MILWAUKEE – Longtime 10th District Alderman Michael Murphy announced on Monday that he will not run for re-election in 2024, and the longtime civil servant joined Wisconsin’s Afternoon News on November 1st for a look back at his extensive career – and a look ahead at what’s next.
“Long discussions with my wife and family, I just felt that I’ve accomplished pretty much everything I’ve intended to after 35 years of public service. I’m looking for maybe a new chapter in my life,” Murphy said.
Murphy currently serves as the chair of the Zoning, Neighborhoods, and Development Committee. He was also the founder of the MKE Plays initiative, which has transformed 20 Milwaukee playgrounds that had fallen into neglect and/or disrepair. Murphy said
“A lot of kids in our city don’t have those opportunities,” he said. Their recreation is their playground, and I’m glad to see that we’ve made this big impact in the last few years.”
Murphy was first elected to his role in 1989, and served as the Common Council President from 2014 to 2016. Murphy was also formerly chair of the Council’s Finance and Personnel Committee.
“I still think we’ve got some fiscal challenges going ahead,” Murphy said. “It’s not like we’re out of the woods.”
Even more than financial troubles, Murphy named public safety, both in regards to violence and road safety, as the biggest issue Milwaukee is facing going forward, naming “education, enforcement, and accountability” as major components of how to improve safety on the streets.
“I put together a task force four years ago just to try to get us up on the road just in terms of strategies to try to address it, whether its engineering solutions,” Murphy said. “You’re seeing a lot of changes on our streets.”
It might not be the end of Murphy’s time in City Hall, with City Comptroller Aycha Sawa also not seeking reelection. When asked if he would consider running, Murphy said that would again involve discussions with his family.
“I’m thinking about it,” he said.
Murphy has spent 35 years representing the 10th District, which makes him the third-longest serving Alderman in Milwaukee history.
