Alderwoman Nikiya Dodd Resigns

Alderwoman Nikiya Dodd‘s tenure on the Milwaukee Common Council is coming to an end after four years. Dodd submitted her resignation following Tuesday’s council meeting. Her last day representing her far-northwest side district is Friday.

“I have had a great run. I am grateful for the opportunity to have served. I am thankful for my constituency for entrusting me,” said Dodd in remarks at the end of Tuesday’s council meeting. “I can truly say that I have given my all and this is my last run. You will not see me coming back.”

But plenty of questions remain about what comes next for her, or where she’s been for the past two months.

“You guys have all of the information I’ve provided,” said Dodd to Urban Milwaukee in a brief interview. But she has not previously answered questions about her absence or provided information to Urban Milwaukee.

Since Sept. 28, she’s missed several committee meetings and multiple full-council meetings. This has left her colleagues having to serve additional ad-hoc committee assignments to satisfy quorum requirements.

The only full council meetings Dodd has been present for since mid-September were the budget adoption meeting on Nov. 4 and Tuesday’s meeting to review the budget vetoes.

The outgoing alderwoman invited her colleagues for a celebratory toast at Saint Kate The Arts Hotel after the meeting, but suggested she won’t even tell them where she’s headed next.

“Everybody will hear about it at the same time,” said Dodd.

As a council member, Dodd was paid $73,222 annually. She was first elected in a November 2018 special election and re-elected in April 2020.

Dodd, 47, did not run for re-election in 2016 after a single term in the Wisconsin State Senate so she could spend more time with her young son. Dodd also previously served on the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors. She and her husband Anthony Dodd are residents of the city’s Nash Park neighborhood.

The 5th council district is located on the northwest side of the city. It runs from W. Bradley Rd. to W. Center St., primarily between N. 76th St. and W. Appleton Ave. and the city’s western border. The seat was previously held by Jim Bohl, who resigned to take a job in Tom Barrett‘s administration and is now chief of staff to Mayor Cavalier Johnson.

Will Dodd endorse anyone running to replace her?

“I will do whatever feels right at the time,” said the alderwoman.

In addition to her stints in public office, Dodd has worked in fundraising roles for Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin and the Urban Ecology Center. She holds a master’s degree in public administration from UW-Milwaukee.

Dodd’s final stand-alone legislative action might hint at her future job. Without explanation, she abstained from voting on the renewal of agreements with three city-approved charter schools.

Dodd’s resignation leaves the council with three vacancies. Common Council President Jose G. Perez is expected to call special elections next week to fill all three.

A primary would be held Feb. 21 and a general election April 4. Council seats are non-partisan with the top two vote-getters in the primary advancing to the general election.

The other two vacancies were created in the summer as Chantia Lewis was removed from office as part of a felony plea agreement and Ashnti Hamilton resigned following an appointment by Mayor Johnson to lead the city’s Office of Violence Prevention.