When Democracy Delivers an Answer You Don’t Like, You Don’t Get to Redefine Democracy

The Common Council acted lawfully, transparently, and democratically in adopting amendments to Milwaukee’s 2026 budget, including restoring long overdue funding for fire department equipment. The mayor’s repeated reactions since that vote are framed as concerns about fiscal responsibility, but they amount to frustration over losing control of the outcome.

When the executive branch loses a vote and responds by attacking the legitimacy of the process itself, that is not healthy disagreement. It is authoritarian behavior.

Here is what actually happened.
The mayor proposed a budget.
The Common Council debated it publicly.
Residents testified.
Amendments were adopted by a supermajority of elected representatives.
Seven vetoes were issued, accompanied by unusually hostile rhetoric and exaggerated fiscal consequences.
Those vetoes were overridden, exactly as the City Charter and state law allow, and in a manner the mayor himself supported when he previously served as an alderman.

That is democracy functioning as designed.

What is not democratic is pretending that only outcomes approved by the mayor are legitimate, or suggesting that duly elected Council members exercising their legal authority are somehow acting outside their role.

The mayor and the Common Council both supported a wage increase for general city employees. Where they differed was on affordability and priorities. The mayor proposed a two percent across-the-board raise at a cost of $4.6 million. His overall budget increased municipal fees by $22 and raised property taxes by approximately $70 for the average household.

The Common Council supported a wage increase of two percent more, but limited the final percentage to city-resident employees, saving approximately $500,000 annually. All Council changes to the proposed budget raised fees by zero dollars and increased property taxes by just $16. Subsequent false mayoral rhetoric has inflated that figure by nearly twenty-five percent beyond the actual impact.

Despite these facts, the mayor continues to attack the outcome simply because the Council made different and lawful choices on priorities, including several he opposed.

Labeling responsible, data-driven public safety investments as a “wish list” is a deliberate attempt to delegitimize the will of the Council and the residents they represent. Milwaukee has experienced decades of underinvestment in basic, lifesaving fire equipment. After proposing just $2 million again this year, the mayor attempted to claim credit for an historic investment only after vetoing half of the Council’s additional $8 million allocation. Replacing fire engines is not political theater. Taking credit for the Council’s work while deriding it in the same breath is remarkable.

The mayor did not lose because of a broken process. He lost because the Common Council, after hearings, debate, and public input, unanimously disagreed with him.

That is not something to override by press release.

Democracy does not mean getting your way every time. It means respecting the outcome when you do not. The Common Council maintained city services, protected city workers, and invested in non-negotiable public safety through a lawful and transparent process. Attacking that outcome because it was not the mayor’s preferred result is not leadership.

Milwaukee does not operate under a strong-mayor-only system. It has checks and balances for a reason. The Common Council is not advisory. It is a co-equal branch of government, and its authority does not evaporate when the executive branch is frustrated, stomps its feet and picks up its ball and goes home.

The budget process is over. The vote is final. The outcome is lawful, and it strengthens our city. At this point, the choice is simple: respect the democratic result and move forward. Governing by veto tantrum does not advance Milwaukee’s priorities or serve its residents.

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.