Liz Sumner Announces Candidacy for County Comptroller

Liz Sumner. Photo courtesy of Friends of Liz Sumner.

Milwaukee County Supervisor Liz Sumner announced her candidacy Thursday for Milwaukee County Comptroller.

The comptroller, currently Scott Manske, is the chief financial officer for Milwaukee County government, which has an approximately $1.3 billion annual budget. The office will next be up for election in spring 2024.

Sumner, a resident of Fox Point, was first elected to represent District 1 on the county board in 2020 and is in the final year of her second term on the board.

Since 2022, she has been chair of the board’s powerful Committee on Finance, which is in charge of developing the annual county budget. Sumner has also served on the Fox Point Village Board since 2015.

She also owns SHOP, a women’s boutique, in Whitefish Bay.

“I believe my experience, both in public service and the private sector, along with my education background, uniquely equips me for the role of Comptroller. I’m ready to navigate the financial challenges we face and work to make Milwaukee County fiscally strong and vibrant,” Sumner said in a statement released Thursday.

Sumner is a graduate of Marquette University, where she double majored in political science and French. She went on to the University of Chicago Booth School of Business where she received a Master of Business Administration (MBA).

“I’m just really interested in running for comptroller because I think it would be a better fit for my skill set,” said Sumner in an interview.

Working on the board’s Finance and Audit Committees, Sumner said she has already developed a good working relationship with some of the departments and staff operating under the comptroller.

Sumner said she would like to bring a “fresh perspective” to the office. She noted that Manske has been with the county for a long time. She said he’s “doing a great job” but added, “There’s always a different way to look at something, and generally I think there’s always room for improvement.” She said she would meet with the employees and listen to their ideas for improvement or efficiencies in the office.

The position of comptroller was created in 2012 through a change in state law. Before then, the county had a chief accountant, a position subject to appointment by the county executive and confirmation by the county board.

Manske, a state-certified public accountant, was the county’s chief accountant from 1992 until it became an elected position in 2012. He won election as comptroller that year and has been re-elected twice.

He told Urban Milwaukee he has not made a decision about whether or not he will run again and that he likely won’t until the fall.

The job of comptroller would yield a significant pay bump for Sumner. Supervisors are considered part-time and paid $36,000 a year. The full-time comptroller is paid $130,000 a year.

Sumner told Urban Milwaukee that she doesn’t plan to seek re-election to either the county board nor the Fox Point Village Board. She also said she has begun taking steps to reorganize her business so that it can run largely without her, as she wants to dedicate her focus to the office of the comptroller.

A primary, if three or more candidates enter the race, would occur in February. A general election will take place in April.