Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson responded to his critics on the Common Council, who had issues with the selection process of the new director of the Office of Community Wellness and Safety, saying he offered the job to a finalist but they declined.
Johnson appeared Aug. 28 on “Truth to Power with Kyle Wallace” on 101.7 The Truth, a Black talk radio station in Milwaukee. The mayor weighed in on successes in the Black community and any potential deployment of the National Guard in Milwaukee.
Johnson picked Adam Procell, CEO of a reentry consulting firm, over any of the finalists for the position that leads violence prevention efforts in the city. The finalists participated in public events during the interview process.
Johnson revealed in his interview with Wallace that he picked one of the finalists to take the position, but that person did not accept the job.
“So, during that process, the community starting asking questions and informing my thoughts on this and Adam’s name began to emerge in this process,” Johnson said. “And so that’s when ultimately I ended up having to pivot. We’ve been totally honest and transparent in this process.”
Johnson said Procell would have a public event soon but he didn’t have a date readily available. “(Procell) is willing to answer every single question and be the last person to leave out the room,” Johnson said. “When folks get the chance to know him, get a chance to see what he’s able to do in this job, I think folks will be pleased with the work product that he produces.”
Johnson added he has brought more transparency to the hiring process for OCWS director, because he required more public events and input, similarly to what is done for potential new police and fire chiefs. After a nationwide search, 100 candidates were narrowed down to three. The finalists were Karin Tyler, the current acting director of the office; Paul Callanan of Louisville; and Abraham Morris of Orlando.
Adam Procell, left, new director of the Office of Community Wellness and Safety, speaks at a press conference while Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, right, along with other city officials listen on Aug. 18 during Procell’s introduction.
Common Council president was frustrated by process
But the process to select a new head of violence prevention effort, sparked frustration in the Common Council. Wallace cited Journal Sentinel reporting from last week on comments from aldermen, who were frustrated that the council had no input and weren’t informed of the selection until a weekend before it was made public.
“I know Mr. Procell and I hope he’s successful in the role,” Council President José Pérez said in a statement Aug. 19. “The process in which he was selected, however, was flawed.”
“Units of government should follow the outlined rules of the process they create,” Pérez added. “It just doesn’t look right and then for the Administration to make contact with Alders a short time before announcing this decision publicly was disingenuous. In order for the Council to have greater input on the front end, moving forward, I will be working with my colleagues to ensure that this role is a Council appointed position.”
The mayor’s office says that Johnson doesn’t need council approval and any role the council would play is outlined in state law.
“This position doesn’t need Common Council approval, so therefore there is no bypassing of the Common Council,” Johnson told Wallace. “I don’t believe it was flawed.”
Crime in Milwaukee is down, but homicides are up
Milwaukee has seen most reported crimes, like robberies, motor vehicle thefts and assaults, decrease in the last two years, but there have been 100 homicides in the city this year through Aug. 27, which is an increase of 9% from 2024, according to police data.
“The shear facts. I think that’s important context,” Johnson said. “Crime in Milwaukee, overall, is down. … Since I’ve become mayor (April 2022), about 25%.
“Homicides are up a little bit in Milwaukee and that’s a problem and something I’m acutely aware of and focused on and so is the Milwaukee Police Department. It takes folks in the public to work with us in order to make sure folks don’t get access to guns who shouldn’t.”
As a teenager in Milwaukee in 1995, Procell shot and killed 18-year-old Robert Bruce. He spent 20 years in prison for his crimes. But since his release, has worked to better the justice system, Johnson said.
Procell’s background has a chance to make him more relatable to others who have been incarcerated or have legal troubles in Milwaukee, Ald. Sharlen Moore said last week.
Johnson highlights successes for the Black community
In many cases, the reported shootings take place on the city’s north side, where Johnson grew up, in majority Black neighborhoods where many of the residents, particularly young Black men, have had negative interactions with the police.
In the vast majority of cases, people dying in homicides tend to be Black as well, with data showing more than 80% of homicide victims this year were Black.
“You are the mayor of Milwaukee and not just the mayor of the north side,” Wallace said. “When I talk about that, people sometimes get a little upset. I say you’ve done an above-average job. How would you rate your job performance so far and what have you done for the Black community?”
For signs of success, Johnson points to developments in Black communities, including in Bronzeville and the new King Drive Public Library set to open next month. He also touted his program Camp Rise, which engages children, usually young people of color, in career opportunities.
“The school year is getting ready to start,” Johnson said. “A fixture in classrooms will be the mayor talking to, especially young men of color, young Black boys in Milwaukee, to let them know that regardless of the circumstances you find yourself in, regardless of what neighborhoods you find yourself living in, regardless of the challenges your family may face, you too can find success. Because I’ve lived in those neighborhoods and faced those same sort of challenges.”
The mayor said Milwaukee is in a much better financial place and many want to live and build here. He added he in-part saved the city from bankruptcy by working with state Republicans to help pass laws.
“We’re in the process of becoming a more prosperous place,” Johnson said. “Milwaukee’s stock, in a way that it hasn’t before, is really beginning to rise.”
Johnson said he’s worked to improve the tourism industry in Milwaukee, citing major events in recent years.
“This is becoming a city that people want to stay in, … want to come to as well,” Johnson said. “And I think that spells benefits for the entire city, but specifically for the Black community, too. Because more people staying here, more people having access to good homes, … good jobs, means more dollars circulating, means more business for Black businesses and opportunities for Black people.”
Johnson shoots down any attempt to deploy National Guard to Milwaukee
Nationally, U.S. President Donald Trump’s attempts to crackdown on crime leaves some in the Black community asking if it is racially motivated. The president has already deployed the National Guard took over the police department in Washington, D.C. The president says he is doing this to “restore law and order,” the nation’s capital is no longer a “nightmare of murder and crime.”
U.S. President Donald Trump gestures during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 26.
On Aug. 27, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said the recent surge had been “important” in helping reduce crimes such as carjackings, but emphasized that the involvement of immigration agents and National Guard troops “is not working.” She added that she hopes the initiative, launched on Aug. 7, will conclude soon.
But Trump has vowed to send troops to Chicago next, then New York. He’s also talked disparagingly about Baltimore in recent days. All these communities have local officials, who are Democrats, saying the president’s actions are wrong.
Some have noticed a trend about these communities as having strong Black communities with historical crime problems, who also have Black mayors.
“There seems to be a trend of who they’re looking to go after,” Wallace said. “Black cities, that’s Milwaukee. Cities with crime, like Milwaukee. And Black mayors, like yourself. Would you be open to the president sending the National Guard troops into Milwaukee to help MPD fight some of the crime?”
Johnson immediately responded, “No.”
The mayor added that the troops are being used as “political pawns” and feel “used,” leading to low morale.
“I’m not interested in that,” Johnson said. “We have local law enforcement for a reason. … We don’t need the U.S. military to have boots on the ground in American cities. … I really respect the military. I’ve got families who have served. But their mission is not here, it’s not in cities, it’s defending Americans abroad.”
Johnson added the National Guard can be deployed to help with “unrest” or natural disasters, like flooding, but “that’s not happening in Milwaukee. That’s not happening in Chicago.
“I think the president’s wrong to be seeking to deploy the military in American cities for that purpose.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson speaks with Black talk radio on crime