Re-elect County Supervisor Lynne DeBruin
Working for you
Legislative successes
In late 2006, Mayor Tom Barrett and County Executive Scott Walker appointed me to serve on a joint action team of mental health professionals to create more community housing for people with mental illness.
We reported our findings in 2007 and the County Board and County Executive approved all recommendations. As a result of this effort, the county allocated $1.5 million in 2007 and $1 million in 2008 for mental health housing -- 96 units are already being built.
The county also adopted my plan to hire additional nurses for the Mental Health Complex in 2007 and in 2008 we added nursing, psychiatric, social work and security staff. A permanent commission to address housing needs has been created and I was appointed to it.
For the past 1-1/2 years, I have worked closely with the Friends of Hoyt Park and Pool to plan for a new aquatic center at Hoyt Park. For the first time in county history, a group of private citizens will raise funds to pay for the construction of a new county pool and then operate the pool for all citizens to enjoy.
As Parks Committee chair, I helped negotiate this historic lease agreement and helped secure its passage by the County Board. So far, more than $4.5 million has been pledged and the Friends group is actively fund-raising to finish collecting the total amount of $6 million needed.
In 2007, I helped reduce the county's high health care
costs. The changes we made will save more than $26 million annually. I voted against raising supervisors' salaries and against four recent County Board tax increases. I led the successful effort to restore funding for the parks system and supported improved funding for mental health services and maintaining key bus routes throughout the county.
During my years as supervisor, I voted against the pension and sick leave benefits that did so much damage to the county's finances. I also sponsored the legislation that reduced these excessive benefits for elected officials and management, saving more than $6.5 million.
I also helped secure capped pension benefits in labor negotiations and have consistently sponsored and supported ethics reform efforts.
