Racine Mayor Mason Reflects on Election Results, Local Projects, and Referenda Success

RACINE, Wis. (WRJN) – Racine Mayor Cory Mason discussed recent election outcomes, local developments, and the passage of key referenda during a wide-ranging interview Monday morning.  Listen to the full interview on The Don Rosen Show here. 

The spring election brought shifts to the city council as three incumbents—Cory Sebastian, Jeff Coe, Melissa Kaprelian, and Terry McCarthy—did not return. Four new alders will be sworn in, with Mary Land as the only returning incumbent. “It’s a reminder that politics is still very much a retail sort of thing,” Mason said. “You have to knock on doors and talk to voters. Oftentimes, the person who puts in the most effort and has the best message winds up winning.”

Mason also commented on Susan Crawford’s decisive statewide Supreme Court victory. “Anecdotally, you heard people saying they didn’t like an out-of-state billionaire trying to influence our state’s elections,” Mason observed. He noted that Crawford herself remarked she felt she was “running against Elon Musk as much as her opponent.” Mason did point out that the money flows both ways,  “I mean, it would just be in my opinion, you know, much better if it wasn’t about which billionaires can fund us and what you can do to raise support within your own community or your own state to move things forward.”

Locally, voters approved referenda for fire department funding and Racine Unified. Mason praised the outcomes, emphasizing their importance for public safety and education. “If you call 911, we need to get there quickly,” he said, adding that fire department call volumes have risen significantly. On education, he stressed that public schools are critical to preparing children for the future.

However, Mason acknowledged frustrations over property tax increases tied to these measures. He pointed to Wisconsin’s $4 billion state surplus as a potential solution to reduce reliance on local taxes. “People have already paid taxes once,” he said. “It would be good for us to send this money back to communities.”

Mason also addressed redevelopment efforts at Regency Mall, where 260 new apartments and a Woodman’s grocery store are being built. The project aims to revitalize an area that has seen declining tax revenues due to retail closures. “Having something new like grocery stores and apartments helps stabilize the tax base,” Mason explained.

Listen to the full interview on The Don Rosen Show here.