Alexander Fends Off Challenge for Board Seat

Deanna Alexander. Photo from Milwaukee County.

Supervisor Deanna Alexander, who has represented County Board District 18 for 10 years, defeated political newcomer Brandon Williford Tuesday for county board District 18.

Unofficial results show Alexander carrying 55.8% of the vote and Williford with 43.5%. Alexander narrowly won a three-way primary in February with 46% of the vote. While the seat is a non-partisan office, the third candidate in the primary split the left-of-center vote and it was expected those voters would go to Williford. Alexander is known as a conservative.

Alexander has served on the county board for 10 non-consecutive years. She won her first term in 2012 and held the seat until 2020, opting not to run for reelection to keep a campaign promise to only run for three terms. She ran again in April, 2022, winning an unusual, seven-way general election where all seven candidates were running write-in campaigns.

She has worked for the county’s Behavioral Health Division, the state Department of Children and Families, as the Administrator for the Village of Newburg and is currently the Town Clerk for the Town of Brookfield.

Alexander is one of the board’s few conservatives, but represents a district that has Democratic representatives in both the Wisconsin Assembly and Senate. She voted in favor of the new 0.4% county sales tax in 2023.

While this was his first campaign for public office, Williford’s campaign had major political muscle behind it. The local Democratic Party endorsed him; high-profile local Democrats like State Rep. Evan Goyke and State Sen. Chris Larson campaigned for him; and the state Democratic Party peppered the 18th district with mailers supporting him.

Williford is an organizer with Citizen Action Wisconsin, a progressive policy advocacy organization, where he focuses on healthcare policy. He is also the youngest person to serve on the board of directors for the Milwaukee Turners in the history of the organization. Williford is 25 and Alexander is 42.

County supervisors are elected to a two-year term. The part-time, non-partisan position pays $25,924 annually. The county board is the legislative arm of Milwaukee County government.