Clifton Crump Named To Zoning Board

A familiar face is returning to Milwaukee City Hall.

Clifton Crump was nominated by Mayor Cavalier Johnson to serve on the Board of Zoning Appeals.

The citizen-led, part-time board oversees a wide variety of zoning issues, including approving the location of childcare providers, used-car dealerships and scrap yards. It reviews more than 700 proposals per year.

Crump is intimately familiar with the board’s inner workings. He previously served as its secretary, a full-time role within city government, from 2002 to 2008. And then Crump climbed through the ranks of Mayor Tom Barrett‘s administration, working as a project manager for the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Milwaukee, the mayor’s council liaison and, ultimately, the operations manager for the Fire & Police Commission. But Crump resigned abruptly in 2019 shortly after being passed over for the job of FPC executive director.

In a resignation letter, he said he had been “patient and understanding” while the department dealt with staffing issues, notably turnover at the top. “However the hint of my management practices or effectiveness now being questioned, in a manner I perceive as scapegoating me for the longstanding structural and historical problems of the FPC (that are decades in the making), is my tipping point,” wrote Crump.

Now he’s back, and to universal acclaim.

“If there is anybody that is qualified for this position, it is you,” said Alderman Robert Bauman at Tuesday’s meeting of the Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee.

Bauman praised Crump for his effective efforts in managing the city’s inventory of foreclosed properties and said his only regret was that Crump got promoted.

“I think he is probably the most qualified candidate to fill this position in a long time,” said Ald. Michael Murphy.

Council President Jose G. Perez echoed the thoughts of his colleagues.

“I would like to thank Mayor Johnson for trusting me with this nomination,” said Crump, now the chief operating officer for Milwaukee College Prep.

Crump said he was prepared to serve on the quasi-judicial board and had the skill set to do so. He said his experience serving as the non-voting secretary during a period when the zoning code was overhauled under Mayor John Norquist gave him a specialized viewpoint.

“I understand some of the nuances of the code and some of the purposes of the new definitions,” he said. “I understand all of the elements of what it takes for a board to function.”

He said the most complicated case he oversaw during his time as secretary was the creation of Potawatomi Bingo Casino in the Menomonee Valley. “It was very compelling, the room was packed, the top attorneys were on both sides,” said Crump. He said Norquist was against it, and the commissioners split their votes. “It was a very complicated case.”

Crump, who is being appointed to a role as an alternate, will join chair Roy B. Evans, vice chair Henry Szymanski and members Jewel Currie, Jennifer Current and Eric Lowenberg. Lindsey St. Arnold Bell, another prior board secretary, serves as the board’s other alternate member. Jeffrey Thomas is the current board secretary. Members are appointed by the mayor to three-year terms.

“Hopefully you will be moved to a permanent member,” said Murphy. The council committee unanimously endorsed his appointment.

The board meets monthly for what is a several-hours-long meeting with many public hearings. Members, according to the 2022 city budget, are paid $4,200 annually regardless of whether they are in full or alternate positions. The chair is paid $35,000.

The council’s zoning committee oversees changes to the zoning code, including rezoning parcels to accommodate large development proposals. BOZA primarily addresses special uses of the council-approved code.

Crump’s appointment is scheduled to go before the full council on June 21. The new BOZA appointee is a relative of Department of City Development Commissioner Lafayette Crump.