Does former Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett—who held the city’s top position from 2004 to 2021, only to suddenly resign mid-term and accept a position as the United States Ambassador to Luxembourg—miss his old gig? Specifically, does he miss “the rough-and-tumble of everyday politics”?
“Of course there’s times,” Barrett said during an International Education Week conversation with UW-Madison on Monday, “but then I look at the newspaper, and I follow it regularly, and I’m thinking, ‘It’s all yours, baby! It’s all yours!'”
See the question and Barrett’s response here:
Barrett’s cavalier (heh) remark about his old job (a job now held by Cavalier Johnson, you see) struck some as a bit too cavalier:
As Barrett makes these remarks, Mayor Cavalier Johnson is speaking to Greater Milwaukee Committee members about the fiscal cliff.
Neither created the issue (almost entirely forced upon city by Wisconsin State Legislature), but the mayor certainly needs to lead charge to fix it.
— Jeramey Jannene (@compujeramey) November 14, 2022
To be fair, Barrett does mention the whole State Legislature thing in the interview, and he immediately follows his “It’s all yours, baby” remark with this:
I think in any profession there’s a time to hand off the baton. I loved every minute of it. I tried as hard as I could for as long as I could. I think Mayor Johnson is off to a good start, and I think that’s great. Again, it will always go down as a huge honor in my life, as did my other professional jobs. I loved them. I have been blessed.
Watch Barrett’s full hourlong interview below. [h/t Adam Kelnhofer]
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