For almost 18 years, Tom Barrett led the city of Milwaukee, but he resigned his post as mayor at the end of last year for a presidential appointment: U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg. He returned to Milwaukee this past week for a family wedding, and while in town, he told WISN 12 News’ Joyce Garbaciak about his life in Europe. “Well, it’s great to be home,” Barrett said. “It’s wonderful to be home. There’s no place like home.”Barrett is back home in Milwaukee after seven months in the European country of Luxembourg, serving as President Joe Biden’s choice to be the U.S. ambassador.”Now in your remarks at your swearing in last December,” Garbaciak said, “you said you hoped this role would be exciting and challenging. Has it been?””It has been very exciting and very challenging,” Barrett said. “I never dreamed that about three weeks after arriving there that we’d see the first land war in Europe essentially since World War II. And that has been – really more than anything – the driving force for a lot of what we’re doing, dealing with NATO, dealing with the European Union, dealing with the issues Ukraine faces.”He said he shared U.S. intelligence with European allies as the Russian invasion loomed in February.”They didn’t believe us,” Barrett said. “And in some odd way, it was a vindication of our ability to get information because we were right on in virtually everything we were saying. So when President Biden was making these statements, I was hearing a lot of doubting Thomases. And he was right every single time he made a statement pertaining to Ukraine.””Can you share with us now, then, what some of that intelligence is telling you now about how long the war will last?” Garbaciak asked.”Well, we don’t know how long it’s going to be,” Barrett said. “I don’t think anybody knows.”As ambassador to Luxembourg, Barrett said his job is to communicate U.S. policy, oversee visa and passport procedures, and interact with other European agencies.”It’s not like I came into this as a European expert, so I’m learning as quickly as I can,” Barrett said. “But I think anybody in their life, if you have a new challenge, it’s exciting. But there’s also less stress. I would be lying if I didn’t say that. As I’ve told people – somewhat in jest – I’m used to having people yell at me in bars. You know, I was a mayor for almost 18 years. And that’s a very gritty job. And this is not nearly as gritty.””What’s the learning curve been like?” Garbaciak asked. “Oh, it’s been very steep,” Barrett said. “I’ll tell you the biggest surprise to me by far is more of a cultural surprise – how many languages people in Luxembourg speak.” Those languages include German, French, Luxembourgish, and Portuguese. Barrett said he’s trying to learn more French to converse more easily even though many people in Luxembourg City where he lives speak English. “The other thing that is amazing is 25 minutes from my home, I could be in Germany, or 25 minutes from my home I could be in France, or 25 minutes from my home, I could be in Belgium,” Barrett said. “I’m not exaggerating. It’s a very small country.”It is small – just under 1,000 square miles with a population of roughly 625,000 people. Luxembourg is also a wealthy country. The gross domestic product per capita is $115,000, compared to $63,000 in the United States.Barrett recalled speaking recently to the mayor of Luxembourg City about a new project there.”And I said, ‘You have to incur a lot of debt for this?'” Barrett said to the mayor. “And she said, ‘Oh, we have no debt.’ The city has no debt! And then someone later said, ‘Not only do they have no debt, they have a $1 billion surplus.’ The city of Luxembourg! And I thought of Milwaukee obviously immediately and other cities in the United States. But interestingly also they have the ability to have taxes locally – something that we don’t have here in Milwaukee, which was a battle I fought for years and which I hope Mayor Johnson will be successful in working with the legislature in giving us some ability to have the tools here that we need that Luxembourg City has.”Current Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson succeeded Barrett.”You’ve been in his shoes,” Garbaciak said to Barrett. “And right now, we’re on pace to surpass last year’s record homicide numbers, reckless driving is a problem, car thefts are soaring, is there something that his administration is doing wrong?””Oh, I’m not going to cast stones,” Barrett said. “You’re right. I have been in his shoes. I know how hard it is. And I know you just have to keep working. And again, the way I describe my experience is I worked as hard as I could as long as I could.”Barrett, a Democrat, said he stays engaged with Wisconsin politics from afar. But now that he’s a federal employee, the Hatch Act prohibits him from getting involved in partisan politics.”What do the Democratic candidates in Wisconsin have to do in order to come out on top in November?” Garbaciak asked.”I think both parties – and again, I will be non-partisan because I have to by law – I have to be non-partisan,” Barrett said. “I think people have to speak to the real issues that people face about the insecurities – economic insecurity, inflation, things like that. I think you’re going to have several very high exposure, expensive races in the state of Wisconsin in the next few months.””When Europeans ask you about the state of American politics today – the vitriol – are they concerned? Do they talk about it?” Garbaciak asked.”Of course, they do,” Barrett said. “I think I also came to this job and came to Europe thinking everybody wanted to be an American. But that’s not necessarily the case. And there are certain parts of American culture that they don’t understand. They don’t understand the political divides that we have here. The violence – I’ve gone to a number of schools, and they just don’t understand the guns. And some of it, I don’t have a good answer to. Then you have to keep in mind that the relationship between European governments and former President Trump was not a particularly good one. In some ways, I think that made my entrance a little easier because President Biden has made it clear that he wants to re-establish those strong historic ties with our European counterparts.””There’s been a lot of discussion here as to whether or not President Biden should run for a second term,” Garbaciak said.”Oh, again, I’m staying out of politics,” Barrett said. “I think that in very challenging circumstances he’s obviously done a very good job, but it’s been very challenging.””What’s best for the party?” Garbaciak asked.”Again, I’m not going there,” Barrett said. “I’m not going there.””You know Milwaukee is going to host the Republican National Convention in 2024,” Garbaciak said. “Do you think we can handle the safety aspect of it, given the state of American politics today?””I think, yes, to answer your question directly,” Barrett said. “I think that’s going to depend on what happens between now and then. We clearly have seen a lot of twists and turns over just the last month and with the action taken in Florida and former President Trump’s reaction. And I think it is a very serious time in American politics.”For now, the 68-year-old is enjoying his time away, exploring a new part of the world with his wife, Kris.”We’ve had more meals together in the last six months than we’ve had in the last six years,” Barrett said. “I loved the job as mayor, but it’s a 24-hour-a-day job. And this is not a 24-hour-a-day job.”He says when his term is over, likely in 2025, he will return to Milwaukee.”As much as I love the job, I miss Milwaukee,” Barrett said. “And I just want to thank the people of Milwaukee for letting me be mayor for all of those years. It was an honor of a lifetime.””I’m going to ask you this,” Garbaciak said. “So if you come back to Milwaukee, and still feel you have more to give, any chance you’re back at City Hall?””Oh, I would be shocked if I did,” Barrett replied. “I think the baton has been handed to the new generation and that’s a good thing. But who knows? Who knows? If you had asked me two years ago, ‘Are you going to be in Luxembourg?’ I would’ve said, ‘Are you out of your mind?’ So you never know. You never know what’s going to go on in life.”Barrett has held a variety of elected positions over 36 years – state representative, state senator and U.S. congressman among them.He told Garbaciak that being Milwaukee’s mayor was the most demanding job he’s ever had.
For almost 18 years, Tom Barrett led the city of Milwaukee, but he resigned his post as mayor at the end of last year for a presidential appointment: U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg.
He returned to Milwaukee this past week for a family wedding, and while in town, he told WISN 12 News’ Joyce Garbaciak about his life in Europe.
“Well, it’s great to be home,” Barrett said. “It’s wonderful to be home. There’s no place like home.”
Barrett is back home in Milwaukee after seven months in the European country of Luxembourg, serving as President Joe Biden’s choice to be the U.S. ambassador.
“Now in your remarks at your swearing in last December,” Garbaciak said, “you said you hoped this role would be exciting and challenging. Has it been?”
“It has been very exciting and very challenging,” Barrett said. “I never dreamed that about three weeks after arriving there that we’d see the first land war in Europe essentially since World War II. And that has been – really more than anything – the driving force for a lot of what we’re doing, dealing with NATO, dealing with the European Union, dealing with the issues Ukraine faces.”
He said he shared U.S. intelligence with European allies as the Russian invasion loomed in February.
“They didn’t believe us,” Barrett said. “And in some odd way, it was a vindication of our ability to get information because we were right on in virtually everything we were saying. So when President Biden was making these statements, I was hearing a lot of doubting Thomases. And he was right every single time he made a statement pertaining to Ukraine.”
“Can you share with us now, then, what some of that intelligence is telling you now about how long the war will last?” Garbaciak asked.
“Well, we don’t know how long it’s going to be,” Barrett said. “I don’t think anybody knows.”
As ambassador to Luxembourg, Barrett said his job is to communicate U.S. policy, oversee visa and passport procedures, and interact with other European agencies.
“It’s not like I came into this as a European expert, so I’m learning as quickly as I can,” Barrett said. “But I think anybody in their life, if you have a new challenge, it’s exciting. But there’s also less stress. I would be lying if I didn’t say that. As I’ve told people – somewhat in jest – I’m used to having people yell at me in bars. You know, I was a mayor for almost 18 years. And that’s a very gritty job. And this is not nearly as gritty.”
“What’s the learning curve been like?” Garbaciak asked.
“Oh, it’s been very steep,” Barrett said. “I’ll tell you the biggest surprise to me by far is more of a cultural surprise – how many languages people in Luxembourg speak.”
Those languages include German, French, Luxembourgish, and Portuguese. Barrett said he’s trying to learn more French to converse more easily even though many people in Luxembourg City where he lives speak English.
“The other thing that is amazing is 25 minutes from my home, I could be in Germany, or 25 minutes from my home I could be in France, or 25 minutes from my home, I could be in Belgium,” Barrett said. “I’m not exaggerating. It’s a very small country.”
It is small – just under 1,000 square miles with a population of roughly 625,000 people.
Luxembourg is also a wealthy country. The gross domestic product per capita is $115,000, compared to $63,000 in the United States.
Barrett recalled speaking recently to the mayor of Luxembourg City about a new project there.
“And I said, ‘You have to incur a lot of debt for this?'” Barrett said to the mayor. “And she said, ‘Oh, we have no debt.’ The city has no debt! And then someone later said, ‘Not only do they have no debt, they have a $1 billion surplus.’ The city of Luxembourg! And I thought of Milwaukee obviously immediately and other cities in the United States. But interestingly also they have the ability to have taxes locally – something that we don’t have here in Milwaukee, which was a battle I fought for years and which I hope Mayor Johnson will be successful in working with the legislature in giving us some ability to have the tools here that we need that Luxembourg City has.”
Current Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson succeeded Barrett.
“You’ve been in his shoes,” Garbaciak said to Barrett. “And right now, we’re on pace to surpass last year’s record homicide numbers, reckless driving is a problem, car thefts are soaring, is there something that his administration is doing wrong?”
“Oh, I’m not going to cast stones,” Barrett said. “You’re right. I have been in his shoes. I know how hard it is. And I know you just have to keep working. And again, the way I describe my experience is I worked as hard as I could as long as I could.”
Barrett, a Democrat, said he stays engaged with Wisconsin politics from afar. But now that he’s a federal employee, the Hatch Act prohibits him from getting involved in partisan politics.
“What do the Democratic candidates in Wisconsin have to do in order to come out on top in November?” Garbaciak asked.
“I think both parties – and again, I will be non-partisan because I have to by law – I have to be non-partisan,” Barrett said. “I think people have to speak to the real issues that people face about the insecurities – economic insecurity, inflation, things like that. I think you’re going to have several very high exposure, expensive races in the state of Wisconsin in the next few months.”
“When Europeans ask you about the state of American politics today – the vitriol – are they concerned? Do they talk about it?” Garbaciak asked.
“Of course, they do,” Barrett said. “I think I also came to this job and came to Europe thinking everybody wanted to be an American. But that’s not necessarily the case. And there are certain parts of American culture that they don’t understand. They don’t understand the political divides that we have here. The violence – I’ve gone to a number of schools, and they just don’t understand the guns. And some of it, I don’t have a good answer to. Then you have to keep in mind that the relationship between European governments and former President Trump was not a particularly good one. In some ways, I think that made my entrance a little easier because President Biden has made it clear that he wants to re-establish those strong historic ties with our European counterparts.”
“There’s been a lot of discussion here as to whether or not President Biden should run for a second term,” Garbaciak said.
“Oh, again, I’m staying out of politics,” Barrett said. “I think that in very challenging circumstances he’s obviously done a very good job, but it’s been very challenging.”
“What’s best for the party?” Garbaciak asked.
“Again, I’m not going there,” Barrett said. “I’m not going there.”
“You know Milwaukee is going to host the Republican National Convention in 2024,” Garbaciak said. “Do you think we can handle the safety aspect of it, given the state of American politics today?”
“I think, yes, to answer your question directly,” Barrett said. “I think that’s going to depend on what happens between now and then. We clearly have seen a lot of twists and turns over just the last month and with the action taken in Florida and former President Trump’s reaction. And I think it is a very serious time in American politics.”
For now, the 68-year-old is enjoying his time away, exploring a new part of the world with his wife, Kris.
“We’ve had more meals together in the last six months than we’ve had in the last six years,” Barrett said. “I loved the job as mayor, but it’s a 24-hour-a-day job. And this is not a 24-hour-a-day job.”
He says when his term is over, likely in 2025, he will return to Milwaukee.
“As much as I love the job, I miss Milwaukee,” Barrett said. “And I just want to thank the people of Milwaukee for letting me be mayor for all of those years. It was an honor of a lifetime.”
“I’m going to ask you this,” Garbaciak said. “So if you come back to Milwaukee, and still feel you have more to give, any chance you’re back at City Hall?”
“Oh, I would be shocked if I did,” Barrett replied. “I think the baton has been handed to the new generation and that’s a good thing. But who knows? Who knows? If you had asked me two years ago, ‘Are you going to be in Luxembourg?’ I would’ve said, ‘Are you out of your mind?’ So you never know. You never know what’s going to go on in life.”
Barrett has held a variety of elected positions over 36 years – state representative, state senator and U.S. congressman among them.
He told Garbaciak that being Milwaukee’s mayor was the most demanding job he’s ever had.
