By Ryan Masse

State Reporter

Tom Barrett was elected mayor of Milwaukee Tuesday, defeating former Common Council president and current acting mayor Marvin Pratt.

Barrett, a former state senator and five-term U.S. congressman, received 54 percent of the vote to Pratt’s 46 percent.

Barrett will be sworn in April 20 as Milwaukee’s first newly elected mayor since John Norquist in 1988.

Polls leading up to the election indicated the race was neck and neck. Pratt edged Barrett 38 percent to 33 percent in the Feb. 17 primary, but a poll conducted by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in late March showed both candidates receiving support from 44 percent of those surveyed.

The race took a turn March 29 when Milwaukee County District Attorney E. Michael McCann charged Pratt with five civil counts of violating campaign-finance laws, including multiple filings of false campaign-finance reports.

While he labeled Pratt’s actions as “stupid” and “careless,” McCann filed civil and not criminal charges because he didn’t believe Pratt’s faulty reports resulted in the acting mayor pocketing large amounts of money.

Pratt admitted “mistakes were made” on his part and agreed to pay a $2,500 fine, but he denounced the charges as politically motivated, questioning the timing of the charges so close to the election.

While the civil charges could have seriously damaged the viability of his campaign, Pratt did not seem to suffer any noticeable drop in support in the days leading up to the election. Some observers believed the charges may have hardened support for Pratt, who is Milwaukee’s first African-American mayor, among black voters.

“Many thought the charges would have destroyed Pratt’s chances, but polls and the word on the street indicate that isn’t the case,” Ralph Hollmon, president and CEO of Milwaukee Urban League, said before polls closed Tuesday. “Pratt is still a major contender.”

Pat Curley, issues director for Barrett, cautioned that voters would take the charges into account, a belief that became evident in Barrett’s unexpectedly large margin of victory.

“Voters weigh a lot of things, and the way in which the charges were issued, live on air, will cause voters to think twice, ” Curley said.

Barrett, who unsuccessfully vied for the Democratic nomination in Wisconsin’s 2002 gubernatorial election, now faces several issues confronting Milwaukee, ranging from unemployment to education reform. Curley said Barrett is well prepared to address these and other issues.

“The biggest difference between [Barrett and Pratt] is a sense of urgency,” Curley said. “The status quo doesn’t work in terms of education and jobs, and Tom is saying, ‘No, this isn’t acceptable. It’s time to shake things up.'”

Hollmon said the race lacked a certain amount of passion and expressed disappointment that the race was marred by the ethics charges against Pratt.

“This has been a lackluster, low-key race that has only heated up in the last few weeks,” Hollmon said. “Unfortunately, it heated up because of the charges. The ethics issue has overshadowed the pressing issues facing this city.”