GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — With a Green Bay City Council election coming this spring, a new strategy has emerged: Six candidates have united their campaign efforts.
On Wednesday, the group held a launch party and fundraiser to officially announce their campaigns.
District 2 Alderperson, Jim Hutchison, says he’s never seen anything like this, “No, I haven’t seen it upfront, before the campaigns. I’ve not seen that yet.”
The group is made up of four incumbent alder people and two candidates:
- Joey Prestley, District 6 (incumbent)
- Alyssa Proffitt, District 7 (incumbent)
- Jim Ridderbush, District 8 (incumbent)
- Ben Delie, District 10 (incumbent)
- Tarl Knight, candidate for District 9
- Jon Shelton, candidate for District 4
They described the group as a coordinated progressive campaign focusing on topics like affordable housing and the environment.
“I would resist the urge to go into a group like that, because then your message gets a little muddled,” said Hutchison.
“I think that’s sort of what binds us together, is like… It’s a shared vision. We don’t all agree on the specifics, but we all have ideas that we’re ambitious about what Green Bay can be,” said District 6 Alderperson Joey Prestley.
Hutchison did say he could see the benefit in aligning values together and running on that.
At Wednesday’s party was State Rep. Amaad Rivera-Wagner, D-Green Bay. Even though city council races are non-partisan, he was there to endorse the candidates.
“These folks have been leaders on the issues that matter, and that’s why I’m backing them. I think that people think it’s out of line that a local, like an official, is supporting a beautiful, diverse group of people who care deeply about the community. If that’s partisan, then we’re in trouble,” said Rivera-Wagner.
“We asked him because we see him in our community. We see him acting on behalf of all of us and representing us in Madison, and that’s the type of leadership we’re going to bring as well, is that we’re going to represent everyone,” said District 7 Alderperson Alyssa Proffitt.
