Maqsood Khan challenges incumbent for Milwaukee County Board seat

Maqsood Khan, M.D., father of five and member of the Franklin Public School Board since 2021, is running for a Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors seat in the April 7 election.

The first Muslim to win an elected position in Franklin is now challenging an incumbent for a seat on the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors. 

Maqsood Khan, M.D., who has served on the board of Franklin Public Schools since 2021, launched his campaign Oct. 2 to represent District 9 on the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors. District 9 includes Franklin, Hales Corners, and parts of Milwaukee and Greenfield. Khan is challenging incumbent Supervisor Patti Logsdon, who was first elected to the Milwaukee County Board in April 2018.

“Back in September, I was thinking, almost 20% of the property tax goes to the county and those of us living in District 9, on the western side of Milwaukee County, don’t get the bang for our buck,” Khan said in an interview yesterday with Wisconsin Muslim Journal.

“At the Franklin Public School Board, we have been able to decrease the debt the school district owes by paying it off in a very systematic manner without burdening the constituents,” he said. “We’ve improved our credit rating because of good financial planning and championing fiscal responsibility. 

“In 2023, I introduced legislation to decrease the school tax levy from 13.2% to 5%, being cognizant that a heavy school tax levy increases the tax burden on constituents and not everybody has the resources to pay it.”

Khan, a gastroenterologist and medical school adjunct assistant professor, and his wife Arshi Wasiuddin have been living in Milwaukee County for more than a decade, where they are raising their five children. “I know the County’s financial problems have been lingering for a long, long time,” Khan said. “I thought to myself, our successful approach on the school board could benefit Milwaukee County.”

Franklin School Board member Mary Yank agrees. Yank supports Khan in his run to represent District 9 on the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors because, she said, “I know his positive qualities and what he will absolutely bring to Milwaukee County. His leadership and his ability to navigate different perspectives and bring people together gets things done. His calm demeanor, respect for others and ability to compromise where compromise is needed gets us to where we can make a decision and move on.

“He is very knowledgeable about so many things,” she added. “That will serve me well when he becomes my Milwaukee County supervisor.”

Khan’s track record

Khan was elected to the Franklin Public School Board in 2021 and re-elected for a second term in 2024. On his campaign website, he notes, “One of my proudest accomplishments has been delivering real, measurable savings for our community.”

In 2021, he voted against a 12 % school tax levy increase. In 2021, he supported a 1.9% reduction in the levy and helped move the district to a self-insured health insurance plan that saved more than $1 million in three years. In 2023, he introduced an amendment that cut the proposed levy increase from 13.2% to 5%.

During his tenure on the school board, the district’s credit rating jumped from AA2 to AA1, placing the district in the top 10% of public schools in Wisconsin. That upgrade allowed the district to secure low-interest loans after passing a referendum, saving nearly $18 million that was redirected back into classrooms instead of interest payments.

“I have proven leadership on the school board,” Khan told WMJ. “I have proven leadership at work as a chief of the division for the GI section at Aurora Medical Center.” 

Maqsood Khan, M.D., was first sworn into the Franklin Public School Board in 2021 and reelected in 2024.

A proactive approach

“I believe in being proactive,” Khan explained. “Under the current District 9 County Supervisor, out of her eight years in office, the Hales Corners swimming pool has been closed for six years. Because of deterioration, the pipe system will now cost $600,000 to fix, according to a recent study. It was left to rot.

“I see the results as a failure of leadership,” he said. “I believe we should address the issues before they become a big problem. It’s like my work as a gastroenterologist. When we see a polyp, we remove it. We don’t wait for it to become cancer.”

Maqsood Khan, M.D., (center) launched his campaign in October for Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors, District 9, including a series of meet-and-greet gatherings.

Priorities for Milwaukee County

Khan said, if elected, he will focus on three priorities for Milwaukee County: fiscal responsibility, transparency and public safety. 

“Milwaukee County has a budget of $1.4 billion. Of it, almost $450 million goes to the Department of Health and Human Services. I believe my input as a physician on this will be vital. The County is also responsible for parks, the Sheriff’s Department, the airport and zoo, the maintenance of county roads and more. We have to invest in much-needed services but do it with fore-planning.

“We had a property tax increase and a sales tax increase two years ago to fill the budget gap. Unfortunately, the County has been on the losing end. The 2026 budget passed with an almost $47 million deficit. That tells us this is not sustainable. Basically, we have more obligations than revenues.”

Services, like access to parks and recreation, are important to health and mental health. Better mental health improves public safety. “We need to give our youngsters alternatives to social media, who are facing a national crisis of addiction to digital devices, while at the same time providing much needed services to our senior citizens,” he said. “Our parks, pools and roads are part of what make our community special, but they only stay strong if we take care of them,” his campaign website states.

“In Franklin, I supported forward-looking planning that invested in schools and public spaces while protecting taxpayers. I believe the county should approach its amenities in the same way.

“As your County Supervisor, I will support needed repairs and improvements to county roads so drivers can get where they need to go safely. I will push for ongoing maintenance of county parks so they remain safe, clean, and welcoming for everyone. These are practical investments that protect property values, improve quality of life, and bring people together.

“I believe safety requires both accountability for crime and a strong partnership between law enforcement and the people they serve … I will support providing law enforcement with the tools and training they need to do their jobs effectively. I will also encourage better communication between county officials, police and residents so that we are solving problems together. 

Challenging an incumbent

“It’s going to be a very tough election,” Khan said. “I acknowledge that. But I also know I’m going to work hard.”

Khan’s campaign hit the ground in the fall. “We were able to collect more than 423 signatures,” Khan noted. A minimum of 200 and a maximum of 400 are required to get on the ballot. “With the help of volunteers, we went above and beyond,” he said.

“That shows the strength of the campaign, our planning, coordination and motivation. We had a successful launch event and recently a successful meet-and-greet in mid-December. More than 50 people showed up,” he added. “A lot of supporters showed up. We also had a successful door hanging campaign, with about 30 volunteers distributing campaign literature.”

Khan’s campaign has more meet-and-greets planned throughout the county. He has high name recognition in Franklin, where he was a top vote-getter in two school board elections, but needs to meet people in other parts of District 9.

“My plan is to have more meet-and-greets because I want to hear what constituents see as the challenges we have, which issues they see need to be worked on,” he said.

The reason for getting out into the community, his website says, is that “strong communities are built when leaders listen and neighbors work together. Whether it’s maintaining safe streets, improving our parks or keeping taxes in check, the best ideas come from the people who live here.”

Maqsood Khan, M.D., (second from the left) is pictured on a December 2018 medical mission trip to Bangladesh to serve Rohingya refugees. He also went in 2019. A 2020 mission trip to Ethiopia was cancelled due to the pandemic. Khan has a long-term goal of opening a not-for-profit endoscopy center in an underserved part of the world.