How Green Bay Gets Things Done
August 17, 2026
A record that put Green Bay before labels
The work of a Green Bay mayor is concrete. Streets, neighborhoods, waterfronts, jobs, parks, transit, city services, and the people who use them every day do not sort themselves into neat political categories.
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.
Why this still matters
The campaign will be judged by whether its decisions make sense for Green Bay, not by a slogan about political identity.