Businessman John Dickert will be the next mayor of Racine, after he received 6,027 votes to state Rep. Robert Turner who received 4,841 votes in the special election, held Tuesday May 5, 2009. Dickert will fill the seat of former Mayor Gary Becker who resigned in January after he was arrested for and later charged with child enticement and possession of child pornography, among other charges.
Dickert will not officially be sworn in until May 19, but the daily paper said he plans to get started calling businesses that may be interested in developing in the city.
He vowed as mayor, he will take the city “in a new direction” with the help of the community.
“We are going to take the brightest minds in the community ... and we are going to move forward,” Dickert said in the Racine Journal Times.
Beverly Hicks, a Turner supporter and a former president of the NAACP, said that she was disappointed, but believes the key to Dickert’s success, as mayor, will be his ability to bring people from throughout Racine together. “It will be good if he (Mayor Elect Dickert) brings people of color to the table,” she expressed.
Al Rogers, a retired businessman, said that the community missed the mark by not electing Turner. “A businessman should never be in politics. Everything in his or her mind is focused on making money,” Roger stressed.
Turner spoke with confidence Tuesday night, that newly elected Mayor would preserve the city’s strengths and address its weaknesses. In the months leading up to the election Dickert has emphasized his 10-year plan, which addresses crime, housing and jobs. He said he wants to make it hard for people to sell drugs and has talked about creating new community centers.
Eleven people ran in the April 7 primary, which setup the race between Turner and Dickert.
Al Gardner, a community Activist, said that in order for Racine to grow, the new mayor must be a proponent of diversity. He said that he plans to meet with the mayor to share some of his concerns in the area of development. “I want to know if he (Dickert) has an open door policy, whereby people can express their ideas and concerns,” he expressed.
Gardner said it appears that Mayor Elect Dickert did not get support in the minority community. “I would hope that he (Dickert) does not have any animosity towards the African American community,” said Gardner. He added, “I hope that a meeting can be set up with Mayor Elect Dickert and the African American leaders so that we can all work together to improve the city of Racine.”
Turner says he will be back to business as usual in Madison. He plans to use his position in Madison to help Dickert. “I’ll assist him as much as I can,” “We both love the city, “ Turner said.
3 comments:
Congratulations John. This should be a lesson for the unions, Senator Lehman and Rep. Mason. You don't have the "juice" you thoughtyou did. This is the latest in a long string of elections you have "lost." You are no longer players in local politics and don't have the influence you thought. My recommendation-start building some bridges and work to save jobs by making concessions that are in the best interst of the taxpayers and the city.
Turner barely made an effort for this job. I just didn't feel he promoted the kind of passion that Dickert did. He banked on name recognition and support from his friends Lehman, Mason and the unions.
This should be a wake up call to all of them that they better start doing a better job for Racine.
Between Lehman failing on KRM, Mason wanting 17 year olds voting, Turner with experience doing I don't know, I'm left with a feeling of what the hell is going on here? Uh...jobs anyone? Hello?
God save Racine
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