Resignation of Fire and Police Commission chair, vice-chair a huge loss for Milwaukee
Statement from members of the Common Council: JoCasta Zamarripa, Mark Chambers, Jr., Jonathan Brostoff, Robert J. Bauman, Lamont Westmoreland, Mark A. Borkowski, José G. Pérez, Scott Spiker, and Marina Dimitrijevic
Today’s news that Fire and Police Commission (FPC) Chairman Ed Fallone and Vice Chairwoman Amanda Avalos will be resigning effective 12:01 a.m. Friday cannot be interpreted as anything other than a monumental loss for the City of Milwaukee.
As has been stated time and time again, Wisconsin Act 12 included a number of outrageous provisions aimed specifically at the City of Milwaukee. Among them was removing the FPC’s authority to set policies for the police and fire departments, and transferring that responsibility to each department’s chief. This overreaching provision greatly diluted an important oversight responsibility held by the FPC, and is already causing talented, thoughtful individuals to leave their posts, in the end hurting the citizens of Milwaukee the most.
We on the Common Council have opposed these State-mandated provisions at every turn, and will continue to do what we can to right these wrongs.
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.
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Removing the authority of the FPC to set policies for the police and fire departments and transferring that authority to the chief was one of the worst decisions this body has made in ages. If you want the engagement of community members and for us to feel part of decisions that are made on our behalf, taking this input away puts us at odds with everything you do for the coming years. We’ve already seen what happens when the police go rogue in marginalized neighborhoods, why put the community against you when it is totally unnecessary?