The Saturday before Christmas Eve, some good friends and I exchanged small gifts and had a wonderful dinner. When I opened my final gift, I was pleasantly surprised to see a copy of the book “The Making of Milwaukee” staring back up at me. Since I didn’t see the PBS special about our show, I was very happy to get this book. I’m a huge supporter of our city and I try to be its biggest cheerleader. The story of our city, from it’s inception as a small settlement to the mid-size metropolis it is today, is multi-layered and filled with stories of tragedy and triumph! I’m nearly finished with the book and one of the most amazing things about Milwaukee is the simple fact that it’s still, in many ways, much like the city it was 100 years ago. In spite of what a recent article in Time magazine may lead people to believe, our city is wonderful, vibrant and full of good, hardworking people who (for the most part) try to look out for one another. One specific area that hasn’t changed in 100 years is the sentiment, some Milwaukeeans have, that Milwaukee is somehow a deficient city; they whine and complain that the grass is greener in Chicago or Portland or wherever!  It seems the more things change, the more they stay the same.

            Case in point, check out the following passage written way back in 1872 by John Johnston, a Marine Bank executive. This was his statement of local attitudes that are still common today:

There is one thing we are deficient in here. We have not necessary blow or drag. Not only have we not that, but we daily see men standing with their hands in their pockets whining about Milwaukee being a one-horse town, and such like talk. Such men are not worthy to live here. Milwaukee is not Chicago, but there are few cities like Chicago… Instead of grumbling and whining, let us have some city pride, some “esprit du corps”, and let us not listen to any citizen of Milwaukee trying to make us believe he has traveled far and seen great cities, by crying down this the handsomest and healthiest and happiest city in the west. Let us cultivate the talent of brag, and whether at home or abroad, let us boast of Milwaukee, her beauty, her order, her growing trade, commerce and manufacturers.

As we approach 2007, my New Years wish for the citizens of Milwaukee is that we develop a collective belief that our city, in spite of its problems, is still a great place to live, work and play. Obviously there are deficiencies here; but it would be difficult to name a city our size that doesn’t have some major problems to contend with. Having traveled to many major cities of this country, I can say with confidence that the Milwaukee that’s emerged in the past 15 years is on par with any city our size and in many ways, it outshines even larger ones. The possibilities of where Milwaukee can go our endless. Let’s work together to increase diversity, decrease crime and support our great city.