News
February 9, 2024
County Beefing Up Translation Services
MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee County could soon offer translation services for its public meetings and communications.
County officials are planning to beef up the county’s existing multi-lingual offerings. The only current multi-lingual offering is a link at the bottom of county webpages that brings visitors to a Google Translate version of the webpage.
The effort was prompted by freshman Sup. Caroline Gómez-Tom, who sponsored a resolution that requested “options to equip departments with the necessary resources/training to provide public information forms, websites, and other communications in Spanish, Hmong, and other relevant languages, upon request, to residents with Limited English Proficiency.” The board adopted the request in September.
A month later, the supervisor managed to earmark $100,000 in the 2024 budget, which ensures the county can fund any strategies developed this year.
January 5, 2024
Rematch Set For Southside County Board Seat
MILWAUKEE — The election for Milwaukee County Board’s District 14 seat will be a rematch of a special election from less than a year ago.
Last April, a special election was held to fill the seat following the resignation of former supervisor Dyango Zerpa.
Sup. Caroline Gómez-Tom won the prior election, carrying approximately 66% of the vote. She defeated Angel C. Sanchez a construction contractor and one-time City of Milwaukee alderman.
Gómez-Tom is running for reelection, and Sanchez has once again filed to run. The race will appear on ballots in District 14 during the spring general election on Tuesday, April 2.
NOVEMBER 10, 2023
Citing Racial Bias, County Ends Birth Cost Recovery Program
MILWAUKEE - With the passage of the 2024 budget, the Milwaukee County Board has ended the practice of Birth Cost Recovery.
When a mother and father are not married, and the mother uses Medicaid, child support agencies can require the father to reimburse some of the cost of child birth under the Birth Cost Recovery Program.
An amendment to the 2024 budget, championed by Sup. Caroline Gómez-Tom, ends the practice for the county’s Department of Child Support Services.
“From the day a child is born, we want to give families every opportunity to thrive. [Birth Cost Recovery] creates a financial and emotional burden, especially on families of color,” Sup. Gómez-Tom said in a statement after the board adopted next year’s budget Thursday. “I’m very pleased the amendment passed and the County Board discontinued BCR.”
October 27, 2023
Gómez-Tom Advances County’s First Multilingual Initiative
MILWAUKEE — Supervisor Caroline Gómez-Tom has tentatively secured funding to advance a multilingual initiative across county government.
The Milwaukee County Board’s Budget Committee unanimously supported a proposal from Gómez-Tom to set funding aside to make government information multi-lingual. The $100,000 proposal will go to the full county board with the committee’s recommendation for inclusion in the final budget.
SEPTEMBER 17, 2023
Supervisor pushes County to go Multilingual
Caroline Gómez-Tom wants information and services presented in multiple languages.
Supervisor Caroline Gómez-Tom has sponsored legislation that calls on the county to develop a strategy for making government information sharing multi-lingual, across the board.
Her legislation asks a handful of county departments to develop, “options to equip departments with the necessary resources/training to provide public information forms, websites, and other communications in Spanish, Hmong, and other relevant languages, upon request, to residents with Limited English Proficiency (LEP).”
MAY 3, 2023
The Milwaukee County Board is Back To Full Strength After a Special Election. What To Know About New Supervisor Gómez-Tom.
MILWAUKEE — After months sitting vacant, Milwaukee County's District 14 seat has been filled by Caroline Gómez-Tom, who carried 66% of the vote in a special election Tuesday over Angel Sanchez, according to unofficial results.
FEBRUARY 16, 2023
Milwaukee Leader Coalesce Around Caroline Gómez-Tom
Six key elected and community leaders endorse Gómez-Tom to be next supervisor in District 14.
MILWAUKEE — Caroline Gómez-Tom, candidate for Milwaukee County Board in District 14 in the May 2 special election, announced today she’s been endorsed by Alderwoman JoCasta Zamarripa, State Rep. Sylvia Ortiz-Velez, State Rep. Christine Sinicki, Supervisor Juan Miguel Martínez, former Supervisor Jason Haas, and community leader Darryl Morin. Ortiz-Velez and Haas each previously represented portions of the current District 14 on the County Board.
FEBRUARY 14, 2023
Caroline Gómez-Tom Announces Campaign For Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors
MILWAUKEE — Caroline Gómez-Tom, president of the City of Milwaukee Board of Health and a professional health care advocate, announced today she will be a candidate for Milwaukee County Board in District 14 in the May 2 special election.