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UWM student looks to step up in 3rd district alderman race
Candidate looks to bridge student-resident gap
By Ryan Cardarella
“I think that one of my greatest strengths as a candidate is that I can work well with students and with residents.”
– Andrew Twist, 3rd District Alderman candidate
Looking to put a “Twist” on the upcoming 3rd District alderman race, a current University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee student will be challenging long-time incumbent Michael D’Amato.
Andrew Twist, 22, is a senior Urban Geography major at UWM. He said he believes the timing is right for a new shift in leadership, stressing that his age and lack of political experience should not be grounds for disregarding his candidacy. Rather, he feels his age and background can be advantageous in a crowded field of candidates. Sura Faraj and Nicholas Kovac are also running for the position.
“I’m young and open to new ideas, and I’m not stuck in my ways,” said Twist. “I’m not much younger than the current alderman (D’Amato) was when he first took office.” The district, which includes most of the Riverwest neighborhood and the UWM campus area, forms one of the most diverse and vibrant districts in Milwaukee.
It also presents a diverse array of challenges for a candidate breaking into the political sphere.
Twist said he believes the main challenge facing the district lies in bringing the university and surrounding residents together on issues and improving communication between the parties, something Twist said he feels he is well-equipped to facilitate.
“I think that one of my greatest strengths as a candidate is that I can work well with students and with residents,” said Twist. “I can help bridge the communication gap.” With parking around the district an ongoing issue, Twist sounded open to tweaking the controversial Residential Preferred Parking bill. He stated that he is not in favor of the system’s blanketed restrictions and believes legislation should be instituted on a block-by-block basis.
“This can’t continue, with students getting ticketed constantly and residents having their streets continually filled up,” said Twist, stressing that the university and city must take a lead role in improving the issue. He said he hopes as the university acquires more land an additional and affordable parking structure will be built to alleviate the congestion and ease the problem.
As a candidate with a strong urban planning background, Twist favors some of the current development ideas, such as the Downer Ave. renovations, but is leery of the scale of the projects. He also stresses more community involvement in area development projects. “Plans should be community involved. They should blend in with the values of the community and not impose on them,” said Twist.
He acknowledged that critics will try to peg him as a candidate focused solely on student issues, but retorts that he is running to solve the problems of all area constituents.
“I’m not just focused on student issues. I think that I can help everyone,” said Twist. “Hopefully my energy and youth will be attractive to people.”
The aldermanic primary will take place on Feb. 19, the same day as the Wisconsin presidential primary. If any candidate receives over 50 percent of the primary vote, they will win the election without a second election. Assuming no majority is reached, the final election will take place April 1.
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