by rauglothgor
When the new Green Bay VA clinic opened in 2013, Mayor Jim Schmitt joined U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin, veterans, and Veterans Affairs officials. It was a moment when local leaders, federal partners, and the veterans the clinic serves came together around an essential service in Green Bay.
Veterans’ health care is part of a city’s practical infrastructure. When essential services are delivered locally, city leaders need to show up, listen, and work with the partners responsible for them.
by rauglothgor
In a 2008 WBEZ interview, Jim Schmitt said he was not registered with either party. In 2018, when he announced that he would not run again, he said his goal had always been to do what was best for Green Bay.
At that 2018 announcement, Eric Genrich, Patrick Buckley, and others who had not always agreed with him spoke publicly about his dedication to the city.
Schmitt stated a simple standard: put Green Bay’s needs ahead of labels and judge the work on its merits.
by rauglothgor
In 2018, the Green Bay City Council voted 7–6 to put term limits for elected officials before voters. Mayor Jim Schmitt broke the tie.
The referendum asked whether the mayor, alderpersons, and municipal court judges should be limited to twelve consecutive years in office.
Later that year, Schmitt said he would not seek another term. He said that, after helping put the twelve-year limit before voters, it could be disingenuous to run again.
by rauglothgor
In 2014, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a $500,000 Great Lakes Shoreline Cities green-infrastructure grant for Green Bay at Bay Beach. EPA Region 5 Administrator Susan Hedman joined Mayor Schmitt and Friends of Bay Beach for the announcement.
The EPA Region 5 archive also records a 2013 Brownfields grant announcement involving Green Bay for contaminated-site assessment, cleanup, and redevelopment.
Together, the announcements show Green Bay using federal resources for work at Bay Beach and on contaminated-site redevelopment.