Staying mum: Clarke keeps quiet about his future plans, doesn’t make a move to obtain pension backdrop bonus payment.
It’s unlikely he will receive lucrative pension bonus payment from county
Former Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. remained mum about his plans on Friday while a check of his county pension eligibility showed those plans likely will not include counting up a lucrative pension backdrop bonus payment.
A preliminary look shows that the former sheriff — based on his start date in 2002 — missed being eligible for the lump-sum backdrop check by 10 days, a county official said. The pension perk is paid to county workers who stay on the job past their retirement eligibility date.
Earlier this year, four county retirees, including one former deputy district attorney and one former assistant district attorney, received backdrop checks exceeding $1 million on top of their regular pension benefit.
As of Friday, the day after he announced his resignation, Clarke had not contacted the county Retirement Plan Services office to start the pension ball rolling and had not submitted a retirement application, according to Amy Pechacek, interim director of the office.
Clarke is eligible for a county pension after 15 years of service as sheriff. He also is eligible for a City of Milwaukee pension after 24 years of service there, from 1978 to 2002.
Politico continued to report Friday that Clarke is expected to take a job in President Donald Trump’s administration. But sources close to the sheriff disputed that to the Journal Sentinel, saying Clarke is looking at opportunities outside of government that support the Trump agenda and keep Clarke in the public eye.
On Friday, Trump spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said she was “not aware of any specific jobs” that Clarke is being considered for in the administration.
Gov. Scott Walker said Friday his office will accept applications for sheriff over the next few weeks.
Potential candidates would be screened by a panel of law enforcement professionals and Walker will interview finalists before making his pick.
Walker has yet to decide whether he will pick someone who will stand for election in 2018, or select a candidate who would complete Clarke’s term but not run for the office, Walker said Friday at a news conference in Cudahy. His decision will be determined by the list of available candidates, Walker said.
“The bottom line is that we want someone who is a law enforcement professional,” he said.
When asked if he will appoint a person who reflects his conservative political beliefs, Walker replied: “In my opinion, a sheriff’s position is not a political position. Sheriffs and DAs are about law enforcement and upholding the law.”
Sheriff’s Office Inspector Richard Schmidt is serving as acting sheriff in the interim.
Clarke did not alert other Milwaukee County elected officials that he would resign Thursday. Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele, a critic of the former sheriff, confirmed he was caught off-guard.
County Clerk George Christenson said a Clarke staff member showed up at the courthouse around 3:15 p.m. Thursday and insisted on hand-delivering Clarke’s resignation letter directly to him at that time. The letter said Clarke resigned as of 11:59 p.m. that day.
As news spread of the nationally prominent law enforcement official stepping down, Christenson’s day was turned upside down with requests from local and national media requesting copies of Clarke’s resignation letter.
Among the media requesters were The Washington Post, New York Times, Associated Press, NBC, CBS, Turner Broadcasting, Hearst, Daily Beast and The Hill.
Earlier this year, Clarke was passed over for a job in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Clarke, a frequent surrogate for Trump during his successful 2016 campaign, also interviewed last year for a job in Trump’s cabinet. On Sunday, Trump tweeted favorable remarks about Clarke’s memoir, “Cop Under Fire.”