Who Wants To Be Milwaukee’s Public Works Czar?

Do you have an interest in the intersection of public policy, road construction and garbage pickup? Milwaukee might have just the job for you.

Mayor Cavalier Johnson is seeking a new Commissioner of Public Works to lead the Department of Public Works (DPW). Job applications are due Friday at 5 p.m.

The cabinet-level position leads a department with a $247 million budget, four divisions and 1,674 authorized positions. DPW is responsible for a wide swath of city services, including pothole repair, parking meter rates, the streetcar system, water service, street design and street-light replacement. The individual is heavily involved in everything from combatting reckless driving to delivering major construction projects on time.

“The ideal candidate will possess the passion, vision and public works leadership experience to work tirelessly to build upon the DPW’s proud history and to strategically lead the DPW forward,” says the job posting.

The city, under former Mayor Tom Barrett, established a lengthy history of promoting from within. The four commissioners that served under the longtime mayor were already DPW employees. Karen Dettmer, the last commissioner under Barrett and the first woman, resigned in March to join the Biden administration.

And while Johnson’s pick could still come from within DPW, they could have one very distinct difference: the commissioner is no longer required to be a licensed engineer.

The reason for the change was two-fold. It would increase the size of the pool of candidates because the salary is currently required to be lower than the mayors (the position pays a maximum of $147,335) and there is a belief direct engineering experience is no longer necessary.

“The mayor is interested in finding the best possible candidate,” said a spokesperson for Johnson in April. “That might be an engineer, but not necessarily. We no longer ask the commissioner of the department, herself or himself, to draft roadway designs or sewer plans. The job is largely one of a senior executive, interacting with elected officials and residents, coordinating departmental divisions, overseeing staff and handling administrative duties.”

Jim Bohl, Johnson’s chief of staff, said the administration had “absolutely nobody” in mind when it requested the change. Bohl said that executive search firm Ralph Anderson & Associates said the city would find more candidates by dropping the requirement.

The American Society of Civil Engineers opposed the change, but the council approved the city charter change in May. Alderwoman Milele A. Coggs abstained without explanation on the otherwise unanimously adopted change.

An engineer will still lead the Infrastructure Division. City Engineer Jerrel Kruschke holds the cabinet-level post of City Engineer and oversees the division. He is currently the interim DPW commissioner.

Patrick Pauly is currently the acting superintendent of the Milwaukee Water Works, a division of DPW, but Johnson nominated him for the permanent post earlier this week.

The remaining divisions, operations and administrative services, are led by non-appointed city employees.

The new commissioner’s appointment is subject to Common Council approval.

The mayoral salary cap could be a thing of the past before the new commissioner is hired. Johnson is on board with eliminating the cap, but a council proposal is being held for further evaluation. Coggs raised concerns, when it was discussed in May, that there could be unintended consequences that result in white males being the primary individuals that benefit. Other council members raised concerns, given the city’s impending fiscal issues and the potential need to lay off a sizable percentage of the workforce.