County Board approves House of Correction superintendent
The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors on Thursday unanimously approved the appointment of Chantell Jewell to the position of House of Correction superintendent.
She becomes the first Black woman to lead the facility and succeeds former Superintendent Michael Hafemann, who resigned at the request of County Executive David Crowley earlier this year.
The Franklin facility houses people serving misdemeanor sentences shorter than a year, and some state inmates under a contract with the state Department of Corrections.
It is also the site of an alternate care facility built to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The alternate care facility opened late last month for asymptomatic and “low-acuity” inmates and staff. Those who need more care will be taken to the closest hospital, county officials have said.
The board also unanimously approved:
A five-year, $109.2 millioncontract extension with Wellpath, LLC, which provides medical, dental and mental health services at the House of Correction and the Milwaukee County Jail. The contract covers the period from March 31, 2021, to March 31, 2026, after which three one-year extensions are possible.
Acceptance of $40.9 million in federal funding for the East-West Bus Rapid Transit Project and committing $11.85 million in matching county contributions over the period of the grant award. The service connecting downtown Milwaukee to the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center in Wauwatosa is expected to be operating by October 2022.
Pausing the purchase of additional battery-electric buses in order to study the technology’s current performance. So far, 15-such buses have been purchased. The resolution states that the county will start replacing its diesel buses with hybrid-electric ones in future budgets.
Thursday also marked the last meeting for Supervisor Supreme Moore Omokunde, who along with Supervisor
Sylvia Ortiz-Velez won a seat in the state Assembly in November.
Moore Omokunde will resign Friday. He won the District 17 seat in the state Assembly, which does not overlap with his County Board district.
His County Board seat will remain open until the April 2022 election, unless Crowley orders a special election, according to the Milwaukee County Clerk’s Office. He could initiate a special election concurrent with the spring 2021 election cycle as late as 49 days before the Feb. 16 primary, according to the Clerk’s Office.
Ortiz-Velez will serve as state representative of Assembly District 8 while finishing her term on the County Board, which ends in 2022. In her case, both districts largely overlap.