Second Candidate Joins Race for County Comptroller

Milwaukee County Courthouse. Photo by Graham Kilmer.

With the entrance of a second candidate, there is officially a race to become the chief financial officer of Milwaukee County government.

Michael Harper, an entrepreneur and partner at Capital Midwest Fund, is running for Milwaukee County Comptroller. He is running against Milwaukee County Sup. Liz Sumner in the race to replace current current Milwaukee County Comptroller Scott Manske.

Manske announced in late 2023 that he would not seek re-election to the post and would instead retire. Manske has served as the county’s top accountant since 1992. The position became an elected office called comptroller in 2012. Many of the managers working in the comptroller’s office are expected to stay on after his retirement.

The Milwaukee County Comptroller is elected to serve a four-year term and earns approximately $130,000 a year.

Harper told Urban Milwaukee in an interview that he sees the comptroller’s role as one that “supports and complements the work of both the county executive and the board of supervisors” providing the financial analysis, research and due diligence needed for policymakers to advance and implement their policy goals.

From 2015 to 2020 Harper served on the Milwaukee County Employee Pension Board, including as its chair. He was removed by Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson in 2020 because a relative of his was a beneficiary of the county pension system. Harper was appointed to the position by former Chairman Theo Lipscomb, who knew Harper’s mother was a beneficiary of the pension system. County officials discovered the conflict in 2019, but Lipscomb ignored the advice of the county’s attorneys and refused to remove Harper from the oversight board. Nicholson removed him shortly after her elevation to chairwoman in 2020.

“That was a decision that [Nicholson] made with her discretion,” Harper said. “I respect the decision, you know, it’s a new day.”

Harper said much of his professional experience has been in capital markets and that he has chartered alternative investment analyst certification. Harper grew up in Milwaukee graduating from University School Milwaukee before earning a bachelors degree from Miami University in Ohio. He has a master’s degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology in financial markets and trading.

Harper said the county has several large projects in its future that involve large, challenging financial commitments, for which astute financial stewardship will be needed. Specifically, he mentioned the county’s plans for a second bus rapid transit service and a new criminal courthouse building. The latter is expected to be one of the most expensive in county history, estimated at approximately $488.9 million.

The election for comptroller will appear on county ballots this spring during the April 2 general election.

Update: This story has been updated to include information previously reported by Urban Milwaukee providing context on the decision to remove Harper from the pension board.