Bridge the City

Host Benjamin Rangel sits down Judge Everett Mitchell one of four candidates on the ballot in the upcoming Wisconsin State Supreme Court Primary Election. Judge Mitchell was an Assistant District Attorney in Dane County and was elected to the Dane County Circuit Court. He has his law degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he also was an adjunct professor. The primary election is Feb...

Host Ben Hoekstra sits down with Elmer Moore, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA), to discuss Elmer’s route to Milwaukee, the challenges of affordable housing, and NIMBYism. To learn more, visit: Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority Action Steps: Elmer’s action steps include: 1) Avoid NIMBYism (Not In My Back Yard) when it comes to...

Host Ben Hoekstra sits down with Carmen Pitre, President and CEO of Sojourner Family Peace Center, to discuss domestic violence in Milwaukee and the resources available for survivors. To learn more, visit: Sojourner Family Peace Center The Domestic Violence Hotline is 414.933.2722. Action Steps: Carmen’s action steps include: 1. Be a safe space for others–listen and believe people when they share...

Host Ben Rangel sits down with Brandon Tschacher, Founder of the Milwaukee Esports Alliance, and Abbey Diedrich, Director of Career Development at New Horizons Wisconsin, to talk about the state of Esports in Milwaukee. They talk about the MPS summer class that integrated Esports and gaming with tangible tech skills, how Milwaukee is doing relative to other cities when it comes to tech and Esports...

Host Ben Hoekstra sits down with Anna Fahrendorf, Communications Associate at Kinship Community Food Center. They discuss food insecurity, what Kinship does, and the importance of dignity.  To learn more, visit: Kinship Community Food Center Action Steps: Amanda’s action steps include: 1. Volunteer with Kinship Community Food Center through kinshipmke.org. 2. Be O.K. with learning and listeni...

Host Ben Hoekstra sits down with three guests from Black Arts MKE—Barbara Wanzo, Executive Director of Black Arts MKE; Sheri Williams Panel, Producing Artistic Director of Bronzeville Arts Ensemble and Artistic Associate of Black Arts MKE ; and Dimonte Henning , actor and director and Artistic Director of Lights, Camera, Soul—to talk about their work to expand the availability and quality of Afric...

Host Benjamin Rangel sits down with Audra O’Connell, Executive Director of Walker’s Point Youth and Family Center, to talk about their work serving young people experiencing housing insecurity in the city. They discuss the misconceptions around those experiencing homelessness, the different programs offered by the Center, and how you can get involved to support youth in the city. To learn more, vi...

Host Ben Hoekstra sits down with Chief Municipal Judge Derek Mosely about what it means being a Municipal Court Judge, Judge Mosely’s passion and celebration of Milwaukee’s food scene, and his work advocating for greater racial equity and knowledge of Black history in Milwaukee. To learn more, visit: Municipal Court Website MKE Food Court MEDAL Program (Coming Soon) Action Steps: Have positive int...

Host Ben Hoekstra sits down with Drew Pond, Director of Development at Stone Creek Coffee, and Kelsey Moses, Excise Tax and Compliance Director at Lakefront Brewery. They talk about what is a B Corp, why the companies decided to pursue such a designation, and how B Corps are reshaping the business community here in Milwaukee. To learn more, visit: B Corporation Lakefront Brewery Stone Creek Coffee...

Host Benjamin Rangel sits down with Woodland Pattern Executive Directors Laura Solomon and Jenny Gropp. Woodland Pattern is a Book Center in Riverwest and offers a wide selection of books, including one of the largest collections of poetry in the country, and a variety of regular events. Ben discusses the origin of Woodland Pattern, what makes it such a unique, vibrant space in Riverwest, and how...

Host Ashlie Benson sits down with Dr. Monique Liston who is the Chief Strategist & Joyful Militant of Ubuntu Research and Evaluation. Ashlie and Dr. Liston discuss what it means to practice joyful militancy, who are community celebrates and how we celebrate them, and the culture Dr. Liston has cultivated at Ubuntu Research and Evaluation. To learn more, visit: Ubuntu Research and Evaluation Dr...

Host Benjamin Rangel sits down with one of the co-owners of Lion’s Tooth, a local Bookstore, cafe, and subscription service with small press books and graphic novels. Ben and Cris talk about the origin of Lion’s Tooth, what makes Lion’s Tooth a unique, accessible bookstore, and how she and co-founder Shelly McClone-Carriere took a subscription service to a brick and mortar cafe.  Prior to the...

Hosts Benjamin Rangel and Ashlie Benson sit down with one another to ask you all, the listeners, for help! We are looking for new team members and would love your support. If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about Bridge the City and potentially joining our team let us know! Contact us on social media or through our website bridgethecitypodcast.com . We are looking for people...

Host Benjamin Rangel Sits down with Mark Denning, Eddee Daniel, and Kimberly Gleffe to talk about the Milwaukee River Greenway and Eddee Daniel’s new book on the subject. We learn more about our place in caring for our ecosystems, how Eddee was inspired to write the book, and what Kimberly, her team at the River Revitalization Foundation, and other organizations are doing to care for our parks and...

Host Ashlie Benson sits down with Sheila Plotkin with We, the Irrelevant, Matthew Rothschild with the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, and Chris Ford with the People’s Maps Commission to discuss redistricting and fair maps in Wisconsin. They discuss the importance of redistricting to the democratic process, how the maps were drawn in the past, and efforts to ensure the upcoming redistricting process...

Host Ben Rangel sits down with Sam Harshner, Professor at Marquette University, Hillary Laskonis, Coworker at Colectivo Coffee, and Robert Penner, union organizer and former employee of Colectivo Coffee. They talk about the state of unionization in our city, the efforts of Colectivo employees to form a union, and the story of one former employee who accuses Colectivo of terminating him as retaliat...

Hosts Kacee Ochalek and Ashlie Benson sit down with Melody McCurtis, Deputy Director of Priorities/Organizer, Metcalfe Park Community Bridges, and Miela Fetaw the Co-director of the short documentary Black Vote Rising. They discuss was inspired the documentary, the importance of voter engagement, and the work of Melcafe Park Community Bridges. To learn more, visit: Metcalfe Park Community Bridges...

Hosts Benjamin Rangel and Kacee Ochalek sit down with planning experts Amy Oath and Leif Otteson to talk about the recommendations coming to the South 13th Street and West Oklahoma Avenue corridors. These recommendations come together to inform the City of Milwaukee’s Department of City Development’s Southwest Side Area Plan, which helps inform policy and development in the neighborhood. To learn...

Host Benjamin Rangel sits down with candidates for State Superintendent and Milwaukee Public School Board Districts 4 and 5. The candidates for State Superintendent are Deborah Kerr and Jill Underly. The candidates for MPS Board District 4 are Aisha Carr and Dana Kelley. The candidates for District 5 are Alex Brower and Jilly Gokalgandhi. The candidates answer questions about why they believe they...

Host Sam Woods sits down with Brian Peters, Harvey Ross, Jason Ostrowski, and Lauren Grudzinski, to discuss the importance of snow removal for sidewalk and street accessibility. When snow is left in the sidewalk, on curb cuts, or bus stops, it is difficult for people using wheelchairs (or strollers, anything using wheels) or with low vision to get around. While removing your snow may feel like an...

Host Benjamin Rangel sits down with UW-Milwaukee professor, Dr. Robert Schneider, to discuss how we can redesign our city to address reckless driving. We discuss how roads could be redesigned to slow down traffic, why our current transportation system needs to be reformed, and how the built environment can make us all safer. To learn more, visit: Dr. Schneider’s Faculty Profile The Coalition for S...

Host Benjamin Rangel sits down with four candidates for State Superintendent of Public Instruction - Dr. Shandowlyon (Shawn) Hendricks-Williams, Steve Krull, Deborah Kerr, and Sheila Briggs. We talk about their priorities for the first 100 days in office and why they are the best choice for voters in a crowded primary field. To learn more, visit: Dr. Hendricks Steve Krull Deborah Kerr Sheila Brigg...

Hosts Kacee Ochalek and Ben Rangel speak with Larry Miller, Outgoing Milwaukee Public School Board President and District 5 Director, about the upcoming Milwaukee School Board Primary Election. Larry explains the ins-and-outs of what it means to be an MPS school board director. After the interview, stick around because Kacee and Ben discuss the various contested races, the candidates, and their pl...

Host Benjamin Rangel sits down again with Anthony McHenry, CEO of Milwaukee Academy of Science, and two of his own students, Rodrigo and Yulian. We talk about how schools have been navigating this challenging time, things to celebrate despite everything, and what you can do to support young people. To learn more, visit: Milwaukee Academy of Science Cristo Rey Jesuit High School Milwaukee Public Sc...

In a different format than usual, Ben Rangel talks with Sam Woods about MKE United’s anti-displacement fund, which helps longtime homeowners along Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and in Walker’s Point pay their property taxes to avoid being priced out of their neighborhoods. Coretta Herring, who administers the application process, joins briefly to discuss how to apply if you’re eligible and how...