The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

Pratt steps into Norquist’s shoes

beer and a case of Usinger sausages.

Tribune Staff

With the Packers’ loss to Philadelphia on Sunday, acting Mayor Marvin Pratt is out a case of Miller Lite beer and a case of Usinger sausages.

Among one of his first acts since being named acting mayor Jan. 2, Pratt bet Philadelphia Mayor John Street the beer and sausages against 12 Philadelphia cheese steak sandwiches for his staff, according to a press release.

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Pratt, as president of the Common Council, took over as acting mayor Jan. 2 when former Mayor John O. Norquist left his post to become president of the Congress for the New Urbanism in Chicago, where its headquarters are located. Norquist left just short of the end of his fourth term in office, having decided not to run for a fifth term.

Norquist said Pratt is doing a fine job and is trying to keep his opinion and advice out of the mix.

“I think he’ll surprise people and do a better job than most people expect,” he said.

Pratt is campaigning to keep his temporary post. The mayoral primary is scheduled for Feb. 17 and the general election is April 6.

One debate raised with Pratt stepping in until the election is whether he should act as a caretaker — making minimal changes — or take a more active role, especially in the area of staff changes. Pratt has made two big changes, firing the commissioner of the Department of City Development and the director of the Department of Administration.

Pratt nominated Pat Algiers for city development and Marianne Walsh for the DOA. In a recent press release, he praised the Common Council for acting quickly on approving his nominations.

Walsh was approved and Algiers’ nomination has been referred for a hearing to the Zoning and Neighborhood Development Committee, according to press releases from Pratt’s office.

Alderman Tom Nardelli said he does not necessarily approve of Pratt replacing department heads, but voted for Walsh’s appointment.

“She is a Common Council staffer whose experience we treasure,” Nardelli said. However, he was concerned that Walsh might lose her job in April. “Marvin Pratt might not succeed — at least I’m hoping he won’t because I’m running against him.”

Norquist agreed with Nardelli’s general sentiment about the possibility of any appointments being short-lived.

“As a practical matter, it might be hard to get people to take a job” they may lose in April, Norquist said.

Nardelli, however, said he was not sure about the Algiers nomination. Algiers does not live in the city, and Nardelli said he and the council as a whole was not familiar with her. Pratt spokesperson Bill Zaferos disagreed.

“She is well-known in development circles,” Zaferos said. He said Algiers published an economic index called “Live, Work and Play” which he said is well-known. Other members of the Common Council could not be reached for comment on Algiers.

Pratt could also not be reached for comment about the nominations or about what his role should be defined as.

“I personally believe his role should be that of a caretaker,” Nardelli said.

Nardelli said he thinks Pratt will make moves to try to further his political career.

“I guess I can’t blame him for that,” he said.

Meanwhile, Norquist has been traveling back and forth between Milwaukee and Chicago for work every day.

He said the Congress for the New Urbanism is an organization that tries to help cities develop using urbanism, which he said features streets and blocks with a diversity of ownership and mixed uses. He said the opposite of urbanism is sprawl, which is characterized by single ownership of land and single use of land.

For example, he said, Milwaukee’s Brady Street represents urbanism while sprawl is a more suburban phenomenon featuring massive parking lots and an inability to walk from business to business.

He said zoning codes in most cities prevent urbanism, and the congress exists to “change laws so urbanism can be done by developers without having to go through regulatory hell.”