West Allis is a city of about 60,000 people that has been shaped by industrialization and the machinery boom of the Allis-Chalmers company from 1847 to 1999. Since the collapse of this industry giant, West Allis has continued to explore methods to encourage responsible growth through adaptive reuse projects, as it is completely landlocked and largely built out. The city’s blue-collar roots have shaped the perspectives of its current residents, who seek collaborative, no-nonsense responses to the problems experienced today, such as the ever-present housing shortage, employment shifts, struggles with overbuilt roadways and reckless driving.

West Allis has also positioned itself as a city of progress, not allowing itself to become burdened by these barriers. A strong, unified vision has been set forth by the city’s leadership, planners, engineers and economic development specialists to change West Allis’ trajectory and become a desirable community in southeastern Wisconsin.

West Allis city staff has noted that previous planning efforts have not taken residents’ points of view into account as much as we should have in the past. Moving forward, we seek methods for proactive engagement with our community. In 2025, West Allis hosted the 1000 Friends of Wisconsin Transportation Academy, gathering city residents, visitors, officials, staff and nonprofit organizations to discuss the barriers we face and our dreams for the future of our transportation systems.

Additionally, our Community and Neighborhood Services coordinator has served as a pivotal figure in staff-resident relations by spearheading several community events, including Make Music Day and Art on the Plaza, as well as recurring engagement events such as our Community Conversations. Community Conversations rally residents around salient issues in the community. Most recently, the topic has centered on the infrastructure of care, or lack thereof, for our homeless community in the city.

On August 9, 2025, West Allis experienced historic, record-setting flash flooding that devastated hundreds of homes and businesses. While the floodwaters washed away countless pieces of personal property and infrastructure, the real damage was inflicted on our community’s cherished memories, our feelings of safety and our financial stability. While so much was lost at this time, community, resilience and faith in one another were found.

City staff quickly adapted in response to the flooding, creating an emergency response team to address the countless calls coming in about people trapped in their cars and homes during the flood. After the flood event, calls continued to roll in regarding how to dispose of damaged possessions and how to tackle the infrastructural damage that occurred. City staff learned new systems, managed urgent updates across multiple platforms, designed emergency communication strategies, managed fast-turn print jobs, supported city officials in the field with cleanup efforts and delivered critical information.

Our Health Department and Department of Public Works staff were at the forefront of these efforts and worked tirelessly to deliver critical resources urgently while tackling the realities of managing the disposal of the physical elements of people’s lives. Staff worked nights and weekends tirelessly to tackle this issue while still addressing their day-to-day job tasks.

West Allis continues to assess the response to the flood, with additional meetings in 2026, while pushing for flood ordinance amendments and further collaboration with countywide emergency response systems such as the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District. While the 1,000-year flood, the second worst in Milwaukee County history, threatened our community, we remained committed to operating as an island of refuge within the storm.

Although I did not grow up in West Allis, many of the city’s staff grew up here and continue to live in and serve this community. We face problems in housing, transportation and addressing critical infrastructural demands, but it is the neighbors, businesses, sense of community pride and rich history of this city that root people here. In the face of every adversity West Allis has experienced, time and again the community steps up to speak for what they believe in or to lend a helping hand.

I am now a resident of West Allis as well as a member of the city’s staff, and I am incredibly proud to become enmeshed in the community here. While people remember and cherish the city’s past, they do not hold onto these memories so tightly as to constrain the possibilities presented in a brighter, thoughtfully planned future that serves everyone.