Council Confirms New Chief Building Inspector

Jezamil Arroyo-Vega takes her oath of office to serve as DNS Commissioner. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

The City of Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services (DNS) has a new leader, at least temporarily.

The Common Council unanimously confirmed Mayor Cavalier Johnson‘s appointment of Jezamil Arroyo-Vega as the new Commissioner of Building Inspection. Arroyo-Vega, since 2022, has served as the manager of the building construction division in DNS.

The appointment follows an unusual series of events, where veteran commissioner Erica Roberts resigned to take a lower-profile city job and the council effectively rejected the appointment of Roberts’ deputy Kristen Reed, as a search for a permanent candidate plays out.

“I just want to thank my colleagues for making sure they were involved in getting the best candidate,” said Council President José G. Pérez before the council voted.

“The council just wasn’t pleased with the initial selection, pushed back on the administration, talked to the administration, all of the above and they surfaced another name that they believed we would be behind, and they were right,” said Pérez in an interview. The last two times there was a vacancy, the person holding Reed’s current role, operations director, served in an interim capacity.

Pérez and other council members have expressed concerns with the department in recent years.

“The development center remains to be a concern,” said Pérez. “Staffing levels, especially on the residential side, have to be filled. They used to do proactive sweeps. Now, it’s all complaint-based. Those are the two priorities for me.”

“I am thrilled with the opportunity to vote for Jezamil for this appointment,” said Alderman Jonathan Brostoff. “I think it’s an incredible step forward for the city, for the department. I want to thank her for her years of public service, for all she’s done for the city.”

“I believe she will be the only Latina in Mayor Johnson’s cabinet. Her appointment is pivotal for our community,” said Alderwoman JoCasta Zamarripa.

Arroyo-Vega, who was sworn into her new role immediately following the meeting, gets to effectively have an on-the-job audition for the permanent post. The mayor’s office said a national search for a permanent commissioner remains ongoing, but that Arroyo-Vega is a candidate.

A native of Puerto Rico, Arroyo-Vega holds a bachelor’s degree in architectural studies and a master’s degree in architecture from UW-Milwaukee. She is a 2015 graduate of the Associates in Commercial Real Estate program. Arroyo-Vega is a certified commercial and residential inspector.

She worked as a building inspector for DNS for two years before taking an assistant director role with the Illinois Housing Development Authority for two years and boomeranging back to DNS.

Prior to her government roles, Arroyo-Vega served as the interim executive director of Artists Working in Education, a neighborhood planner with VIA CDC (then LBWN), a community support specialist with Riverworks Development Corporation, an energy advocate with the Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corporation and as director of projects for a nonprofit engaged in affordable housing development in Puerto Rico. She also served for two years in a part-time role on the City Plan Commission.

Roberts, who had served as commissioner since 2019 before taking a new job as the policy and administration manager in the city’s IT department, had her last day with the department on Nov. 10.

“I look forward to the new career challenges ahead for me, and I appreciate the backing Mayor Johnson has provided,” said Roberts in a statement when the mayor announced her resignation. “This new role is an opportunity to continue my service to Milwaukee in a supportive and respectful environment.” Johnson’s chief of staff and communications director said the mayor didn’t ask Roberts to resign and that her transfer would be a loss for DNS.

The commissioner holds an important role within the department, not just from a leadership and staffing perspective. The position is granted the authority to sign contracts and issue variances from the state building code.

DNS has an approximately $22.5 million budget in the 2024 city budget, formally adopted during the same meeting. According to a Legislative Reference Bureau presentation, the mayor’s budget included 286 authorized positions, but there were 45 vacancies as of October. The council added five positions in its amendment process as part of a move to begin inspecting Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee properties.

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Related Legislation: File 231168