Wauwatosa Mayor Reflects on Turbulent Times in a New Book 

He kept a deeply personal account of his first year in office during one of the most turbulent times in modern American history. And now Wauwatosa Mayor Dennis McBride has written a book about it, A City on the Edge: Pandemic, Protest, and Polarization. He joined Pat Kreitlow, host of Mornings with Pat Kreitlow, to share why this new book is so important.  

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Listen to the entire discussion here:

[podcast src="https://civicmedia.us/shows/mornings-with-pat-kreitlow/2025/12/01/the-ongoing-hangover-from-2020-hour-3"]

McBride acknowledges that many Americans would probably prefer to forget 2020. But he warns against letting it slip from everyone’s memory. 

“Those who forget history are condemned to repeat it,” he says. “The book draws parallels between the COVID-19 pandemic and the 1918 influenza outbreak. And while science has advanced, human behavior often hasn’t. We’re backing away from science again. Look at the rising vaccine skepticism and new measles outbreaks.”

He certainly could not have predicted what this time would bring when he took office in April 2020. McBride considers himself a longtime public servant with ten years as an alderman and more than two decades as a federal attorney. And he envisioned the mayor’s job as a natural next step. 

“It’s in my makeup,” he shares. “I was determined to serve my hometown. But Wauwatosa quickly became a flashpoint for national unrest following the murder of George Floyd.”

The city saw months of demonstrations connected to Officer Joseph Mensah, who shot and killed three men of color, during a five-year period. Mensah was cleared of criminal charges. But the protests included nights outside McBride’s own home, driven by a mistaken belief that the mayor could fire a police officer. 

“Under state law, only the Police and Fire Commission can do that,” he explains. “I had no role, but the protests kept coming.”

The unrest surged nationwide. And after the violence in Kenosha, McBride imposed a five-night curfew in Wauwatosa. The decision was controversial, but he still stands by it. 

“We had $16,000 in broken windows,” he says. “No one was killed. And we didn’t have blocks burning down.” 

He also explains how his commitment to two guiding principles helped him during the crisis: conscience and the rule of law.

McBride’s legal background shaped his approach. He spent 24 years representing victims of discrimination at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and understood the anger driving racial justice protests while also insisting on due process. 

“A lot of people didn’t want to give Mensa due process,” he says. “But it was my job to protect everyone – residents, protesters, and the thousands who come into Wauwatosa every day.”

Yet despite the turmoil of his first term, McBride chose to run again. He won reelection by more than 17 points. 

“I had unfinished business,” he explains, while noting that his book is not just about one suburb. “It’s a story about America in 2020 and beyond. Wauwatosa was a microcosm.”

The mayor also offers an important message. He wants more people to run for local office. 

“Everybody ought to run at least once,” he says. “It’s where real democracy begins. It’s at the level closest to home.”

And on a lighter note, Kreitlow asks about a bit of family rivalry? McBride laughs when asked whether he’s competing with his twin brother Pat McBride, who recently published The Luckiest Boy in the World. 

“I was the co-author of his book,” he jokes. “So, I’m competing with myself.”

“A City on the Edge” is available from Indiana University Press and major booksellers. Find more about it here.