Panel won’t recommend reappointment of Wilson
Milwaukee Common Council members on Monday declined to recommend Ann Wilson, currently the longest-serving member of the Fire and Police Commission, be reappointed to her seat as fallout continued from the commissioners’ decision last August to demote former Police Chief Alfonso Morales.
The Steering and Rules Committee voted 5-3 to recommend that Wilson’s reappointment is placed on file. The Common Council will vote on the matter March 23.
Wilson, who was appointed to the board in 2013 and recently nominated for another term by Mayor Tom Barrett, will continue to serve until Barrett can name a replacement and that candidate is confirmed by the Common Council.
The vote follows an investigative report from Milwaukee Inspector General Ronda Kohlheim that found the commission did not adhere to state law, city attorney opinions and its own rule in its decision to remove Morales.
Wilson is one of six current commissioners who voted to demote Morales. The seventh current commissioner, Amanda Avalos, was appointed to the commission after the unanimous vote on Morales’ demotion.
Common Council President Cavalier Johnson, who also chairs the Steering and Rules Committee, requested the report from Kohlheim after a Milwaukee County circuit judge in December reversed the commission’s decision to remove Morales, finding that its process was “fundamentally flawed.”
Some members of the Common Council have called for commissioners to be removed, and Barrett has said residents should expect “changes” as positions on the board come open.
Still, he has supported Wilson’s renomination, saying she brings a community voice to the commission.
Wilson is the manager of the Hillside Terrace Resource Center for the city’s Housing Authority.
Johnson on Monday voted against a motion to reappoint Wilson. He voted in favor of placing the matter on file.
Wilson’s nomination was sent to the Steering and Rules Committee in January but, Johnson has explained, it was not on the agenda until Monday to give council members time to review the i report from Kohlheim.
Johnson has said there should be consequences for the commissioners’ decision, but he needed time to clarify if they received faulty legal advice from City Attorney Tearman Spencer or if they ignored sound legal advice.
Johnson declined an interview request Monday from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Ald. Ashanti Hamilton on Monday supported Wilson’s reappointment and touted her commitment and experience. He said it was “disheartening” for the blame and consequences for several commissioners’ decisions to fall on just one member.
“I know that not everybody makes 100% right decisions or decisions that we all agree with, but one of the things I can say about her is that she has been committed to the city of Milwaukee,” he said.
“She has been one of the most open and transparent members of the commission, very community minded in the way that she approached her representation, and has been a voice of stability, despite the fact that it’s been a pretty tumultuous time period for the Fire and Police Commission,” he said.
Ald. Marina Dimitrijevic said the findings of the investigative report prompted her to decide against reappointing Wilson.
“Given some of the information we were given during the investigation, I do want to move forward differently,” she said.
Wilson said she would like to continue to serve on the commission.
“Did we make some mistakes? Yes, we did. But I personally did not knowingly make a mistake. I wouldn’t do it, I wouldn’t do anything to cost this city any extra money, or any extra kind of discourse,” she said.