FPC head withdraws before today’s vote
Aldrete cites ‘political point-scoring’
The head of the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission withdrew from consideration to continue serving as executive director Monday, one day before the Common Council was set to vote on her reappointment.
“Although my appointment received subcommittee approval last month, the climate at City Hall today sadly puts a premium on political point-scoring and conflict. This state of affairs presages a confirmation hearing based on spectacle, not merit,” Griselda Aldrete wrote in a Monday letter to city officials.
“Furthermore, the looming threat of a politically motivated hold of my appointment — as well as for other cabinet members — has already cast a shadow over the entire process.”
Her decision comes less than two weeks after Claire Woodall-Vogg withdrew from consideration as Mayor Tom Barrett’s pick to lead the Milwaukee Election Commission, although she has since reversed course and agreed to serve as executive director of that agency. The Common Council is set to vote on that appointment during Tuesday’s meeting.
Aldrete’s withdrawal comes at a criti
cal time for the commission, which has faced loud and urgent calls from protesters in recent weeks to use its oversight powers to change police policies and procedures.
The commission also must deal with the fallout from a recent independent investigation that found commission Chairman Steven DeVougas likely violated the city’s code of ethics and lied about his legal representation of a powerful real estate developer accused of sexual assault. DeVougas refused to answer questions in the investigation, which was requested by the commission he chairs.
For her part, Aldrete said she was proud of her tenure leading the Fire and Police Commission.
“This was not a decision I arrived at easily,” she wrote. “I am extremely proud of the work I have led over the past eleven months to bring urgently needed reforms and improvements to the FPC.”
She listed a number of accomplishments, including ensuring that the investigation of Police Officer Michael Mattioli “has been conducted properly, fairly and thoroughly.”
The results of that investigation have yet to be made public, and Mattioli, who was charged with homicide in the death of Joel Acevedo, remains on paid suspension from the Police Department. The Fire and Police Commission has control of the internal investigation and will decide Mattioli’s discipline.
Aldrete also highlighted her contributions to the investigation into the issues surrounding police interactions with the real estate developer accused of sexual assault and how the developer’s interview became public; building compliance with the ACLU’s “stop-andfrisk” settlement agreement, reducing citywide call wait times; and prioritizing promotional examinations for detective, lieutenant and sergeant positions for the Milwaukee Police Department.
“The position of FPC Executive Director is vital to public safety in Milwaukee, and integrity is at its core,” Aldrete wrote. “I cannot in good conscience allow myself and, far more importantly, the critical work we have advanced at the FPC over the past year, to become casualties of political brinkmanship.”
In a statement released Monday, Barrett thanked Aldrete for her service.
“Griselda came in at a very difficult time and made significant positive contributions, particularly as it relates to the ACLU lawsuit compliance,” he said.
Tenure marked by tensions, turnover
Aldrete is the third executive director since 2018. Her withdrawal marks the latest in a series of staff turnover within the commission, which has been the subject of public hearings and discussion.
During a committee hearing in June, Aldrete faced hours of questions about the work environment and other issues at the FPC. At the hearing, three council members, one fire and police commissioner and one current commission employee either expressed concerns about Aldrete’s management of the office or outright criticized her for it.
At the end of last year, aldermen grilled Aldrete about a series of highprofile resignations, staff turnover and allegations of mismanagement.
A report from the city’s inspector general, completed in late March, found the turnover led to staff being “overwhelmed with expectations of conducting business operations as normal,” creating delays or suspension of critical operations.
The commission’s responsibilities — particularly hiring, promoting and investigating complaints — require it to function like other city departments with a full-time staff, which includes the executive director. The commission can have up to 34 employees but currently has a staff of 14, according to information Aldrete provided recently to an independent investigator.
Since Aldrete took over in September, the commission’s operations manager abruptly resigned and a longtime investigator resigned, saying staffers were being treated with mistrust and suspicion. Aldrete also had fired three employees.
The executive director has a powerful role but does not get to vote on issues before the commission. Like the executive director, commissioners are appointed by Barrett and must be confirmed by the Common Council. The salary range for the executive director is $103,000 to $145,000.
Commissioners serve overlapping five-year terms and receive an annual salary of $6,600. The commission can have up to nine members but typically has had seven.
This is not the first time Aldrete has spoken out to warn of a toxic political environment at City Hall.
In January, after a particularly heated four-hour Common Council committee meeting about staff turnover and other questions about her leadership, Aldrete released an open letter calling a couple of aldermen “misogynistic” in their questioning of her and another female city department head.
“What happened during that committee was classic blame-shifting and name-calling with veiled threats from elected officials,” she wrote in a letter to then-Council President Ashanti Hamilton.
On Monday, Aldrete encouraged council members to get a fresh start.
“I urge Milwaukee policymakers to use this new vacancy to refresh their commitment to needed change, and to support the people who come to work every day and give all of themselves to make that change real — as I proudly did,” she wrote.
Aldrete, who was president and CEO of the Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee before joining the FPC, said she plans to remain in the post until her successor is picked.
“While I leave City Hall, I will never stop fighting for Milwaukee,” she said.
It’s unclear who Barrett will tap next to lead the FPC as executive director.