Three Candidates Running To Replace Cavalier Johnson On Council

Three candidates have already filed to replace Mayor Cavalier Johnson on the Milwaukee Common Council.

Johnson resigned from his council seat, which encompasses the middle of the city’s north side, after being elected mayor on April 5. He was first elected to the seat in 2016.

Those vying to replace him include Jerel Ballard, Ieshuh Griffin and Mark Chambers Jr.

Generally speaking, the oddly-shaped second district runs from W. Good Hope Rd. south to W. Capitol Dr. and from N. 51st St. to N. 107th St. The bulk of the district falls between W. Mill Rd., W. Hampton Ave., N. 60th St. and N. 91st St.

Ballard was the first to file for the race. A Milwaukee native and former television journalist, he currently serves as director of communications for the Public Service Commission. He previously served as an intern in Mayor Tom Barrett‘s office and held a marketing job with the Milwaukee Police Department.

“As a Milwaukee resident, I know that each neighborhood has its own opportunities and challenges,” said Ballard in a statement announcing his campaign. “Yet, at the core of this city are vibrant communities that want their neighborhoods to remain safe. Milwaukeeans deserve access to affordable housing, thriving local businesses and roads that do not constantly need repair.”

Griffin is running for the seat after running for mayor earlier this year. She garnered 315 votes in the primary election, finishing seventh, according to results posted by the Milwaukee Election Commission.

She has repeatedly claimed election fraud occurred in the mayoral election and filed a civil rights lawsuit in federal court to challenge the results of the primary (ed: Jeramey Jannene was named as a co-defendant in Griffin’s complaint, but the case was dismissed with prejudice by the court). Griffin ran as a registered write-in candidate in the general election.

“#Milwaukee imagine if you will as I litigate against the COUNTERFEIT & others ME doing a FAR better job as alderwoman in the district CavaLIER failed…imagine an AN ALDERWOMAN BEING the People’s Mayor for ALL…GETTING THE JOB DONE AND THEN SOME…(CHESS NOT CHECKERS),” tweeted Griffin the day she filed her campaign registration statement.

Chambers Jr. has a campaign website that says “coming soon.” He did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.

Candidates have until June 1 to file to run for the seat. Between 200 to 400 signatures of district residents must be filed to appear on the ballot.

The winner will be elected to the remainder of Johnson’s term, which lasts through April 2024. Council members are elected to four-year terms and paid a base salary of $73,222. They serve on the city’s 15-member legislative body.

A primary election, if at least three qualify for the ballot, would be held Aug. 9. The general election will take place Nov. 8. Both election dates are already scheduled fall partisan elections. The council seat is non-partisan.

The district includes the Columbus Park, Valhalla, Silver Swan, Little Menomonee Parkway, Menomonee River Hills, Vogel Park and Westlawn Gardens neighborhoods.

Ballard, based on the address of his campaign registration, is working with Nation Consulting. Nation partner Sachin Chheda recently served as campaign manager for Johnson’s mayoral campaign.

The election will pose a special challenge for the Milwaukee Election Commission and voters. Under state law, it will take place according to the council’s prior district boundaries that Johnson was elected under, not the newly-adopted map. Voters may live in new wards that are eligible to vote in the race, but on blocks within the ward that are outside the old boundaries, rendering them ineligible.

The 2012 map under which the special election will be held was created when the district had 41,707 residents of which 67.3% of voting age residents were Black, 21.3% white, 6.9% Asian and 3.2% Hispanic.

The new district has 38,739 residents, from which the voting age population is 70.5% Black, 13.5% white, 10.2% Asian and 3.9% Hispanic, according to a Legislative Reference Bureau report. It is also home to one of the city’s highest-profile residents: the mayor.

Ald. Nik Kovac, who Johnson appointed as budget director, is expected to resign May 9 after a special council meeting called to confirm his appointment. His resignation would meet a state deadline for a special election to be called alongside the already scheduled fall election. Representative Jonathan Brostoff has already declared his intention to run for the seat and more challengers are expected.