Common Council president on crime in Milwaukee: "There's no one thing that's going to fix it"

MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee aldermen say they'll be presenting a multi-pronged approach to fighting crime on Thursday, June 2nd before the Milwaukee Common Council. Common Council President Ashanti Hamilton on Wednesday, June 1st took questions from a panel of reporters.

Ashanti Hamilton

"There`s no one thing that`s going to fix it," Hamilton said.

Hamilton said it will take a lot of hands to develop a solid crime prevention plan. He said the first step will be joining those hands together and improving communication among government agencies and between community groups.

"One phase of that is organizing the community in a way where we`re providing opportunities for people to participating in -- I won`t say crime-fighting -- but participating in ways to make their community safe," Hamilton said.

While Hamilton didn't tip his hand too much, he indicated that a new approach must go beyond being "tough on crime."

"That it`s OK to reduce arrests and reduce crime. Let`s actually put together a smart plan on crime that actually makes people safer," Hamilton said.

Hamilton was asked to assess the job performance of other public officials. Hamilton said too much of the policy coming out of Madison has hurt Milwaukee.

"There`s a tension that`s there. Let`s be honest," Hamilton said.

But yet, Hamilton expressed optimism for a better relationship between City Hall in Milwaukee and the Capitol in Madison.

"I`m hoping for an opportunity to be able to sit down with the governor to share the concerns of the people of the city of Milwaukee and hopefully have some inroads to get him to understand the effect of that," Hamilton said.

Hamilton was asked whether he'd one day like to run for mayor. He said it is his belief that every alderman would like to be mayor if he or she had the opportunity. He specified that he would "look forward to serving in a greater capacity" if that crosses his path in the future.