County Names New Director of Transportation

Milwaukee County’s top budget official is taking over leadership of the county’s Department of Transportation (MCDOT).

Joe Lamers, director of the Office of Strategy, Performance and Budget, is being tapped by Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley to run MCDOT.

Since 2018, Lamers has presided over the county’s budget office, overseeing development of the county’s annual $1.4 billion budget and the project management office.

MCDOT Deputy Director John Rodgers and MCDOT Highway Director Eddie Santiago have been running the department since June. They took over following the departure of former MCDOT director Donna Brown-Martin, who resigned in the wake of the budget deficit scandal that rocked the Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) this past year.

MCTS officials shocked the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors in June with the public announcement of a $10.4 million mid-year budget deficit that had not yet been reported to the board or the Office of the Comptroller. Emails obtained by Urban Milwaukee later showed top transit officials planned to conceal the deficit until the budget process, but eventually the magnitude of the budget gap and ongoing negotiations with the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 998 (ATU) forced the system to go public.

“As we look to the future of transportation services in Milwaukee County, I believe fiscal sustainability and responsibility must be at the forefront while we build stronger partnerships, pursue new revenues, and develop creative solutions to maintain and improve transportation and transit services across our community,” Crowley said.

Lamers brought “integrity and expertise” to his current role, Crowley said in a statement. Along with directing the budget office, Lamers supported creation of the Crowley administration’s grant development office. He conducted fiscal analysis for administrations sales tax policy push at the state level, and helped the county’s lobbyists secure an additional $3 million for MCDOT to repair county roads and highways in the latest state budget.

During the 2026 budget process, the Milwaukee County Board adopted an amendment directing the county’s lobbyists to prioritize securing “increased and sustained funding” for the transit system.

“Whether it be on county roads and highways, bus and paratransit services, or the airport, MCDOT provides critically important transportation services that are needed to bring residents and visitors to their jobs, education, entertainment, and other community connections,” Lamers said in a statement. “I look forward to working with staff throughout the department and advancing the important mission to provide safe and reliable transportation options. I also look forward to working with all partners necessary to develop viable and fiscally sustainable funding options to provide transportation and transit services into the future.”

As head of the budget office, Lamers has experience with transit and transportation budgets and projects. He has even worked with MCDOT in the past to streamline vehicle replacements and reduce costs that are vulnerable to inflation, according to Crowley’s office.

Lamers will be the top administration official in charge of oversight of MCTS. The agency is a quasi-governmental instrumentality created by county government to operate the transit system. MCTS leaders have exercised expansive authority over transit decision making in the grey area created by the disjointed governance structure.

MCTS is heading into a tumultuous period of transition. The system will begin implementing significant service reductions in 2026, and budget projections suggest they will mark the beginning of a period of significant cuts to transit. MCTS President and CEO Steve Fuentes recently told county supervisors the agency was expecting an $18 million to $20 million budget gap in 2027.

Lamers’ appointment is subject to approval by the county board. He will take office as acting director on Dec. 8.

Strategy Director Isaac Rowlett will fill in at the helm of the county budget office while the administration searches for a replacement.