Two FPC nominees win the approval of council committee
New director to focus on filling staff vacancies
Two of Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett’s three nominees to the city’s Fire and Police Commission gained the approval of a Common Council committee Monday.
The nominations of Leon Todd to be the next FPC executive director and Amanda Avalos to the seventh, tiebreaking position on the commission were approved.
Todd’s nomination will go before the Common Council on Tuesday morning.
Avalos’ nomination cannot go to the council Tuesday, however, because a background investigation was not completed by the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office as required by city ordinance. It was completed by an outside firm.
Barrett’s reappointment of current Commissioner Ann Wilson to a five-year term was held because council members wanted to ask her questions about ongoing litigation and were advised that part of the discussion should take place in a closed session.
Todd won the unanimous approval of the Public Safety and Health Committee while Avalos’ nomination was approved on a 3-2 vote, with Alds. Scott Spiker and Mark Borkowski voting in opposition.
Alds. Khalif Rainey, Chantia Lewis and Marina Dimitrijevic voted in favor
of appointing Avalos to the powerful civilian body with oversight responsibility over the police and fire departments.
If she receives full council approval, her vote will be critical to breaking a 3-3 tie among current commissioners who are seeking to choose between two police chief candidates. Commissioners have deadlocked in two separate meetings in recent weeks between Maj. Malik Aziz of the Dallas Police Department and Supervisory Special Agent Hoyt Mahaley of the FBI.
Acting Chief Michael Brunson is preparing to retire Dec. 23.
Avalos is the civic engagement director for the youth advocacy group Leaders Igniting Transformation. She is from Chicago and came to Milwaukee 12 years ago to attend Marquette University.
She told the committee she has heard the calls from the community for more transparency from the FPC.
“I believe that I am a trusted source for contributing to that work,” she said.
Spiker pressed her on her support for a campaign seeking a $75 million divestment from the Police Department, given the layoffs that would have resulted before other services could be set up to fill the gaps.
“There’s a difference between activism and policy,” he said. “The FPC relates to policy.”
She said her role as a community organizer would be different from her role on the FPC.
Filling staff vacancies would be a top priority for Todd
Todd is from Milwaukee and has worked as an assistant state public defender since 2014. It’s a role he said he took to help reduce Wisconsin’s mass incarceration rate and racial disparities in criminal sentences.
Todd said one of his top priorities in the position would be to fill vacancies at the FPC. For the commission to fulfill its oversight role, he said, it must be fully staffed with “competent, experienced employees who have diverse backgrounds and perspectives.”
Another of his top priorities, he said, would be community engagement.
He also said he would build a culture of support, professional development, teamwork and pride, and that he would make sure critical functions are performed timely and consistently.
The FPC has struggled with significant staff turnover and strife.
If confirmed, Todd will succeed Griselda Aldrete, who left in October after a tumultuous tenure. She was the third executive director since 2018.
‘Willy-nilly’ decision making
Wilson, who has been on the FPC since 2013, was questioned about the tumult on the FPC and how reappointing a current member of that body would move the commission forward.
Lewis said she did not think the selection of the city’s next police chief was being handled “properly” and that the commission is lacking a standard procedure for making the selection.
“It’s almost like it’s just willy-nilly, like it’s just being done just because this is how we want to do it and there’s no rhyme or reason.”
She asked how Wilson would gain respect and trust in the commission.
Wilson said commissioners are limited in their communications outside meetings, which she said can make the scheduling and changing of FPC meetings appear “willy-nilly.” She anticipated that working through an executive director could help alleviate that issue.
Ald. Michael Murphy said he was getting conflicting information regarding the FPC decision to demote then-Police Chief Alfonso Morales to captain in August.
“I’ve been told by the City Attorney’s Office — and perhaps my reflection is not always accurate — that they advised you not to terminate him” and that Morales should have due process, Murphy said.
Wilson told Murphy that wasn’t accurate. She said she wasn’t sure what she could say but that the City Attorney’s Office provided recommendations but also said it was ultimately the commissioners’ decision.
Morales subsequently retired and sued the city. City Attorney Tearman Spencer has agreed that Morales was denied due process in the demotion.
“The problem is, I don’t know if I can trust the city attorney’s advice, if they’re telling me one thing and telling you another of what is going on,” Murphy said.
Spencer did not immediately respond Monday afternoon to an email seeking an interview on the exchange.