The Milwaukee Common Council overrode the Mayor’s veto to place an Inspector General within the City Clerk’s office.
The fight to create a new Inspector General position for the City of Milwaukee is finally over. The Milwaukee Common Council voted to override Mayor Barrett’s veto of the new position Tuesday, creating what the council hopes will be an independent watchdog to prevent future problems within the city’s many departments.
The main objection the Mayor and the three aldermen who voted against the measure had was the fact that the inspector general will be placed within the Common Council City Clerk’s office. They believe this will politicize the appointee, thereby eliminating the sentiment behind the position.
“Under this file, the Inspector General would be a political appointee of the Common Council,” said Mayor Tom Barrett, in his veto message. “Political issues and disagreements could easily determine what departments or individuals are investigated.”
Alderman Michael Murphy spoke against the motion to override the veto. “If the position is truly needed, it should be in the comptroller's office,” said Ald. Murphy.
City Comptroller Martin Matson said the position being placed in the City Clerk’s office could create the potential for “politically motivated audits.” Matson said the appointee should be placed in the internal audit division of his department’s office, as the comptroller's office watches over the city’s finances, providing an independent estimation of the city’s revenues for the annual budget. Matson said this division reports to the Common Council, as they make their own audits of the city’s departments.
|
|
“Independent neutrality requires oversight to be effective and trusted by the public,” Barrett said. In response Ald. Bob Donovan, the sponsor of the ordinance and the chairman of the city's Public Safety and Health Committee, said the position would not be politically motivated. The veto was overridden by a 10-3-1 vote. Alds. Cavalier Johnson, Michael Murphy and Terry Witkowski opposed the measure.
The council passed the measure with 10-3-1 vote. Alds. Cavalier Johnson, Michael Murphy and Terry Witkowski were the only no votes.
“What the council can offer is the clout and the influence, that is so important to the success of this position,” said Ald. Donovan. “Working hand in hand with all of us, who often hear from our constituents.”
The position was created because of the recent dysfunction the Health Department has experienced in relation to the city’s lead testing program, amongst other problems. The inspector general will closely monitor city departments and “report directly to the Common Council,” according to the ordinance’s text. However, the ordinance also says the appointee will be “outside of the administration.”
The Public Safety and Health Committee amended the position last month to monitor every city department—not just the Health Department. The position will be funded through the city’s budget.
The ordinance also reads, “An Inspector General position within the Common Council-City Clerk’s Office, appointed in consultation with the President of the Common Council and under the direct supervision of the President of the Common Council, outside of the administration chain of command, would monitor and report on departmental administration, operations and services.”
However, this language isn’t persuading everyone in the city. Comptroller Matson, in a letter to the Common Council, said he is worried that an inspector general in the clerk’s office would be “on their own.”Ald. Donovan disagrees. “We need this individual in the city clerk’s office, advocating and working with us,” he said. “If the Common Council does not provide appropriate oversight of our departments, no one else will.”
