Cavalier Johnson opens 'new chapter' in city's history and is sworn in as Milwaukee's mayor
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Cavalier Johnson was sworn in as Milwaukee's new mayor Wednesday, declaring a "new chapter" in the city's history while laying out an agenda built on a foundation of cooperation.
"This is a generational transition in Milwaukee and a departure from the city's long custom of deriving executive leadership only from men of European background," said Johnson, 35, the first Black individual elected as mayor in the city's 176-year history.
"We are a diverse city," Johnson said during the ceremony at the Harley-Davidson Museum. "I embrace the diversity and the change that has arrived in Milwaukee."
Johnson, the former Common Council president, assumed the role of acting mayor following ex-Mayor Tom Barrett's move from City Hall to U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg.
He won the job April 5, defeating former Ald. Bob Donovan in a special election, and will serve two more years before facing re-election in 2024.
More: What to know about new Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson
Johnson faces an array of challenges as the city endures a spike of violence, emerges from the depths of the coronavirus pandemic, and confronts a looming pension crisis.
But Johnson, who was sworn in by City Clerk Jim Owczarski at 10:21 a.m., predicted that better days lie ahead.
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"We will see transformation throughout Milwaukee in the coming years," he said. "I'm not talking just about landmarks and high-rise buildings. I'm talking about the addition of good-paying jobs, new investments in city neighborhoods, improvements in public infrastructure and transformation in spirit — a sense of optimism that we can solve problems ..."
He added: "With every major challenge Milwaukee faces, whether it's a matter of safety, a government fiscal issue or a concern about Milwaukee's children, cooperation is the best path forward."
More: Why did Milwaukee elect its first Black mayor decades after other cities?
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Johnson said he wants the Milwaukee Police Department "to be sufficiently staffed, and I want officers to be in the community providing effective, respectful, Constitutional and community policing."
He called the city's homicide numbers this year "unacceptably alarming."
"Loss and grief affect people across Milwaukee," he said. "I believe that, together, we can reduce homicide deaths."
Johnson called for toughening laws "to keep guns away from people who should not them in the first place," and asked for partners in state government "to work with us to make gun safety a priority."
"I strongly believe the most important ingredient needed for neighborhood stability, safety and hope is a strong economy," he said.
Johnson said he backed a $15-an-hour minimum wage and said he wasn't "asking the private sector to do anything we, at city government haven't already done."
He said he'll work to bring "goals, accountability and results" to city government.
"I am not a micromanager," he said. "But I am, however, a listener, a planner, and a champion for positive change."
He said he looked forward to working with the Common Council and backed city workers.
"I have very little patience for the dishonest accusations, the baseless innuendos and the outright threats leveled at city workers," he said. "Whether the targets are health officials dealing with the COVID or election workers operating with accuracy and integrity, I will vigorously defend those workers. Disingenuous, politically motivated falsehoods are wrong, and together we need to stand up to such bullying."
He also promised to work "collaboratively" with leaders in Madison for more revenue as the city confronts its fiscal challenges.
"Milwaukee is not alone, the system for funding local government in Wisconsin is broken," he said.
Johnson was joined at the inauguration by top Democrats, Gov. Tony Evers, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin and U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore.
Moore recalled how she met Johnson when he was 17 years old and "he declared then to me that he was going to be the Mayor of Milwaukee."
Johnson was accompanied by his wife, Dominique, and their three children.
Carolyn Neumann, who was Johnson's second-grade teacher at Parkview Elementary in Milwaukee, recalled the young student standing out for his "bright infectious smile" and for his "kindness."
"That child had the most amazing printing for a 7-year-old," she said. "I can still remember the letters C-A-V-A-L-I-E-R."
Dominique Johnson introduced her husband and said "the importance of this moment is not lost on Cavalier and me."
She said she believed her husband was elected on hope, "the hope that Cavalier can be the mayor to do the right thing."
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Cavalier Johnson opens 'new chapter,' sworn in as Milwaukee's mayor
