Council, other city offices up for grabs in April 2 election
The presidential primary is not the only race on Milwaukee’s April 2 ballot.
Voters will have an opportunity to weigh in on a host of local elections, too.
Citywide elections include the seats of city attorney, mayor and comptroller while eight of the 15 Common Council seats are contested.
In likely the most closely watched of the races this spring, embattled Milwaukee City Attorney Tearman Spencer is facing a challenge from Democratic state Rep. Evan Goyke.
Spencer is seeking a second fouryear term at the helm of the City Attorney’s Office, which provides legal advice and represents the city government.
He has been embroiled in controversies since taking office in 2020 and has overseen a staff exodus, including of his own appointees, that has hampered the office’s ability to carry out its core duties. On Feb. 29, his top deputy Odalo Ohiku resigned amid investigations into allegations he was doing private legal work on the taxpayers’ dime.
Goyke is a former state public defender who graduated from Marquette University Law School in 2009. He was elected to the state Assembly in 2012 and lives on Milwaukee’s near west side.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson is seeking a full, four-year term on April 2 after having been elected in 2022 to fill the remaining two years on the term of former Mayor Tom Barrett.
Challenging him is Wisconsin God Squad founder David King.
King unsuccessfully sought positions as Republican lieutenant governor in 2022, Milwaukee mayor in 2020, Milwaukee Common Council District 9 in 2016, and the U.S. House of Representatives in 2014, among others.
Johnson cruised to victory in a three-way primary in February, taking 86% of the vote to King’s 10%. Ieshuh Griffin received 4%.
Milwaukee Deputy Comptroller Bill Christianson and former Milwaukee firefighters union president and retired University of Wisconsin System Regent Gregory Gracz are vying for Milwaukee comptroller, the city’s chief financial officer.
Comptroller Aycha Sawa announced in October that she would not be seeking a second term.
Milwaukee City Treasurer Spencer Coggs is not facing an opponent.
Common Council seats
Five council incumbents are facing challengers on April 2 while races for three other seats are without a sitting council member.
In the final seven seats, incumbents are not facing an opponent. Incumbents facing challenges are: ● District 3: Ald. Jonathan Brostoff is facing Griffin, who is also running for
Milwaukee County executive on April 2.
● District 4: Ald. Robert Bauman is facing Rayhainio “Ray Nitti” Boynes, who operates The Creative Corridor Inc.
● District 5: Ald. Lamont Westmoreland is facing Bruce Winter, who also sought the seat in the last election.
● District 6: Ald. Milele Coggs is facing Brandon R. Payton, who describes himself as a working-class Milwaukeean.
● District 8: Ald. JoCasta Zamarripa is facing Ryan Antczak, who in 2022 ran as a Republican for a state Assembly seat and in January was removed from the ballot in his bid for a seat on the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors.
In three seats, candidates are running to fill vacancies that will be left by council members’ decisions not to run for re-election. They are:
● District 7: Longtime Master Lock employee DiAndre Jackson and community organizer Jessica Currie are running to replace outgoing Ald. Khalif Rainey.
● District 10: Sharlen Moore, cofounder of youth leadership program Urban Underground, is running against Richard L. Geldon, who has repeatedly sought the seat. Ald. Michael Murphy is not running for re-election.
● District 11: Peter Burgelis, a Milwaukee County supervisor who is not seeking re-election to the County Board, and former state Rep. Josh Zepnick are running to replace outgoing Ald. Mark Borkowski.
Council members not facing a challenge are District 1 Ald. Andrea Pratt, District 2 Ald. Mark Chambers Jr., District 9 Ald. Larresa Taylor, District 12 Ald. José G. Pérez, District 13 Ald. Scott Spiker, District 14 Ald. Marina Dimitrijevic and District 15 Ald. Russell Stamper II.
You can see the seats on your ballot by going to MyVote.wi.gov.