Caroline Gomez-Tom Defeats Angel Sanchez In The Milwaukee County Supervisor District 14 Special Election 2023

Gomez-Tom received 66.33% of the vote on Tuesday.

By H. Nelson Goodson 

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

May 3, 2023

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Health care advocate Caroline Gomez-Tom, 34, who the status quo sector of the Southside community supported including Voces de la Frontera defeated former Milwaukee Alderman Angel Sanchez, 53, on Tuesday's Special Election, May 2, 2023.

Gomez-Tom received 587 votes, 66.33% and Sanchez received 294 votes, 33.22%, according to the Milwaukee County Election Commission.

Sanchez released the following statement, 

"I entered this race to serve the Great people of the Southside and to bring light to the antiquated formula of State Shared Revenues. Mission Accomplished the ball is rolling and may both sides find common ground. Last night a total of 800 voters showed up out of over 45,000 registered voters."

Sanchez is a former Milwaukee Alderman for the 12th Aldermanic District and has been a Republican candidate for the Wisconsin State Senate (2022) and State Assembly (2020) and he also ran for the Milwaukee County School Board (2013).

The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors have yet to challenge or filed a lawsuit to get the County its fair share of revenue to operate efficiently per year. The State share revenue rip-off by the Republican controlled legislature has short changed Milwaukee County taxpayers for years who have not received their fair share revenue for services so, that the County can operate efficiently.

Milwaukee County pays nearly $3 billion in share revenues per year to the State and the State only returns $250 million to operate per year and the County falls on a $20 million in deficit per year.

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley has proposed a 1% tax increase for Milwaukee County taxpayers, which already pay more of their share of taxes. Crowley should be focused instead in getting more of the Milwaukee County share revenue for the County to operate without a deficit than raise taxes.

Former Milwaukee County Supervisor, currently the Wisconsin State Assembly Representative Sylvia Ortiz-Velez (D-Milw.) attempted to address the unfair share revenue that the State takes from Milwaukee when she was a Supervisor, but to date, she hasn't followed through for County taxpayers at the State Assembly level. Also, the current Milwaukee County Supervisor Juan Miguel Martinez, known as the anti-cop supervisor hasn't addressed the unfair share revenues that the County pays the State each year. Marisabel Cabrera (D-Milw.), another State Assembly Representative from Milwaukee County hasn't either made any effort publicly in her multiple terms in office to help return more of the share revenue to the County.

To be fair about share revenue tax payments to State, the City of Milwaukee also pays its share of share revenue and get less per year to operate efficiently. Neither Alderman Jose G. Perez, currently the President of the Common Council and Alderwoman JoCasta Zamarripa, a former State Representative (democrat) haven't made any effort to address the high share revenue that the City pays the State and to help the City to get its fair share revenue to operate efficiently and to avoid raising taxes.

Note: On March 4, 2023, Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA) via email requested share revenue payments information from Dennis Yaccarino, the Budget & Management Director from the City of Milwaukee Budget Office. To date, Yaccarino has not responded to HNNUSA or has publicly released the actual share revenue payment to the State and how much is returned to the City of Milwaukee in share revenues to operate efficiently per year.

The Milwaukee Common Council and Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson is currently debating whether to raise City taxes, since in 2023, the City is facing a $150M structural budget deficit. The City has a $1.7B annual budget and currently, proposed budget cuts are affecting City services and could eliminate the Milwaukee Police District 6 Station on S. 27 Street, according to a leaked internal police memo.

City departments have to submit tentative proposed cuts up to 25% and to show the effects those cuts would have in City services.

The Milwaukee Common Council should also challenge or file a lawsuit against the Republican controlled legislature to get more of its fair share of revenues to operate efficiently instead of raising City taxes and making cuts to Ciry departments that provide services to taxpayers.