Former Milwaukee mayor says when his term ends, he will likely return to Milwaukee
Former Milwaukee mayor says when his term ends, he will likely return to Milwaukee
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Former Milwaukee mayor says when his term ends, he will likely return to Milwaukee
For almost 18 years, Tom Barrett led the city of Milwaukee, but he resigned his post as mayor at the end of last year for a presidential appointment – U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg.
He returned to Milwaukee this past week for a family wedding. And while in town, he told WISN 12 News’ Joyce Garbaciak about his life in Europe.
“Mr. Ambassador,” Garbaciak said. “Welcome back.”
“Well, it’s great to be home,” Barrett said. “It’s wonderful to be home. There’s no place like home.”
Barrett is back home in Milwaukee after seven months in the European country of Luxembourg, serving as President Joe Biden’s choice to be the U.S. ambassador to that nation.
“Now, in your remarks at your swearing-in last December, you said you hoped this role would be exciting and challenging. Has it been?” Garbaciak asked.
“It has been very exciting and very challenging,” Barrett said. “I never dreamed that about three weeks after arriving there that we’d see the first land war in Europe essentially since World War II. And that has been – really more than anything – the driving force for a lot of what we’re doing – dealing with NATO, dealing with the European Union, dealing with the issues Ukraine faces.”
As ambassador to Luxembourg, Barrett said his job is to communicate U.S. policy, oversee visa and passport procedures, and interact with other European agencies.
“It’s not like I came into this as a European expert, so I’m learning as quickly as I can,” Barrett said. “But there’s also less stress. I would be lying if I didn’t say that. As I’ve told people – somewhat in jest – I’m used to having people yell at me in bars. You know, I was a mayor for almost 18 years. And that’s a very gritty job. And this is not nearly as gritty.”
“What’s the learning curve been like?” Garbaciak asked.
“Oh, it’s been very steep,” Barrett said. “I’ll tell you, the biggest surprise to me by far is more of a cultural surprise – how many languages people in Luxembourg speak.”
Those languages include German, French, Luxembourgish and Portuguese. Barrett said he’s trying to learn more French to converse more easily even though many people in Luxembourg City where he lives speak English.
“The other thing that is amazing is 25 minutes from my home, I could be in Germany, or 25 minutes from my home, I could be in France, or 25 minutes from my home, I could be in Belgium,” Barrett said. “I’m not exaggerating. It’s a very small country.”
It is small – just under 1,000 square miles with a population of roughly 625,000 people.
Luxembourg is also a wealthy country. The gross domestic product per capita is $115,000 – compared to $63,000 in the United States.
Barrett recalled speaking recently to the mayor of Luxembourg City about a new project there.
“And I said, ‘You have to incur a lot of debt for this?'” Barrett asked her. “And she said, ‘Oh, we have no debt.’ The city has no debt! And then someone later said, ‘not only do they have no debt, they have a $1 billion surplus.’ The city of Luxembourg! And I thought of Milwaukee obviously immediately and other cities in the United States. But interestingly also they have the ability to have taxes locally – something that we don’t have here in Milwaukee, which was a battle I fought for years and which I hope Mayor Johnson will be successful in working with the legislature in giving us some ability to have the tools here that we need that Luxembourg City has.”
Current Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson succeeded Barrett.
“You’ve been in his shoes,” Garbaciak said to Barrett. “And right now, we’re on pace to surpass last year’s record homicide numbers, reckless driving is a problem, car thefts are soaring, is there something that his administration is doing wrong?”
“Oh, I’m not going to cast stones,” Barrett said. “You’re right – I have been in his shoes. I know how hard it is. And I know you just have to keep working. And again, the way I describe my experience is I worked as hard as I could as long as I could.”
Barrett, a Democrat, said he stays engaged with Wisconsin politics from afar. But now that he’s a federal employee, the Hatch Act prohibits him from getting involved in partisan politics.
“What do the Democratic candidates in Wisconsin have to do in order to come out on top in November?” Garbaciak asked.
“I think both parties – and again, I will be non-partisan because I have to by law – I have to be non-partisan,” Barrett said. “I think people have to speak to the real issues that people face about the insecurities – economic insecurity, inflation, things like that. I think you’re going to have several very high exposure, expensive races in the state of Wisconsin in the next few months.”
For now, the 68-year-old is enjoying his time away, exploring a new part of the world with his wife, Kris.
“We’ve had more meals together in the last six months than we’ve had in the last six years,” Barrett said. “I loved the job as mayor, but it’s a 24-hour-a-day job. And this is not a 24-hour-a-day job.”
He said when his term is over, likely in 2025, he will return to Milwaukee.
“As much as I love the job, I miss Milwaukee,” Barrett said. “And I just want to thank the people of Milwaukee for letting me be mayor for all of those years. It was an honor of a lifetime.”
“I’m going to ask you this,” Garbaciak said. “So if you come back to Milwaukee, and still feel you have more to give, any chance you’re back at city hall?”
“Oh, I would be shocked if I did,” Barrett replied. “I think the baton has been handed to the new generation and that’s a good thing. But who knows? Who knows? If you had asked me two years ago, ‘Are you going to be in Luxembourg?’ I would’ve said, ‘Are you out of your mind?’ So you never know. You never know what’s going to go on in life.”
Garbaciak asked Barrett about a variety of topics, including Milwaukee hosting the Republican National Convention in 2024 and the possibility of President Biden running for re-election. The expanded interview will air at 9 a.m. Sunday on “UPFRONT.”
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