Citizen Action Weekend 2025 Newsletter, Friday, July 18th
Friday, July 18th
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Citizen Action in the News
Citizen Action’s Robert Kraig was quoted in an excellent column by Ruth Conniff, Publisher of the Wisconsin Examiner, on Tony Evers’ leadership and the question of whether he should run for a third term.
From the Wisconsin Examiner:
“Some progressives, most vocally Dan Shafer, creator of The Recombubulation Area blog, have been calling on Evers to step aside. Traumatized by former President Joe Biden’s fumbling 2024 campaign, Shafer says Evers, who is 73 (a decade younger than Biden) should not make the mistake of hanging around too long and instead should “pass the torch.”
“This is not ultimately an argument about ideological differences or policy disagreements,” Shafer writes. For him, it’s about age. It’s about the Biden trauma. And it’s about the problem Democrats at both the state and national level seem to have nurturing the next generation of leaders.
For some progressives, it’s also about ideology and policy disagreements. Advocates for child care, public schools, criminal justice reform and protecting health care access were furious that Evers didn’t drive a harder bargain with Republicans in the recently completed state budget deal…
And that’s the real problem with the way Evers governs, according to Robert Kraig of Citizen Action. By not involving legislative Democrats from the beginning, he disempowered not just those individual legislators but their constituents, giving up the pressure he could have brought to bear on Republicans if he leveraged citizen outrage and demands for action on broadly popular priorities — funding public schools, expanding Medicaid, keeping child care centers open, and the whole list of progressive policies in Evers’ original budget proposal.
Instead, Evers was the kind of adult in the room who sends everyone else out when it’s time to make a decision.
This governing style, Kraig argues, is badly out of step with the political moment. As an increasingly dangerous, destructive administration sends masked agents to grab people off the street and throw them in detention centers or deport them without due process, liquidates safety net programs and deliberately destroys civil society, it’s going to take a massive, popular movement to fight back.”
Support Public EV Charging in Milwaukee County and the City of Milwaukee
Milwaukee County and the City of Milwaukee are partnering to build a publicly accessible electric vehicle (EV) charging network. This is a major step forward in reducing carbon pollution, improving public health, creating good-paying union jobs, and ensuring all communities, not just wealthy ones, have access to clean transportation.
The Environmental Collaboration Office (ECO) is leading this work for the City. In 2025, the City will select a private partner to finance, install, operate, and maintain the charging stations. EV drivers will pay to use the stations, just like other public chargers.
ECO has released the Preliminary Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan. It outlines up to 53 proposed charging locations, including sites at Milwaukee Public Libraries, County Parks, and other high-traffic community spaces. Citizen Action of Wisconsin supports this initiative as part of our Climate and Equity Plan and our work to expand access to clean, affordable transportation for all.
Citizen Action member Chris Durgin and several of our coalition partners recently testified at the Milwaukee County CEED Committee in support of EV charger expansion. Their testimony emphasized the need for public investment in clean transportation, the opportunity to increase access in underserved communities, and the role this initiative plays in reducing carbon emissions across the county.
- Take the City’s EV Survey
Help guide where chargers are installed and ensure the program serves all neighborhoods. - Submit a Public Comment
Let the City and County know you support strong, equitable EV infrastructure in public spaces like parks and libraries. Your input will shape where resources go.
Need help submitting a comment or survey? Or want to get involved? Contact Kat Klawes at kat.klawes@citizenactionwi.org
Tell the PSC: Stop the Pipeline & Protect Our Future.
Right now, the Public Service Commission is taking public comments on a massive 33-mile methane gas pipeline called the Rochester Lateral Project. This pipeline is being proposed by We Energies to feed their existing and newly approved gas plants in Oak Creek and Paris. It would cut through Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha Counties, crossing more than 30 waterways, wetlands, and forested areas. Construction would include dredging, trenching, and other destructive methods that threaten our drinking water, wildlife, and local ecosystems.
We Energies wants to force customers to pay over $210 million for this pipeline so they can continue expanding fossil fuel operations. This project would lock us into expensive, outdated, and dangerous energy infrastructure for decades. We need to speak out now. The deadline to submit a public comment is Monday, July 21.
Submit your written public comments here
Use your comment to call out the facts:
- Protect our water: This pipeline crosses more than 30 waterways and wetlands. It puts our drinking water at risk.
- Stop dirty energy: Methane gas is not clean. It’s a climate disaster waiting to happen.
- Don’t raise our rates: We Energies wants us to foot the bill. We say no.
- Fund real solutions: Invest in renewables and energy efficiency that actually serve our communities.
Read Climate Action Policy Action Coordinator Kat Klawes testimony here.
Citizen Action North Side Rising members learn about plastic resin recycling and discuss green job training.
North Side Rising member Neil Singer explains the ins and outs of Plastic Resin Recycling to new member and electrician DJ Denson during the open house for RAN Plastic Resin Recycling. Resin plastics recycling involves the process of reclaiming and reusing plastic materials, particularly those made from various types of resins. RAN is the only recycler of its kind in Milwaukee. And most importantly, they want to expand their operation to include a green jobs training component.
Their recycling facility, located in Miller Valley needs electrical upgrades, carpentry and industrial cleaning and painting. It is perfect for solar upgrades. In addition, RAN recycles materials for their own MRO. (Maintenance and repair operations) offering opportunities to learn machining, tooling and grinding.
Below Neil talks with NSR members Will Pritchard, and partner Albert Robbins, Cole Hager from City of MKE Environmental Collaboration Office and third partner Ron Singer.
Cole is excited about the possibilities of this business.
If you are interested in supporting the development of green businesses and job training contact
Valerie Ricks 414-885-5640 or valerier@citizenactionwi.org
Citizen Action Southeast Organizing Co-op Weekly Update
Healthcare Action Team:
Our July meeting was a success! Thanks to all who came. Next one’s in August—stay tuned!
Climate Action Team:
Still forming! Want in on the fight for climate justice? Email: Ruben.Aquino@citizenactionwi.org
Weekly Canvassing:
Summer vibes, good convos, and real change. Join us for one canvass a week—we’ll train you!
🍗 BBQ at Kern Park – Sunday 4 PM:
Come chill, eat, and build community with us. All are welcome!
Let’s keep showing up for each other. 💪
Listen to “Democracy depends on us” Battleground Wisconsin Podcast
We discuss quadriplegic Carl Schulze’s epic 92 mile ride to the Capitol in Madison in his wheelchair to protest Medicaid cuts and support increases to caregiver wages. His individual act of protest helps keep the pressure on elected officials who are failing to meet the moment.
We continue our analysis of the recently completed State Budget, analyzing its shortcomings on public education, child care, corrections, and health care. This all leads naturally to the big question hanging over Wisconsin politics, will Governor Evers run for re-election? We also blast news that the GOP State Legislature majority paid $26 million to right-wing law firms for litigation legalized by the Lame Duck session of 2018, causing former Republican State Senator Dale Schultz to respond: “$26 million could have bought a lot of child care, could have bought a lot of health care, could have bought a lot of education.”
We close with review of federal activity including the U.S. Senate rescinding over $1 billion already appropriated for PBS and NPR. Also, Trump is planning on bypassing the Baldwin-Johnson judicial nominating commission in seeking replacement for retiring Federal Appeals Court Justice Dianne Sykes, and of course the biggest non-story of the week, the Epstein files.
Listen to the show.
