The Milwaukee Common Council is set to meet Tuesday, April 21 to vote on the appointment of Karin Tyler as director of the Department of Community Wellness and Safety.
The vote comes after the Public Safety and Health Committee approved her appointment in a split decision.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, who selected Tyler for the role, said he has “full confidence” in her, according to his spokesman Jeff Fleming.
Objections
During the committee meeting, Tyler faced objections, including from Ald. Sharlen Moore.
Moore spoke about Tyler’s lack of experience communicating with the full Milwaukee Common Council.
She spoke with NNS previously about funding concerns for the department and the pressures that could place on its new director.
The department faces uncertain funding, with money from the pandemic-era American Rescue Plan Act set to expire at the end of 2026.
“We are facing one of the toughest budget years that we’ve ever faced as a city,” Moore told NNS.
Residents and agency partners have sent emails and made calls raising serious concerns about the department’s future, Moore said.
“No one wants to see Ms. Tyler or anyone else set up to fail leading a department,” she said.
At the end of the committee meeting, Tyler’s appointment advanced by a 3-2 vote, with Moore and Ald. Scott Spiker voting against.
The full council is scheduled to vote on whether or not to confirm Tyler’s appointment Tuesday. Ten votes are required for confirmation.
Many changes
Part of Moore’s concerns stem from changes to the nature of the city’s anti-violence work.
In the fall, the council voted to convert the Office of Community Wellness and Safety into the Department of Community Wellness and Safety.
The change is more than a matter of name.
A city office is typically a smaller unit of a city department, while a department’s authority is broader and outlined by state law.
Department directors are considered public officers under state law, so there are additional legal and ethical requirements.
The change led to Tyler’s second chance at the director position. She was a finalist for the position before Johnson chose Adam Procell for the role in August. He led the office for about five months but had to resign after the office was converted to a department.
Wisconsin law can restrict eligibility for certain public offices, including for people with felony convictions.
Procell has made no secret of his homicide conviction when he was a teenager, often centering it in his criminal justice advocacy.
Tyler’s vision
Tyler participated in several public forums during the time when she was one of three finalists to become director.
During those forums – and again to the Public Safety and Health Committee – she explained her vision for the department and the director role.
“What Milwaukee needs most in this moment is a leader who can relate to all people, from families in crisis to front line staff to elected officials and to community stakeholders,” Tyler told committee members. “Our city needs someone who listens, who cares deeply and who will work tirelessly every day to make our community safer.”
Tyler said she wants to lead the department with a public health lens that is “grounded in community voice, healing and data-driven strategies that address the root causes of violence.”
Tyler has said that her son is an inspiration for her work. Her son, Andrew, was shot and killed during a home invasion in 2011.
“This work is deeply personal to me, and it is a responsibility I do not take lightly,” Tyler told committee members.
Disappointed in appointment
Shawn Muhammad, who works in violence prevention, said he is disappointed in how the process of implementing a new leader has unfolded so far.
“They’re playing politics when our people are dying in the street,” Muhammad said.
The mayor believes Tyler is prepared for the challenges of the role, Fleming said, noting that she has held leadership positions in the field for many years and has demonstrated her abilities.
As for funding worries that have been raised, Fleming called that an “odd concern,” adding that the Common Council has full authority to amend the city budget if it determines the mayor has not sufficiently funded the department.
“There are resources available now, and the administration expects there will be sufficient resources available going forward,” Fleming said. “The mayor is committed to the work that (the department) does, and he will share specific funding plans on the statutorily established budget schedule.”
Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.
