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Milwaukee Alderman Marvin Pratt, who has publicly stated he wanted to be mayor of Milwaukee for years, is apparently reconsidering his bid because of the ever-growing field of candidates and his recent health problems.

Pratt, president of the Milwaukee Common Council since 2000, could bow out of the race over the next several months and instead run for reelection to his aldermanic seat and the council president’s position. If he continued his run for the mayor’s office, he would not be able to also run for reelection as alderman because of the conflicting message it would send to voters.

With the entry into the race of former Milwaukee Congressman Thomas Barrett and the expected entry of Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke Jr., Pratt is not considered a frontrunner. There is also concern that he would lose votes to both Barrett and Clarke.

“With both Barrett and Clarke in, there is no way Marvin could win,” said a political source. “He is carrying too much baggage as an alderman because of the recent political scandal at City Hall. In the anti-incumbent mood that voters are in right now, he would not be able to get much support.”

Added a Milwaukee public relations executive: “His campaign has failed to generate any enthusiasm or momentum. And now that Barrett is in the race, he is going to overshadow Marvin.”

Pratt is reportedly angry with Barrett, who he claimed promised he would not run for mayor when Pratt agreed to endorse Barrett’s 2002 bid to be governor. Barrett’s representatives have denied such a deal existed.

Pratt also spent several days in the hospital last week, in what was first reported as heart problems. He is now telling people it was not heart problems, but instead a urinary tract infection.

Either way, a political source said Pratt could use the health issue as a way to back out of the race. Despite constant rumors that he will resign in the near future, Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist is committed to serving out his term and deal with several major issues that confront the city, including state Republican legislators’ plans to cut Milwaukee’s shared revenue.

Steve Jacquart, Norquist’s chief of staff, said Norquist was committed to staying through the end of his term, with only “a slight chance” he would leave in early 2004 after the resolution of the state budget and other important issues. His terms ends in April 2004.
Jacquart said he was inundated with phone calls last week from media and supporters trying to find out if the many rumors circulating throughout the community about Norquist quitting were true. He said he was getting calls from universities across the country, who were fielding Milwaukee media calls to find out if Norquist had accepted a teaching position.

Rumors had Norquist accepting positions at the University of Chicago or the Kennedy School of Government, which is part of Harvard University.

“I’m sure the Republicans in the state Legislature would like to see him leave office, but that is not going to happen,” Jacquart said. “He is committed to staying until the end of his term. He has a lot of work to do."

Supporters said the rumors were being spread by Republican legislators, members of Citizens for Responsible Government, the citizen’s group that led the recall against former Milwaukee County Executive Tom Ament; and Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker’s office, who has been engaged in a heated battle with Norquist over the proposed expansion of the freeway system in southeastern Wisconsin.

“People must have really been working the phones last week because everyone was talking about it,” a Norquist supporter said.

Norquist announced last year that he would not run for reelection after he was forced to empty out his campaign fund to pay off a former mayoral staff person, who accused him of sexual harassment. Sources said he has been seeking job offers and is hopeful of landing a teaching position at a major university or a political think tank.

Supporters said he is committed to serving out his term because he wants to select a replacement for embattled Milwaukee Police Chief Arthur Jones, whose terms expires in November, and fight off the Republican attempt to take away a significant amount of Milwaukee’s shared revenue.

“If the Republicans think they can just roll Milwaukee, they are going to be in for a surprise,” Jacquart said. “He (Norquist) is going to stand up and fight for the city.” The list of candidates that want to replace Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist is long, but those that want to mount a serious run for the top spot are going to have to raise some serious cash if they want to occupy the second floor office at Milwaukee City Hall.

Several political observers predicted it would take up to $1.25 million to wage an effective campaign in the crowded field. In 2000, Norquist spent $1.2 million to defeat Milwaukee businessman George Watts in a race that was closer than many expected. In 1996, he spent about $1 million to knock off former Milwaukee County Sheriff Richard Artison.

“You are going to have to raise some serious money to be effective with this many candidates,” said a Norquist staffer. “You have to create name recognition and a buzz. Not many of these candidates have that right now.”

The candidates running to replace Norquist is led by former Milwaukee Congressman Thomas Barrett, who threw his hat in the ring in early June after months of debating whether or not to run. His main challenger is expected to be Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke Jr., who still is deciding whether to run.

The other big-name competitors include Milwaukee Common Council President Marvin Pratt, Alderman Thomas Nardelli and State Legislator Pedro Colon.

Several political observers expect that the business community will back Barrett, who has the name recognition from his time in Washington, D.C. and his run for governor in 2002.

“A lot of business people that I talk to are excited about Barrett getting in the race,” said Geoff Hurtado, president of Hurtado & Associates, a Milwaukee planning firm. “The sense I get is that he is most likely to continue the policies and the programs that are currently in place. And it is likely that he would be more aggressive on development than some of the other announced candidates.”

Hurtado said the business community is likely to support Barrett even though he is a Democrat and has tended to support liberal issues. He said executives supported Norquist for 16 years, even though he is also a Democrat.

“Tom was representing a very liberal District and was voting the way his constituents wanted him to,” Hurtado said. “But if he was the chief executive officer of the city, he has to represent a broader constituency and I believe you would see him move more towards the middle. He’s a very bright guy and would know what to do to keep the city moving forward.”

The wild card in the race is Clarke, who has burst onto the political scene since his appointment as sheriff in 2002. He easily won reelection in November 2002 and has become a regular on conservative talk radio. But business executives are wary of Clarke because they are not sure where he stands on issues important to businesses.

“He would be an interesting candidate because he is articulate and ambitious,” a political source said. “But he is also a big unknown.”

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