Ryan Sorenson\u2019s mother gives good advice.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrowing up, my mom always said, \u2018Don\u2019t sit on the sidelines and complain. Get in the game and make a difference,\u201d he recalled from his desk in the mayor\u2019s office in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. \u201cI think folks see that, especially in a city like Sheboygan, your voice matters here. We can get a lot of awesome things done here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sorenson grew up in Sheboygan and, in 2021 at the age of 27, was elected the city\u2019s youngest mayor in history. Now, with a year of leadership under his belt, Sorenson finds that the job has made him fall even more in love with his hometown.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the mayor, you\u2019re in the thick of the sausage-making machine,\u201d he joked. \u201cFor me, it doubles down my feelings of commitment to this community. You just see how passionate people are about making Sheboygan a better place.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sorenson\u2019s political career began at UW-Milwaukee, where he majored in political science. He was a member of the Student Association, serving as its president during his junior year.<\/p>\n
For him, 51ÁÔÆæ was the right choice beause it checked many of his college boxes: A large university, close to home but not too close, plenty of activities and ways to get involved, and great professors.<\/p>\n
\u201cParu Shah was definitely an awesome professor that I had,\u201d Sorenson said. \u201cWhen you have an urban politics professor, it\u2019s a good platform to educate students on how to become mayor. I\u2019m kidding, but that\u2019s where I really got into the weeds in terms of politics at the local level.\u201d<\/p>\n
He might joke, but Sorenson put his education to work immediately upon graduating in 2016. He ran for and won a seat on the Sheboygan City Council in 2017, defeating a 10-year incumbent with 74% of the vote. In 2020, he became the Common Council president.<\/p>\n
\u201cI made it a goal of mine to build better connections with business leaders, nonprofits, small business owners, just to say, what\u2019s working and what\u2019s not? How can the city government better help you?\u201d Sorenson recalled.<\/p>\n
Those were welcome questions at the start of the pandemic. Community leaders appreciated Sorenson\u2019s desire to strengthen Sheboygan.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople were like, \u2018Well, we have an election coming up,\u2019\u201d Sorenson recalled. \u201c\u2018Why don\u2019t you run for mayor?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Their encouragement and his love for his hometown convinced Sorenson to start a campaign. He thought his youth and energy, combined with his experience on the City Council, might make him a good fit for the job.<\/p>\n
Voters agreed.<\/p>\n
As its mayor, Sorenson is Sheboygan\u2019s biggest cheerleader. He\u2019ll happily tell you about the city\u2019s businesses, its diversity, and its willingness to try new things. His enthusiasm for it is contagious.<\/p>\n
\u201cSheboygan is the Malibu of the Midwest,\u201d he declared. \u201cWe are the No. 1 freshwater surf capital in the world. Last year, we had the best tourism year on record. We hosted the Ryder Cup. We\u2019re a hidden foodie capital of the world. We have some awesome resorts. You name it, Sheboygan has got it.\u201d<\/p>\n
But there\u2019s always room for improvement, and Sorenson has a list. He admits that the city is \u201cnot super proud of\u201d its roads, and there\u2019s a lack of affordable housing. Businesses are still recovering from the shutdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n
In his first year as mayor, he\u2019s pleased that he and city stakeholders have made progress on all of those fronts.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re kick-starting our new strategic plan, so we\u2019re excited about that,\u201d Sorensen said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s exciting to get caught up on our road projects, as well as collaborating with other key partners in the area start building affordable housing projects.<\/p>\n
\u201cSheboygan is growing. We\u2019re expanding and keeping the energy going, but also keeping that same flavor that makes Sheboygan unique and awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n
There\u2019s one more way that Sorenson may have helped change his city, though he denies credit. When he was elected to the City Council in 2017, he was the only alderperson under the age of 40.<\/p>\n
Most of the other council members were retired.<\/p>\n
Today, \u201cWe have the most diverse council that we\u2019ve ever had. We actually have, for the first time in our history, a female majority on the city council, and a handful of Millennials now. Our oldest age is 75 and our youngest age is 25,\u201d Sorenson said.<\/p>\n
He stops short of saying he\u2019s the inspiration for such a change, but instead, points to how Millennials are taking a much bigger part in local government across the state of Wisconsin. Cavalier Johnson, recently elected the Mayor of Milwaukee, is a Millennial, Sorenson noted. So are the mayors of Wausau, Manitowoc, and Superior, as well as in other towns and cities.<\/p>\n
Sorenson is excited to see more young people get involved in politics. Some might see their lack of experience as a hinderance, but Sorenson thinks a fresh perspective is a strength.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not going to have all of the answers,\u201d he admitted. \u201cBut (my age) is also an advantage because it doesn\u2019t necessarily box me into saying, well, this is the way we\u2019ve always done things. \u2026 If we work together, collaborate, and think outside the box, somebody is going to have a good idea and we can push some awesome initiatives.\u201d<\/p>\n