Council Honors Jonathan Brostoff, Terry Witkowski in Somber Meeting

Ald. Jonathan Brostoff’s honorary desk. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

The legacy of the Honey Badger touched the hearts of every Milwaukee Common Council member Wednesday.

The city’s legislative body met for the first time since Alderman Jonathan Brostoff‘s tragic suicide Monday. His desk on the council floor at Milwaukee City Hall was adorned with flowers, a four-pack of his beloved Sprecher root beer and a coat of arms bearing his self-described tenacious governing style, the Honey Badger.

“He was a beloved colleague,” said Council President José G. Pérez in a media scrum before the meeting began. “He was a great family man and husband. And he brought an energy every day to this council, jumping around from office to officer, including mine, talking about how we make the city better, and he will be missed dearly.”

After a roll call and the pledge of allegiance, the council held a moment of silence for Brostoff, 41, and former alderman Terry Witkowski, 80, who died of natural causes on the same day.

“We gather today in shadows cast in our shared loss. [They] were leaders and advocates. They were also our colleagues and friends. And condolences of this entire body go out to their families and all those who were touched by their lives,” said Pérez from the dais. “They cannot be replaced, but I hope we can honor them by continuing their lives in service.”

Funeral services for Brostoff are pending. Discussions about other ways to honor his legacy are underway among those that knew him.

In a 2019 op-ed, he shared his prior battles with suicidal thoughts, depression and bipolar disorder. Before being elected to the council in 2022, Brostoff served in the Wisconsin State Assembly from 2015-2022. Additional information on his life and legacy can be found in our coverage from Monday and a follow-up column Tuesday.

A GoFundMe campaign to provide financial support for his wife, Diana Vang Brostoff, and four children is underway.

Despite having more than 100 items on the agenda that each had to be read into the record, the meeting took less than 27 minutes. The lone item to receive even the slightest hint of discussion, a unanimous one-sentence motion, was a referral to a committee for an item previously held in council. Several members could be spotted leaving their seats and grabbing tissues. A handful of members made announcements about community events at the end of the meeting.

Witkowski Also Honored

The council also recognized the passing of former member Terry Witkowski, who served from 2003 through 2019. The originator of The Garden District moniker for the far southside district he represented, Witkowski remained active in the community following his retirement. His successor, former aide Scott Spiker, led the unanimous honorary street naming of one block of W. Norwich Street near the Garden District Community Garden that Witkowski helped created. The council recognized Witkowski in a ceremony in March.

After the meeting, he was remembered by those who knew him for his earnest belief in the ability of government to help people and his dedication to the city.

Prior to being elected, Witkowski worked for the city for 31 years, including serving as safety director for the Milwaukee Safety Commission. “Which was very frustrating when I worked for him because anytime I had an argument for him, he would say ‘Scott, I have been in city government more years than you have been alive,’” said Spiker, who started working for him in 2015, when the honorary street name was being reviewed. Witkowski also chaired the Garden District Neighborhood Association after retiring from politics.

A funeral for Witkowski is expected to take place this weekend.