee police, neighbors and the alderman.

Kovac’s long-term crime solution is for the city to create more jobs, livable neighborhoods and reform of the criminal justice system so nonviolent criminals do not become hard criminals while serving time.

Flaherty cited helping build a youth drop-in center that took kids off the streets during unsupervised hours. He also said he has helped get funding for victims’ advocates.

“I’m familiar with the challenges,” Flaherty said. “I look forward to working with UWM. I encourage them to expand working with the Milwaukee Police during key times and working with new Police Chief Flynn to assure the university is getting its fair share of resources.”

Flaherty thinks it is worth exploring the possibility of a Milwaukee Police substation at UWM, like there is at Marquette University. Flaherty is also supportive of the Block Watch program and wants to see it expand to cover a larger number of blocks.

“Using my background as a community organizer, I will work with residents to get effective Block Watches,” he said.

According to Flaherty, the key to improving student-landlord relationships, and any relationship for that matter, is accountability. He believes that the landlords need to be held accountable for operating a safe apartment that is up-to-code. In turn, students are expected to act responsibly.

As far as affordable housing is concerned, Flaherty says the problem is largely an issue of supply and demand, but he recommends monitoring the success of projects like the Kenilworth Apartments and the RiverView residence hall.

“Certainly something I would want to use is a development approval process to have an approach to housing policy that ensures there are affordable units on the market,” he said.

Kovac supports the formation of new student groups for safe housing. “I think it’s very important that students are a part of the conversation,” Kovac said. He stated he wants “safe, dignified compliance” and “affordable housing for everyone,” including “students, families and professionals.”

When asked how he would give UWM students more of a voice, Kovac said, “I think I’ve already given them more of a voice by spending time on campus and encouraging students to attend neighborhood meetings.”

“Students voices are heard when they speak,” he said. Kovac also says that he tells students, “Your voice needs to be heard at city hall and that wasn’t the case for many years.”

Flaherty also placed significance on student opinion. “I’m a UWM alum, so it’s really important to me. I want to be a presence on campus. I would want to seek out input on university issues. I want to treat every resident in the district with respect,” Flaherty said.

Flaherty was asked how he would bridge the gap between UWM students and the rest of the East Side community. “In my career I’ve done an awful lot of coalition-building where you work with both parties that didn’t think they had much in common, but they do,” Flaherty responded. He added that “a strong university is a dynamic force in the region. A strong neighborhood with diversity is also something we all desire.”

When asked about the same issue, Kovac stated, “When I talk to students and neighbors I find a lot of common ground. Everyone wants parking and safe, affordable housing.”

He also stressed the importance of “student and non-student neighbors” working together.” With the exception of a few negatives he said that UWM’s impact was largely positive and he personally enjoys the UWM library, movies and forums. He encouraged “more students to get involved” in politics.

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