What to know about Milwaukee mayoral candidate Bob Donovan

Former Milwaukee Ald. Bob Donovan is asking voters to return him to City Hall in the April 5 mayoral election, when he will go head-to-head with Acting Mayor Cavalier Johnson.

Donovan served 20 years as the alderman for the Eighth District on the city's south side, having first been elected to the Common Council in 2000. He decided not to run for re-election in 2020.

Donovan, 65, and Johnson, 35, are vying to fill the final two years on the term of former Mayor Tom Barrett, who departed late last year to become U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg.

Johnson became acting mayor after Barrett's resignation while also retaining his position as Common Council president.

Here's a bit more about Donovan:

Where did Bob Donovan live growing up?

Donovan said he grew up in the Jackson Park neighborhood on the city's south side and has lived his life in that area of town.

Where did he go to college?

Donovan said he graduated from St. Thomas More High School and went for a year to Saint Francis de Sales Seminary before attending the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for a year.

He did not graduate, though he said he took some additional classes in the 1980s.

How old is Bob Donovan?

He's 65 years old.

What jobs did he hold before he was elected to the Milwaukee Common Council as an alderman?

Donovan said he worked entirely in the private sector before he was elected to the Common Council in 2000.

He said he worked at the The Solvay Coke & Gas Co., in security at Southridge mall, as an insurance salesman for Prudential and for about 10 years as a sales manager at Batzner Pest Control.

What positions does Bob Donovan currently hold?

Donovan retired from the Common Council in 2020.

He is a member of two Irish organizations, The Shamrock Club and the Emerald Society of Wisconsin.

On its website, the Emerald Society states it was founded to "foster and promote Irish heritage and culture in the law enforcement and criminal justice community in Wisconsin."

What is Bob Donovan's political party?

Donovan is conservative but said he is not a member of either the Democratic or Republican parties.

Where does Bob Donovan live?

He and his wife, Kathy, bought their home in the area of South Layton Boulevard and West Mitchell Street in 1985.

Who is Bob Donovan's family?

Donovan and his wife, Kathy, got married in 1986 after meeting when they were both working at Southridge mall.

They have four daughters and one son who live in the Milwaukee area.

Kathy was a stay-at-home mom.

Contact Alison Dirr at 414-224-2383 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @AlisonDirr.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee mayoral candidate Bob Donovan: former alderman, age, family