Statement by Jeanette Kowalik
Everyone has a story. In short, I’m a born and raised
Milwaukeean. My mother is Black and my father is Polish. I
am a single parent of a 19 year old. I can relate to many as I
had to work my way up and out of poverty. Education was
my way out.
As a young single mother that lived in 53209 then 53210, I
overcame the odds, and went on to obtain my bachelors
degree in 2002, masters in 2006, and finally my PhD in
2013. During this same period of time I needed to leverage
bankruptcy relief on 2 occasions. Bankruptcies are a form of
financial recovery that have helped many Americans.
Like many Americans I was hit by the national foreclosure
crisis. I was young and purchased my first home in 2007 and
was impacted by the recession. This is not unique to most
Americans who purchased homes shortly before the
recession and were unable to sell due to decreased property
values vs mortgages owed.
Fiscal responsibility is a valid question for any public servant
that is responsible for oversight of public resources. I have
demonstrated the ability to not only experience but recover
from personal financial challenges which have NEVER
impacted my ability to function in leadership positions,
including management of million dollar budgets.
My previous personal financial history in no way reflects my
future ability to run the Milwaukee Health Department.

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