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John Norquist

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John Olof Norquist (born October 22, 1949) is a retired American politician, urbanist consultant, and author. He served as the 43rd mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, winning four terms (1988–2004). He previously represented Milwaukee's south side in the Wisconsin State Assembly (1975–1983) and Wisconsin Senate (1983–1988). After serving as mayor, he worked for ten years as president of the Congress for the New Urbanism.[1]

John Norquist
Norquist in 2008
43rd Mayor of Milwaukee
In office
April 18, 1988 – January 1, 2004
Preceded byHenry Maier
Succeeded byMarvin Pratt (Acting)
Member of the Wisconsin Senate
from the 3rd district
In office
January 3, 1983 – April 15, 1988
Preceded byJerry Kleczka
Succeeded byBrian Burke
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the 8th district
In office
January 6, 1975 – January 3, 1983
Preceded byEarl Keegan Jr.
Succeeded byLois Plous
Personal details
Born
John Olof Norquist

(1949-10-22) October 22, 1949 (age 75)
Princeton, New Jersey, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseSusan Mudd
Children2
EducationUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison (B.A., M.P.A.)
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceUnited States Army Reserve
Years of service1971–1977

Early life and career

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Norquist was born in Princeton, New Jersey, where his father was attending seminary.

He attended Augustana College in western Illinois for two years, then transferred to the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he graduated with his bachelor's degree in political science in 1971. Shortly after graduation, he enlisted in the United States Army Reserve and was trained as a medic. Later that year, he went to work at Milwaukee Electric Tool, where he operated machinery on the assembly line and also served as a first aid attendant.[2]

Early political career

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While working at Milwaukee Electric Tool in 1974, Norquist launched a primary challenge against incumbent state representative Earl Keegan Jr., in Wisconsin's 8th Assembly district. He ran against completing the Stadium South Freeway, which was to run from Milwaukee County Stadium south to I-894. In 1974, nearly 50% of the freeway segment was either built or the land was cleared for construction. Norquist defeated Keegan in the Democratic primary and faced no opposition in the general election.[3][4] He continued to oppose the new freeway despite his constituents voting for completion in the November 1974 Milwaukee County freeway referendums (complementing the April 1967 city vote in favor of the Park East-Lake Freeway project).

In the Assembly, Norquist joined forces with emerging generation of legislators including James Moody (later a US representative) in opposing freeway expansion. Norquist was re-elected to three more terms in the Assembly before winning a seat in the Wisconsin Senate in 1982. While in the Senate, Norquist served on the powerful Joint Finance Committee and was recognized by Milwaukee Magazine as a leading legislator. He was re-elected to another term in the Senate in 1986[5] and served as Assistant Majority Leader in the 1985–1986 and 1987–1988 sessions.[2]

While serving in the Senate, Norquist also attended graduate school at the University of Wisconsin and earned his Master's in Public Administration in 1987.

Mayor of Milwaukee

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In 1987, Milwaukee mayor Henry Maier announced he would not run for another term as mayor in 1988, and would leave office after 28 years in the role. Norquist announced his candidacy for mayor, advanced through the nonpartisan primary, and defeated former governor Martin J. Schreiber in the April 1988 general election, taking 54% of the vote.[6]

Norquist can perhaps best be described as a "fiscally conservative socialist".[7] He was strongly in favor of light rail as a solution for the city's transit problems and was known throughout the country for his anti-freeway stance and for the removal of the Park East Freeway, the largest highway ever purposely destroyed.[citation needed] He consistently reduced the property tax rate every year since becoming mayor and kept city budgets from growing beyond the rate of inflation.

One of the first controversies of Norquist's tenure occurred in 1988, when he took a trip to Israel. The trip was paid for by local Milwaukee Jewish organizations, but as a result of the controversy, Norquist afterward paid much of the cost himself. On his return, the Milwaukee Sentinel printed a political cartoon showing him getting off a plane dressed as a Hasidic Jewish rabbi. The cartoon created an uproar, and the Sentinel published an apology for it.

In December 2000, Norquist's future as mayor was thrown into doubt after a staff assistant alleged that the mayor had sexually harassed her. Norquist admitted to a five-year consensual affair, but whether it was consensual is contested.[8] Eventually, in April 2002, Norquist announced that he would not seek a fifth term as mayor in 2004.[9]

In July, 2001, when the Communist Party held its 27th national convention in the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee student union, Norquist sent the convention his greetings, noting commonalities between the city's socialist heritage and the goals of the Communist Party.[10] Norquist later released a statement saying he "does not endorse Communist ideology and condemns many elements of Communist history."[11][12]

When presented in June 2003 with the opportunity to lead the Congress for the New Urbanism, Norquist said that he would resign at the beginning of the following year rather than serve out his full term. The announcement was timed to prevent a special election. Instead, the head of the common council, Marvin Pratt, served as acting mayor.

His term was marked by public conflicts with other city leaders, including Bo Black, former head of Summerfest; Arthur Jones, his one-time bodyguard who became chief of police; and Bradley DeBraska, head of the police union. Despite some conflict, Norquist's legacy in Milwaukee includes a decline in poverty, a boom in downtown housing, and reforms in both education and welfare.

Post mayoral career

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At the beginning of 2004, Norquist began working full-time as the head of the Congress for the New Urbanism, an urban planning and development reform organization based in Chicago, Illinois. He left CNU in 2014 after a decade with the organization. During his tenure, he spoke often and eloquently about the regulatory obstacles that continue to get in the way of good urbanism. Building on his experience taking down the Park East Freeway in Milwaukee, he championed a national CNU campaign that has helped advocates and local officials in their own highway teardown movements. Norquist is now the John M DeGrove Fellow at Florida Atlantic University and adjunct professor at DePaul University Real Estate Program.

Personal life and family

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John Norquist is a son of Rev. Ernest O. Norquist and his wife Jeannette Norquist. He is of Swedish descent.

He is married to Susan Mudd and has one son, Benjamin, and one daughter, Katherine. Susan is the descendant of Samuel Mudd, the doctor who treated President Abraham Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth.

Electoral history

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Wisconsin Assembly (1974, 1976, 1978, 1980)

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Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality
1974[4] Primary Sep. 10 John Norquist Democratic 3,243 55.97% Earl Keegan Jr. (inc) Dem. 2,551 44.03% 5,794 692
General Nov. 5 John Norquist Democratic 8,704 100.0% 8,704 8,704
1976[13] General Nov. 2 John Norquist (inc) Democratic 13,499 79.25% Shirley F. Bissett Rep. 3,534 20.75% 17,033 9,965
1978[14] Primary Sep. 12 John Norquist (inc) Democratic 3,590 75.37% Raymond J. Borkowski Dem. 1,173 24.63% 4,763 2,417
General Nov. 7 John Norquist (inc) Democratic 10,327 80.50% Richard W. Croke Rep. 2,501 19.50% 12,828 7,826
1980[15] General Nov. 4 John Norquist (inc) Democratic 13,297 100.0% 13,297 13,297

Wisconsin Senate (1982, 1986)

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Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality
1982[16] Primary Sep. 14 John Norquist Democratic 11,281 73.00% Maria Flores Dem. 4,172 27.00% 15,453 7,109
General Nov. 2 John Norquist Democratic 25,921 100.0% 25,921 25,921
1986[5] General Nov. 4 John Norquist (inc) Democratic 23,860 100.0% 23,860 23,860

Milwaukee Mayor (1988, 1992, 1996, 2000)

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Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality
1988 Primary[17] Feb. 16 Martin J. Schreiber Democratic 44,984 45.24% John Norquist Dem. 40,575 40.81% 99,427 4,409
Lee Holloway Non. 7,885 7.93%
Donna Horowitz Non. 5,983 6.02%
Willie G. Lovelace Non. <1%
Kevin J. Robinson Non. <1%
Sandra Sherman Non. <1%
General[6] Apr. 5 John Norquist Democratic 112,902 54.64% Martin J. Schreiber Dem. 93,738 45.36% 206,640 19,164
1992 Primary[18] Feb. 18 John Norquist (inc) Democratic 49,180 49.31% Gregory Gracz Non. 36,444 36.54% 99,710 12,736
Michael McGee Jr. Non. 7,082 7.10%
Ira Robins Non. 4,790 4.80%
Willie G. Lovelace Non. 1,266 1.27%
David Hall Non. 978 0.98%
General[19] Apr. 7 John Norquist (inc) Democratic 77,714 63.04% Gregory Gracz Non. 45,563 36.96% 123,277 32,151
1996 General[20] Mar. 19 John Norquist (inc) Democratic 82,148 59.91% Richard Artison Non. 54,972 40.09% 137,120 27,176
2000 Primary[21] Feb. 15 John Norquist (inc) Democratic 21,674 51.94% George Watts Non. 12,432 29.79% 41,730 9,242
Wendell Harris Non. 7,624 18.27%
General[22] Apr. 4 John Norquist (inc) Democratic 52,847 55.96% George Watts Non. 41,582 44.04% 94,429 11,265

Published works

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  • Norquist, John O. (1998). The Wealth of Cities. Basic Books. ISBN 0-7382-0134-0.

Awards

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References

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  1. ^ "Milwaukee swears in its first black mayor". Chicago Tribune. January 3, 2004. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Theobald, H. Rupert; Robbins, Patricia V., eds. (1985). "Biographies". The State of Wisconsin Blue Book 1985–1986 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. p. 26. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  3. ^ Keefe, John (September 12, 1974). "Assembly Demos Get Good Start". Wisconsin State Journal. p. 4. Retrieved July 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b Theobald, H. Rupert; Robbins, Patricia V., eds. (1975). "Elections in Wisconsin". The State of Wisconsin Blue Book 1975 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. pp. 807, 829. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Theobald, H. Rupert; Barish, Lawrence S., eds. (1987). "Elections in Wisconsin". The State of Wisconsin Blue Book 1987–1988 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. p. 903. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  6. ^ a b "John Norquist elected mayor of Milwaukee". Eau Claire Leader-Telegram. April 6, 1988. p. 24. Retrieved July 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "1998 Public Officials of the Year/Norquist". Archived from the original on December 28, 2002.
  8. ^ Van de Kamp Nohl, Mary. "Marilyn's Story". Milwaukee Magazine. Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  9. ^ Borowski, Greg J. (April 22, 2002). "Norquist to pay, won't run again". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on May 22, 2002. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
  10. ^ Johnson, Annysa (July 7, 2001). "Life of the party". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on December 11, 2001. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
  11. ^ Ayres, B. Drummond Jr. (July 22, 2001). "Political Briefing - Red-Carpet Welcome Has Mayor on the Spot". The New York Times. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  12. ^ Borowski, Greg J. (July 13, 2001). "Mayor didn't see letter, aides say". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on November 9, 2001. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
  13. ^ Theobald, H. Rupert; Robbins, Patricia V., eds. (1977). "Elections in Wisconsin". The State of Wisconsin Blue Book 1977 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. p. 914. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  14. ^ Theobald, H. Rupert; Robbins, Patricia V., eds. (1979). "Elections in Wisconsin". The State of Wisconsin Blue Book 1979–1980 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. pp. 905, 924. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  15. ^ Theobald, H. Rupert; Robbins, Patricia V., eds. (1981). "Elections in Wisconsin". The State of Wisconsin Blue Book 1981–1982 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. p. 915. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  16. ^ Theobald, H. Rupert; Robbins, Patricia V., eds. (1983). "Elections in Wisconsin". The State of Wisconsin Blue Book 1983–1984 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. pp. 885, 906. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  17. ^ "Milwaukee mayor: Schreiber, Norquist". Wisconsin State Journal. February 17, 1988. p. 13. Retrieved July 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "5 mayors survive re-election test". Green Bay Press-Gazette. February 19, 1992. p. 4. Retrieved July 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Norquist easily wins 2nd term". Racine Journal Times. April 8, 1992. p. 7. Retrieved July 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Final Spring Elections Results". Wisconsin State Journal. March 21, 1996. p. 20. Retrieved July 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Norquist, Watts for mayor". The Capital Times. February 16, 2000. p. 5. Retrieved July 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Norquist wins 4th term as Milwaukee mayor". Wisconsin State Journal. April 5, 2000. p. 3. Retrieved July 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
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Wisconsin State Assembly
Preceded by Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 8th district
January 6, 1975 – January 3, 1983 		Succeeded by
Wisconsin Senate
Preceded by Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 3rd district
January 3, 1983 – April 15, 1988 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Milwaukee
April 18, 1988 – January 1, 2004 		Succeeded by
Marvin Pratt (acting)
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