Supervisor John Weishan, Jr. Calls Out County Executive on “Personal Vendetta” Against Sheriff Clarke

Supervisor John F. Weishan, Jr. issued the following statement today on County Executive Chris Abele’s veto of County Board action restoring $4 million in funding to the Sheriff’s budget:

“County Executive Chris Abele’s personal feelings about Sheriff Clarke’s public behavior should not come at the expense of public safety. His veto of $4 million the Board restored due to Abele’s cuts in the Sheriff’s budget is part of a personal vendetta against the Sheriff.

“There are legitimate funding issues in the Sheriff’s Department that the County Executive is ignoring. More deputies are necessary in order to reduce forced overtime and to increase productivity. We have seen the devastation of drug abuse, homicides and gang violence in Milwaukee County, and we cannot let petty disputes undermine our efforts to work collaboratively throughout law enforcement agencies.

“Regardless of Sheriff’s Clarke’s frequent highly inappropriate comments, Milwaukee County is still in need of deputy sheriffs on our highways, in our court system, and in our community.

“Sheriff Clarke will be held accountable by the County Board and by Milwaukee County’s voters on how well he works with other law enforcement entities, and how appropriately he uses department resources. I call upon my colleagues on the Board to override Abele’s veto of the $4 million restoration of funding for the Sheriff’s department.”

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.