County Transportation Director Resigns

Donna Brown-Martin. Photo taken June 28, 2024 by Jeramey Jannene.

Milwaukee County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) Director Donna Brown-Martin has resigned and announced her retirement following the announcement of a shocking transit budget deficit.

“I want to thank Donna for her years of service to Milwaukee County, as well as for her many contributions during her time with our administration,” Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said in a statement released by MCDOT Tuesday. “My administration is committed to finding new leadership for this vital department and will begin that process immediately.”

Brown-Martin’s departure comes just weeks after the Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) blindsided the county executive, Milwaukee County’s Board of Supervisors and its independent Comptroller Liz Sumner with a projected $10.9 million budget deficit and cuts to bus service. Elected officials were not given an advance warning and had to learn of the transit system’s financial outlook through news reports.

By failing to report the deficit, MCTS has also potentially run afoul of a county ordinance that requires county departments to report operating budget deficits that exceed $100,000. The office of the Milwaukee County Comptroller is planning to conduct a financial analysis of MCTS in the short term as well as an official audit of the transit agency, which is expected to take nine to 12 months.

Brown-Martin is a county employee and does not work for the transit system. As the director of MCDOT, she chairs the board of Milwaukee Transport Services, Inc., a quasi-governmental instrumentality set up to run and provide oversight of the transit system.

Brown-Martin came to the county in 2018, following a 25 year career with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. At MCDOT, she also oversaw the county-owned Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport, Highway Maintenance, the county fleet and Transportation Services.

During her time at MCDOT, the county planned and developed its first bus rapid transit service, Connect 1; the transit system grappled with the challenges of providing transit service during a global pandemic; MCDOT took the lead in developing traffic safety infrastructure across the county, leading a multi-year planning effort and pursuing federal funding. Brown-Martin also worked closely with advocates for disabled persons and the paratransit system to develop a replacement for the popular paratransit taxi service.

As Brown-Martin leaves, the county’s transit system faces significant budget challenges. Even before the 2025 budget deficit was announced in mid-year, MCTS had long known it faces a structural deficit. Since 2020, it has filled the budget gap with federal funding released during the COVID-19 pandemic. Once the funding is exhausted, the structural deficit will re-emerge in full force: estimates put it between $12 and $18 million annually.

With Brown-Martin gone, both MCTS and MCDOT are under transitional leadership. Julie Esch, interim managing director of MCTS, took over following the retirement of Denise Wandke in 2024.

MCDOT Deputy Director John Rodgers and MCDOT Highway Director Eddie Santiago will assume Brown-Martin’s duties in the short term. Santiago will manage day-to-day operations through July 23 this year, according to a letter Crowley sent to the county board Tuesday.