Backes and Olechowski capture District 2 alderperson seats in South Milwaukee

Incumbent Tim Backes and newcomer Michal Olechowski will both sit on South Milwaukee's common council for District 2.

Backes and Olechowski beat out Erin Seel and Scott Baitinger for the two aldermanic seats.

The unofficial vote totals show the following numbers:

Michal Olechowski: 372 (32.83%)

Tim Backes (inc.): 364 (32.13%)

Erin Seel: 226 (19.95%)

Scott Baitinger: 170 (15%)

There was also one write-in vote.

South Milwaukee has two seats per district and the only incumbent who ran was Backes. Other incumbent Ald. Ramon Navarro chose not to run again for his seat.

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Prior to the election, Backes, a high school teacher, thanked his wife, Katie, for her support and encouragement to chase his "many passions."

Backes first decided to get involved with local government in 2020 to be a new and energetic face for the district and because he wanted to "directly make a difference in my community." He also shifted into a career in education at the same time.

Backes hopes to keep up South Milwaukee's positive business momentum by focusing on opportunities such as the former Everbrite campus. He also hopes to shine a light on places he thinks deserve more attention such as the Mary C. Nelson Arboretum.

Olechowski, a South Milwaukee resident for over 15 years, is bringing over 16 years of mechanical design engineering experience to the common council.

He hopes to increase transparency in the city's use of tax incremental financing to spur development.

“It is unacceptable for developers to strong-arm communities into offering tax incentives without clear and immediate benefits to the community,” he told the Journal Sentinel before the election.

Olechowski hopes to keep up South Milwaukee's positive business momentum by focusing on opportunities such as the 29-acre former Everbrite campus.

“It is crucial that we market it appropriately, highlighting its potential, and not let it turn into a missed opportunity,” he said.

He thinks South Milwaukee has “an oversupply of retail space.” To address the issue, he wants to "focus on fostering and promoting new businesses to come to the city" through a joint effort of local government and the private sector.

Contact Erik S. Hanley aterik.hanley@jrn.com. Like his Facebook page,The Redheadliner, and follow him on X@Redheadliner.