Willie Smith Named to City Plan Commission
Northwest Side CDC Director would replace Darryl Johnson, whose term expired
Willie Smith in July 2019. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.
Mayor Tom Barrett nominated Willie Smith, executive director of the Northwest Side Community Development Corporation, to serve on the City Plan Commission. His appointment is subject to Common Council confirmation.
Smith, a Westown resident, has led the NWSCDC since January, replacing longtime executive director Howard Snyder. Smith has been with the organization since 2013, having previously served as its director of housing and director of lending. He held a variety of real estate finance positions before joining the non-profit according to a resume submitted to the council.
Smith is also a graduate of LISC Milwaukee’s highly-regarded Associates in Commercial Real Estate (ACRE) program that trains women and minorities for careers in real estate in partnership with local universities. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Cardinal Stritch University.
Most of its decisions take the form of recommendations to the Common Council, but it has final oversight over a couple dozen development incentive zones including The Brewery, Midtown Center and Reed Street Yards.
Smith could be joined by another appointee. Barrett nominated former Department of City Development deputy commissioner Martha Brown in November, but the council has yet to take action on her appointment. Brown is slated to replace the late Whitney Gould. Smith would fill a new vacancy created by the expiration of Darryl Johnson‘s appointment. Johnson, according to state voting records, lived in the Village of Brown Deer for his entire two-year term and was, under state law, ineligible to serve on the commission.
Smith and Brown would join Stephanie Bloomingdale, Allyson Nemec, Brianna Sas-Pérez, Ranell Washington and Catrina Crane. The latter three were all appointed after June 2019. Alongside Smith, Barrett nominated Bloomingdale, a labor organizer, for another two-year term.
Appointees serve two-year terms and are paid $3,000 annually.
Political Contributions Tracker
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- December 1, 2020 - Tom Barrett received $400 from Stephanie Bloomingdale
- October 8, 2018 - Tom Barrett received $500 from Allyson Nemec
- June 28, 2018 - Tom Barrett received $400 from Stephanie Bloomingdale
- May 24, 2017 - Tom Barrett received $400 from Stephanie Bloomingdale
- March 14, 2016 - Tom Barrett received $400 from Stephanie Bloomingdale
- January 28, 2016 - Tom Barrett received $400 from Howard Snyder
What? A Brown Deer resident serving on a City of Milwaukee commission? Shouldn’t eligibility be the first thing in the nominee vetting process? This is just sloppy work by the administration by the Barrett administration.