Testimonials

Jim Luckey

President, Franklin Historical Society Member, Franklin Noon Lions Club My wife Marian and I have lived in Franklin since 1974 and have watched our city

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Steve Olson

Franklin and the 9th Supervisory District need a supervisor who will be respected and who will work for the benefit of the district. Don will

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Frank Pum

37 year resident of Hales Corners I first met Don Schwartz in 2010 when joining the Hales Corners Chamber of Commerce. Don was the president

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Patrick McGlinn

Vice Chairman, Community Development Authority, Village of Hales Corners Don has a unique skill of building private-public partnerships. He is a natural leader and an

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Doug Milinovich

What I enjoy in a candidate is honesty, the ability to listen, a track record of getting things done, a strong work ethic, being well-connected,

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Robert O’Connor

President, Jetz Convenience Centers My name is Robert O‘Connor and I am the president of Jetz Convenience Centers which is headquartered in Hales Corners, Wisconsin.

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Mary Forecki

30-year resident of Hales Corners , Past Hales Corners Village Trustee , Past Hales Corners Police and Fire Commissioner , Past Secretary of the Hales

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Marco Briceno

What’s your pedigree? Donald Schwartz is pure excellence. Last week, the 121MKE group had the pleasure to learn more about Donald’s heritage, his Ancestry, and

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John Francis

Senior Product Advisor, HEARTLAND, 262-844-7995 I have known Don to be a very genuine and caring person, driven on how he can assist people and

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Mike Seavert

Nineteen years ago in 2003, the residents of the Village of Hales Corners and surrounding areas were faced with the possible closure of the Hales

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Mitchell McGlinn

I am delighted to nominate Donald G. Schwartz and the Friends of Hales Corners Park and Pool for the Public-Private Cooperation Award through the Wisconsin

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Harold Bolstad

Marine Veteran, Vietnam Veteran. , Charter member Veteran’s Memorial Committee, Hales Corners, WI The American Legion Post 299 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10394, both

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John Brandt

CPA, National Accounting & Business Solutions SC I’ve been active in many Chambers of Commerce and even a past president of one. I enjoy the camaraderie

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Colleen & Cornelio

Residents of Hales Corners   We would like to express our sincere gratitude for your letter in support of my husband (and myself) in his

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Alan Strekow

President of the Hales Corners Historical Society It is not an overstatement to say that a majority of the civic improvements made within the past

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Patrick McGlinn

Vice Chairman, Community Development Authority, Village of Hales Corners Don has a unique skill of building private-public partnerships. He is a natural leader and an open-minded

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John Holz

Partner, Plunkett Raysich Architects As an architect who has studied the work of Frederick Law Olmsted, perhaps the greatest of America’s landscape architects, I am enamored

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Anthony Brazouski

PHD, Former Executive Director of Academic Achievement, Whitnall School District It is a sincere pleasure to write this letter of recommendation in support Don Schwartz.

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Tom Taylor
Former Mayor, City of Franklin
March 13, 2022

It has been my great pleasure to work with Don Schwartz when I served as the City of Franklin’s Mayor for nine years and as the Chairman of the Milwaukee County Intergovernmental Cooperation Council that comprises the Mayors and Village Presidents of the municipalities within Milwaukee County. I found that Don is honest, knowledgeable, and fair. I have witnessed firsthand Don’s dedication and leadership to his community of Hales Corners. It has been an honor to serve alongside Don in his many successful endeavors. Don is a shining example of good Statesmanship. Therefore, I fully support and endorse Don Schwartz as a candidate for election to the Milwaukee County Supervisory District 9 on April 5, 2022. Tom Taylor, former Mayor, City of Franklin

Latest Updates:

March 13, 2022

A Milwaukee County District 9 citizen contacted me. Please see my interaction below on email a couple of weeks ago.

This is my style as an elected village trustee the last 19 years and how I will serve all citizens in Milwaukee County District 9 as the next Supervisor.
District 9 citizen: Would you please expand on what your proposed public-private partnerships for the parks would look like and how they would work?
 
Don Schwartz reply: Thank you for reaching out to us. Please see the attached postcard. Under my Goals,  WORK with the Milwaukee County Intergovernmental Cooperation Council and their Parks Committee and advocate for a separate Parks District to replace the current model, which is broken and unsustainable.
 
If you have other questions, please feel free to contact me.
 
Thanks again.
 
Sincerely,
 
Don Schwartz
 
District 9 citizen:  I already have your postcard, which is why I asked the question.
 
Your response was a boilerplate stump speech message with buzz words but didn’t answer my question, which was;
Would you please expand on what your proposed public-private partnerships for the parks would look like and how they would work?
 
Thanks
 
Don Schwartz reply: OK. After Milwaukee County had its most significant political scandal in over 100 years in 2002, they tried closing many county pools, including Hales Corners Pool. And they had a bid of approximately $360,000 to tear down the pool house and, including, the pool. 
 
They took this action without consulting with the people in southwestern Milwaukee County. So, starting in February 2003, I worked with former County Supervisor Paul Cesarz, and we co-founded the Friends of Hales Corners Park & Pool.
 
In April 2003, I was elected to the Village Board in Hales Corners, and from 2003 to 2008, I forged a public-private partnership between the Milwaukee County Parks Department, the SW YMCA, the Friends of Hales Corners Park & Pool, and private businesses in the community including a couple of foundations. 
 
We held dozens of fundraisers, reset the ticket pricing at Hales Corners to reflect the 2002s and not the 1970s. But unfortunately, Milwaukee County Parks didn’t put one dime into keeping the pool open for five years. It’s their asset, of course, but private efforts funded it. 
 
In 2007, I forged another public-private partnership that involved the Village of Hales Corners. 
 
The Village leased the pool from Milwaukee County Parks that summer, and an agreement was struck between the Village that the Friends of Hales Corners Park & Pool would pay for any costs associated with operating the pool. 
 
Well, that summer, the pool was leaking over 70,000 gallons of water a day, and the Hales Corners Fire department would refill it every day. 
 
Finally, after three weeks of watching county staff trying to figure out where the leak was coming from, I called a friend who owned a scuba diving company. 
 
They came in and fixed the leak within a half-hour. 
 
For the next 6-7 years, the scuba diving company rented the pool from Milwaukee County for their training exercises. 
 
So another public-private partnership was forged. Also, that summer, the water bill to the Friends of Hales Corners Pool was just under $20,000. 
 
So I wrote a grant to a private foundation, and the water bill was paid back to the Village of Hales Corners. 
 
I was told that this public-private partnership between Milwaukee County, the Village of Hales Corners, our Friends group and private businesses was the first in the history of the Milwaukee County Parks department. 
 
In my mind, there are a ton of possibilities like this one just waiting to be implemented. 
 
We need a new mindset. 
 
In 2010 the Veterans Memorial Committee wanted to build a Veterans Memorial in Hales Corners Park. I played a crucial role in raising just under $300,000 for the Veteran Memorial. 
 
Private businesses funded the Memorial in Hales Corners Park, an asset of  Milwaukee County.
I was the master of ceremonies for the groundbreaking on September 11, 2011, and at the dedication on May 27, 2012. 
 
This is another example of a public-private partnership.
 
I have dozens of examples of public-private partnerships that have worked in Hales Corners and throughout  Milwaukee County.
 
The good news is that the Intergovernmental Cooperation Council, which consists of all the Village Presidents and Mayor’s from all 19 municipalities and Milwaukee County, has finally formed a park committee. 
 
I plan to work with all the 19 local governments and help figure out how we might create and organize a separate parks district with the help of local governments, private businesses, and foundations.
 
I will bring this focus to Milwaukee County District 9. In addition, I have two more public-private partnerships currently underway in southwestern Milwaukee County. 
 
 I’m willing to meet you in Hales Corners Park and walk you around if you have additional questions and show you more if you are interested.
 
Thank you for your time and consideration.
 
Sincerely,
 
Don Schwartz
 
District 9 citizen: Thank you for your complete answer. Your efforts, persistence and results impress me and my wife.