County Executive Crowley Selects Joe Lamers as Director of Milwaukee County Department of Transportation

MILWAUKEE – Today, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley announced the selection of Joe Lamers as Director of the Milwaukee County Department of Transportation (MCDOT). Lamers brings nearly 20 years of experience in local government administration to this role, including nearly eight years as the Director of the Milwaukee County Office of Strategy, Budget and Performance (SBP).

“Since I took office, Joe Lamers has served my administration with integrity and expertise. His leadership in creating County budgets and initiatives has closed structural deficits and enhanced essential services for the community, including in public transit and transportation infrastructure,” said County Executive Crowley. “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. Joe Lamers is a highly-qualified, experienced leader who will work with MCDOT staff and partners to lead the department forward, address the challenges before us, and ensure people in Milwaukee County can continue utilizing critical transportation services in the years to come. I look forward to the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors considering his appointment in the weeks ahead.”

In his role as SBP Director, Lamers oversaw countywide strategic planning efforts, managed the development of Milwaukee County’s $1.4 billion annual budget, and led Milwaukee County’s Project Management Office that focuses on operational improvements, grant development, public policy, internal communications, and priority projects for the county. During his tenure with SPB, Director Lamers worked on several important initiatives that positively impacted the fiscal health and sustainability of Milwaukee County. Since County Executive Crowley’s first term and while Lamers has served as Director of SBP, the County’s reserve fund increased by approximately $90 million.

Lamers led the fiscal analysis and helped coordinate negotiations pertaining to State of Wisconsin Act 12, which delivered nearly $100 million in additional annual revenue for Milwaukee County and addressed long-term pension funding challenges. These efforts also resulted in a nearly 200% tax levy increase in the 2024 Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) budget. In addition, Lamers supported legislative affairs efforts for the 2025-2027 State of Wisconsin biennial budget that provided an additional $3 million in General Transportation Aids for MCDOT to further improve County-operated highways, roads, and bridges.

Lamers supported the implementation of a newly-created centralized grant development unit, which has supported departments in their efforts to secure over $130 million in competitive grant funding since its inception in 2021. The centralized grant development unit housed within SBP has supported MCDOT in successfully securing external grants for countywide transportation safety projects, pedestrian and bicycle trail improvements, bus replacements, and other transportation services. Lamers also helped implement and manage Milwaukee County’s Continuous Improvement Office to document processes and complete initiatives that improve the efficiency and performance of countywide operations. This included collaborating with MCDOT’s Fleet Management division on procedure changes that streamlined vehicle replacements and reduced costs in a service area heavily impacted by inflation.

“I am thankful to County Executive Crowley for providing me with the opportunity to serve in this role,” said Director Lamers. “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. 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.”

Lamers received both his Bachelor of Business Administration and his Master of Public Administration degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Before joining Milwaukee County government in 2018, Lamers served as the Assistant Deputy Commissioner at the New York City Department of Social Services from 2016-2018 where he provided administrative, financial, and budget oversight for the largest local social service district in the country, with a $12 billion budget and 15,000 staff administering various social services programs. He also served as the department’s budget director from 2015-2016. In addition, Lamers served several policy analyst roles in New York City government from 2006-2010, including Medicaid Policy and Budget Analyst where, amongst other responsibilities, he made recommendations regarding local programming changes and fiscal impacts.

Joe Lamers will begin serving as Acting MCDOT Director next week. His appointment is subject to confirmation by the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors. Milwaukee County Strategy Director Isaac Rowlett will serve as Interim SPB Director as the search for a new leader of this vital department begins.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.