Ald. Willie Wade addresses the media after announcing he will step down at the end of his current term.

At a news conference gathered at Gee’s Clippers, 4327 W. Fond du Lac Ave., 7th District Ald. Willie Wade announced that he will not seek re-election to alderman and plans to step down from the Milwaukee Common Council after finishing his current term.

Wade was first elected to the Common Council in April 2003 during a special election. He served four terms as 7th District alderman, elected to his now final term in 2012. He described his time served as alderman as, “a seriously wonderful experience,” noting his work with the sewerage district as some of the things he felt most proud of accomplishing in the position.

Wade also said his family, and spending more time with them, was the main reason for stepping down from re-election.

“My family has taken a huge sacrifice,” Wade explained. “When I walked into this office, my daughter was five years old, and my son was one. My daughter will be 18 next month, and my son is 14, so they grew up with me as a leader in this community. And I’m sad to say that sometimes I’ve neglected some time that I needed to spend with them. So I need to capture that time before my daughter leaves for college and do some things family-oriented.”

Noting the oft-problematic issue of succession, Wade additionally put his support behind County Supervisor Khalif Rainey during the news conference.

“I accept the call to service, and I look forward to meeting with the neighbors of the seventh district,” Rainey said. “I appreciate the support, confidence and belief that Alderman Willie Wade has in me, and I look forward to communicating and getting to know exactly what the needs are of the people in the seventh district. That being said, I hope you find me worthy, and I look forward to an exciting campaign.”