Council President Alyssa Proffitt Enters Green Bay Mayor's Race Against Jim Schmitt

Green Bay Common Council President Alyssa Proffitt is running for mayor, joining former Mayor Jim Schmitt as the only declared candidates to replace Eric Genrich.¹ Proffitt, who represents District 7, plans to formally launch her campaign Friday, Oct. 9, at 3:30 p.m. at Joannes Park, where community leaders and supporters are expected to join her.^2,3

Her announcement Tuesday came five days after Genrich said in a letter to residents that he won't seek a third term. His letter credited his administration with housing development at an unprecedented pace along with investments in infrastructure and public safety.⁴ At the time, Proffitt said in a statement that she was "strongly considering a run for Green Bay Mayor" after people in the community reached out.^4,5 The election is April 6, 2027.¹

Genrich Won't Seek Third Term as Green Bay Mayor

Eric Genrich leaves office in April. Jim Schmitt is the only declared candidate so far, with Alyssa Proffitt strongly considering a run.

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Proffitt's Record on the Council

Alyssa Proffitt won the District 7 seat in 2024, when she and Adrian Liddicoat ran for an open seat.^6,1 Her district is part of downtown Green Bay and the surrounding neighborhoods.² She became council president in 2026,¹ after former president Brian Johnson chose not to seek reelection to his west side District 9 seat.⁷

As president, she has backed two high-profile resolutions. This spring she co-sponsored, along with the mayor and nearly half the council, a resolution urging Brown County to hire a permanent director for the Neville Public Museum, a job the county had advertised since December.⁸ Proffitt said people in the local arts community had told her about "conversations happening behind closed doors" over the museum's future.⁸ Brown County Supervisor Patrick Evans called it overreach and said that in more than 20 years on the county board he'd never seen the council tell supervisors how to do their jobs.⁸

In July, the council voted 9-3 for an "Economic and Social Bill of Rights" written by Alder Jon Shelton and co-sponsored by Proffitt.⁹ The resolution commits the city to residents' access to clean water, housing, transportation, sustainable infrastructure and other necessities. Proffitt said it "reflects an ongoing commitment to progress and collaboration" and that the city still has work to do with higher levels of government on related legislation.⁹

Schmitt's Bid for a Fifth Term

Jim Schmitt was mayor from 2003 to 2019 and announced on Aug. 17, at CityDeck's Shopko Landing, that he wants the job back.^10,11 He has named homelessness, infrastructure and downtown revitalization as his priorities, and he said the city's unhoused population grew from 31 to 179 people over six years.¹⁰ He has also said agencies serving homeless residents need to be held accountable and that services should "be open all year."⁵ That is something that can only really be asked of the organizations, as there is no homeless shelter in Green Bay operated by the City. Downtown projects built during his tenure include the CityDeck riverwalk, Schreiber Foods' corporate office, the Metreau Apartments and the restored Hotel Northland.¹⁰

His time in office also included a criminal case. In December 2016, after a two-year investigation, Schmitt pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor violations of Wisconsin campaign finance law.^11,12 The complaint said his campaign took contributions over the legal limit, including a $5,000 donation broken into five $1,000 payments attributed to family members.¹¹ A judge fined him $4,000 and ordered 40 hours of community service, and his attorney later said he'd completed 50.^12,13 He also forfeited more than $26,000 in campaign funds to the state School Fund and stayed in office after a resident petitioned the Common Council in early 2017 to remove him.^11,14,10

Genrich, responding to Schmitt's launch in August, said voters "will rightfully scrutinize his criminal record" and warned against a return to what he called "dysfunction and disinvestment."^11,10 Schmitt has said that whoever else runs "has never affected my decision."⁴

Others Weighing the Race

State Rep. Amaad Rivera-Wagner, a Green Bay Democrat who served as Genrich's chief of staff, has said he's considering a run and will announce a decision after the Nov. 3 election, when he's defending his Assembly seat.^15,5 He said Green Bay needs "new voices in the conversation."¹⁵

Council endorsements haven't settled recent mayoral races. In 2023, Genrich narrowly beat challenger Chad Weininger even though nine of the council's 12 members had endorsed Weininger.¹⁶ At the time, Alder Chris Wery said a majority of the council approached issues from "a totally different perspective" than the mayor.¹⁶

What Happens Next

Candidates must turn in nomination papers by Jan. 5. If more than two candidates qualify for the ballot, a February primary will narrow the field to two.^15,5 The winner takes office in April 2027, when Genrich's second term ends.⁴

The election will run under a new permanent city clerk. The council voted unanimously Tuesday to appoint Stacy Menke, who had been interim clerk and served nearly two years as deputy, to the job. Former clerk Celestine Jeffreys resigned Aug. 7 after the Wisconsin Elections Commission found she violated state election law when the city mailed duplicate absentee ballots before the April and August elections, about 152 in April and roughly 244 in August, according to WBAY. Under the commission's order, Green Bay has to notify the state whenever it reprints absentee ballot labels through Dec. 31, 2027.