Former Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt on Aug. 17 announced a run for his old job as mayor, marking a return to politics by the city’s longest-serving chief executive.
Speaking on the CityDeck in downtown Green Bay to supporters and a lone protester, Schmitt staked his run on a campaign that emphasized issues of homelessness, homeownership, government transparency and education, issues for which Schmitt said he has compiled over 100 pages of policies over the past six months to address.
He pointed to the city’s growing homeless population, saying, “We’re going the wrong way,” that “compassion and order belong together,” and that residents wanted solutions to preserve neighborhood safety while keeping the dignity of those without a home.
He highlighted the work of New Community Shelter, where Schmitt serves as a board member and which requires its homeless residents to commit to daily chores, no alcohol and regular meetings with case managers. He paralleled the operations at the shelter to his commitment as mayor to end homelessness in the city with community collaboration.
Schmitt said that as mayor, he would deliver on “reliable services, dependable infrastructure, transparent priorities and responsible budgeting.” He said red tape made some developers reluctant to work with the city. Project costs in the city area higher than other places from what he called “the Green Bay tax” to compensate, Schmitt said.
He called for the streamlining of permitting and approval processes for developers. He said he would designate a single person, reporting to Schmitt, who would serve as a point of contact for all major projects.
He characterized the city’s public education system as officials “failing our responsibility to our future generation,” pointing to the Green Bay School District’s test scores. He said he shared his desire with new Green Bay Schools Superintendent Michael Hernandez for the city to “proactively partner” with the school district.
He committed to having all high school graduates go onto post-graduate education, either in college or in the trades, saying “That’s the new culture here in Green Bay.”
He also told reporters he had a plan for young adults to find a home in the city through a public-private partnership.
“I think the city has some problems, and I know I can fix them,” Schmitt told reporters. “So, now’s the time for me to do this.”
He said he thinks the city has “stepped back maybe a little bit” from development downtown, which he called the city’s heart and said needed to see strong investment.
Asked about incumbent Mayor Eric Genrich, Schmitt said, “I like him, but I think, as I said, we need to address a few things. Homelessness being one of them, budgeting being one of them, transparency, so there’s some differences we have.”
Genrich succeeded Schmitt in 2019 and has not publicly announced whether he will seek a third term.
Minutes into Schmitt’s campaign announcement, Genrich posted on X a quote attributed to Gen. Douglas MacArthur: “never try to regain the past, the fire will have become ashes.” The post also said, “This is a subtweet,” referring to the social media practice of talking about someone without referring to them by name.
In a later post to X, Genrich said he appreciated Schmitt’s commitment to public service and his focus on the city’s downtown, “but our community isn’t interested in returning to a time of mayor-council dysfunction and disinvestment in critical services and functions.”
He criticized Schmitt’s record as one that defunded the city’s police department and public infrastructure, and one that put $2.6 million in federal funding “at risk” for the Hotel Northland.
“Jim loves attention, and now he’s going to get it,” Genrich wrote.
Cailie Kafura, the lone protester at Schmitt’s campaign rally, characterized him as “two-faced” on the issue of homelessness and said she distrusted the former mayor’s campaign promises. During an Aug. 10 gathering of neighbors at St. James Park organized by Schmitt, Kafura said Schmitt spoke about his wishes for the homeless to leave that park.
“Working in a shelter and then behind closed doors wants to evict people out his park in his neighborhood, I think that’s really showing his true colors today,” Kafura said.
Schmitt, 68, served four terms as mayor, first elected in 2003 to succeed former Mayor Paul Jadin and finishing his tenure in 2019 after declining another run. At the time, he cited his wish to start another chapter of his life. He told the Green Bay Press-Gazette, “I don’t want to be mayor for life” and that he felt good about the state of the city. Prior to being mayor, Schmitt was a former president of Famis Manufacturing and a Brown County Board member.
He has prided himself on his spirit of economic development, especially his focus on revitalizing the city’s downtown, which previous candidates have criticized as turning the city’s attention away from providing public services.
He previously told the Press-Gazette that he was first moved to run in 2003 by what he saw as a city unwilling to partner with businesses.
Under Schmitt’s leadership, the CityDeck, a gathering place along the Fox River, was born. Schreiber Foods built its global headquarters at Main and North Washington streets. The city also supported the KI Convention Center’s expansion, saw the construction of the Milo C. Huempfner Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic and welcomed the Zippin Pippin to Bay Beach Amusement Park. The Hotel Northland’s yearslong renovations, mired in financial and legal disputes, were also completed during his tenure. Plans for a Walmart supercenter downtown, which Schmitt opposed, were dropped.
Schmitt’s time as mayor were also marked by political tensions, often with members of the City Council. He was convicted in 2016 of misdemeanor charges for violating state campaign finance laws and narrowly survived a vote by the City Council in 2017 to remove him from office.
The former mayor has never closed the door on politics. Even after declining another run for mayor, Schmitt said he would consider re-election depending on the candidates wishing to succeed him. And in his final months as mayor, he entertained a candidacy for county executive in 2018 before deciding against the run.
He also co-hosted the WGBW radio program “Maino and the Mayor” with John Maino for about two years. He has been an adjunct business professor at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College since 2022, according to Schmitt’s LinkedIn.
The mayor’s race will be on ballots during the April 6 nonpartisan elections.
Jesse Lin is a reporter covering the community of Green Bay and its surroundings, as well as politics in northeastern Wisconsin. He also writes a weekly column answering reader questions about Green Bay. Contact and send him questions at 920-834-4250 or jlin@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Former Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt seeks return to elected office
Reporting by Jesse Lin, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
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By Jesse Lin, Green Bay Press-Gazette | USA TODAY Network
