David Riemer graduated from Milwaukee’s Riverside High School. After attending Harvard College and Law School, he returned to Wisconsin in 1975 to serve as legal advisor to Governor Patrick Lucey. David later held positions with U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy, Mayor John Norquist, and Governor Jim Doyle. In 2004, he ran against Scott Walker for Milwaukee County Executive. David served as Founding Director and Senior Fellow for the Community Advocates Public Policy Institute. His book—Putting Government In Its Place: The Case for a New Deal 3.0 (HenschelHAUS)—appeared in 2019.
David has worked with Democrats and Republicans to create path-breaking public policy at the state level and influence national policy. The Wisconsin initiatives he helped to develop include the state’s Public Defender program, Transitional Jobs for the unemployed, an Earned Income Tax Credit for low-income workers, and BadgerCare. In Milwaukee, David played a key role in designing a dozen budgets for the City of Milwaukee, first as Budget Director and later as head of the Department of Administration. He also served as Chief of Staff for Mayor Norquist. At the federal level, David has assisted in drafting proposals in the U.S. Senate to create a permanent, federal Transitional Jobs program.