Green Bay's Eric Genrich among them, all exemplify the progress that can be made on clean energy, clean water, and safeguarding our freedom to vote at the local level.

MADISON – Wisconsin Conservation Voters is releasing its first round of endorsements in the Spring Election with a slate of three mayoral candidates, all of whom exemplify the progress that can be made on clean energy, clean water, and safeguarding our freedom to vote at the local level.

We are proud to endorse Satya Rhodes-Conway for Mayor of Madison, Eric Genrich for Mayor of Green Bay, and Cory Mason for Mayor of Racine.

“These three candidates have proven track records serving their communities by investing in clean energy, safeguarding our freedom to vote, and enacting policies that protect our environment  – especially water,” Deputy Director Seth Hoffmeister said. “We are proud to endorse these three mayors and look forward to working with them closely when they are re-elected.”

Satya Rhodes-Conway

Mayor Rhodes-Conway is a nationally recognized leader on climate issues. Under her leadership, Madison has achieved 74 percent renewable energy for the city government and has a plan to take that to 100 percent – all while delivering basic services citizens depend on.

A lifelong environmentalist, Mayor Rhodes-Conway has degrees in biology and ecology and decades of experience advocating for environmental policy. She is the Chair of Climate Mayors, a national organization of close to 500 mayors across the country. Her long list of achievements as a climate advocate are also acutely attuned to environmental justice

From mitigating PFAS in drinking water to increasing funding for solar powered homes and businesses to increasing access to the polls, Mayor Rhodes-Conway’s values and work prove that local leaders can build better communities – even in the face of a state legislature dominated by anti-conservation forces.

Eric Genrich

Under Mayor Genrich, Green Bay has become a leader on conservation and climate. His administration has made climate commitments for the first time in the city’s history.

His administration created a Resilience Coordinator role to partner with its Sustainability Commission to lead the effort to prevent and mitigate flooding, adopt renewable energy projects and enhance the efficiency of government buildings by leveraging state and federal resources. The city is currently developing a comprehensive energy plan that will outline how the community can reach 100 percent clean energy by 2050. Mayor Genrich is also working to restore and preserve the bodies of water within the community, with a particularly keen interest in a better understanding of the risks posed by PFAS contamination impacting our surface waters. Under Mayor Genrich’s first term, the city also removed its last lead lateral – protecting residents, especially kids, from toxic lead.

Mayor Genrich is also a staunch defender of residents’ freedom to vote. Green Bay has served on the front lines of this battle by making elections more accessible while being vulnerable targets for harassment and misinformation. His administration has actively fought the anti-democratic forces that have targeted Green Bay and other Wisconsin cities in an attempt to reduce access to voting, spread misinformation and threaten and intimidate city staff, city voters, and poll workers.

Mayor Genrich’s steadfast defense of citizen access to voting, his dedication to a cleaner environment, and his commitment to a cleaner community exemplifies the values of Wisconsin Conservation Voters.

Cory Mason

Mayor Mason marks environmental justice as a central issue facing Racine in the pursuit of a cleaner community. Decarbonization via a commitment to the Paris Climate Accord and removal of lead from city’s built structures are major priorities. His leadership on climate resilience includes adapting to climate change and rebuilding a resilient lakefront to protect it from more frequent, more intense storms.

Mayor Mason is addressing clean water by replacing 300 to 400 lead drinking water lateral pipes a year – and he wants to increase that number. Now, with federal funds to address this challenge, he is working closely with local unions to recruit workers and contractors to do the work while stimulating the local economy with good-paying jobs.

Mayor Mason is committed to ensuring Racine’s residents have access to free and fair elections, so they can vote without harassment or delay. His administration obtained grant funding to ensure people could safely vote during the pandemic. He has expanded voting hours, increased the number of poll workers to reduce the size of long voting lines, increased the number of early voting locations, and the city now has a mobile election vehicle.

Mayor Mason’s dedication to the issues Wisconsin Conservation Voters care most about – clean water, clean energy, and access to the polls for all – makes him, along with his endorsed colleagues, a candidate Wisconsin Conservation Voters is proud to endorse.

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Engaging voters to protect Wisconsin’s environment.