Supervisor Alexander Issues Statement on Pension Veto Vote

Milwaukee County Supervisor Deanna Alexander today issued the following statement regarding the pension veto vote taken Tuesday:

“My initial vote to move forward with ordinance changes to save the County from the greatest potential for financial losses related to the pension buy in / buy back program was entirely dependent upon relying on the legal advice we had received, and that the ideal choice of another route in dealing with the problems was not an option.

“When information was brought to my attention over the few days before and the very morning of the vote on the veto, that lead me to reasonably question how much reliance I could place on that advice, I followed through with my commitment to the public by taking that information into account and I revised my decision.

“I would like to make it clear that my announcement to revise my position due to these concerns should never have been taken in such a way as to accuse Attorney Bargren of wrongdoing, or as if there is some “secret” courthouse legal scandal; to do so would be an incorrectly exaggerated interpretation.

“My concerns about the advice we received were not able to be verified by the time of the vote, and after consulting with outside counsel and my constituents, it became clear that if the pensioners were to pursue litigation, the best decision was to allow the judicial system to craft answers to the County’s complex issues. The fact that all Supervisors moved their original votes from the time these errors were discovered to the positions taken by the majority in the veto override vote, and that Supervisor Borkowski joined me in revising our own positions, should demonstrate to the public what a very difficult decision we faced.”

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.