Supervisor Condemns Meddling that Caused Resignation
“While Poulus’ boss may have given him some well-intentioned career advise to help him avoid the discomfort of a politically volatile situation, I am dismayed to hear that ‘punishing’ Poulus was even discussed by elected officials, much less demanded by them.”
Milwaukee – Milwaukee County Supervisor Deanna Alexander released the following statement in response to the details of Christopher Poulos’ resignation, as exposed during the public inquest into Derek Williams’ death.
“We are all bothered by the tragic death of Derek Williams, which has rightfully shaken our community. I am also shaken by testimony that has surfaced in public inquest hearings, indicating that Christopher Poulos, the assistant medical examiner who declared Williams’ death a homicide, had been politically pressured into quitting his job and leaving Milwaukee County.”
“While Poulos’ boss may have given him some well-intentioned career advise to help him avoid the discomfort of a politically volatile situation, I am dismayed to hear that ‘punishing’ Poulus was even discussed by elected officials, much less demanded by them. I want to make it crystal clear that I never exerted any political pressure to solicit a resignation and I was not aware that any other members of the board had pushed for his dismissal. It is one thing for the County Board to change or clarify policy, or to consider intervention to prevent injustice, but quite another for it to micromanage and intimidate workers and I condemn such tactics.”
“Every single employee of this county needs to know that whether they are whistle-blowing, or just trying to do the right thing, I will never use my power as a County Supervisor to demand a resignation on that basis alone. There is no reason for public employees to be pushed around in such a way and I sincerely apologize for the words or actions of elected officials that mistakenly resulted in an honest employee leaving Milwaukee County.”
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.
Mentioned in This Press Release
Recent Press Releases by Sup. Deanna Alexander
