Two nominations to Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission would bring civilian oversight body to nine

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson put forward two nominees to the city's Fire and Police Commission Tuesday, a key move toward bringing the powerful civilian oversight body to the nine members long sought by community groups and officials, including Johnson.

The commission with oversight responsibility over the fire and police departments can have up to nine members but typically has had seven.

Johnson nominated Menomonee Falls Fire Chief Gerard Washington, who previously served for more than 25 years at the Milwaukee Fire Department, and Ruben A. Burgos, who retired from the Milwaukee Police Department after more than 30 years, according to Johnson's office.

Washington was an assistant fire chief when he left the city in 2019.

Burgos was a lieutenant when he left in 2013 and is currently a senior lecturer on criminal justice and criminology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Helen Bader School of Social Welfare.

In a statement, Johnson said both nominees would bring "an important perspective to the Fire and Police Commission with their extensive knowledge of safety in both the fire and policing fields."

The civilian oversight board is among the oldest and most powerful of its kind in the country. Its commissioners are nominated by the mayor and confirmed by the Common Council.

Their nominations are expected to come before the council in the coming weeks and mark a continued shift away from the embattled commission that drew heavy scrutiny just a couple years ago.

Of the seven commissioners who voted unanimously to oust former Police Chief Alfonso Morales in 2020, today just Fred Crouther remains. That move, which lacked due process, cost taxpayers $627,000 in settlement payments and just under $60,000 to an outside attorney hired to represent the city in the matter.

The new commissioners are appointees of Johnson and his predecessor, Mayor Tom Barrett. Barrett departed late last year in the middle of his term to become U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg.

Common Council President José G. Pérez said getting to nine commissioners was a positive step for a commission that's headed in the right direction.

"There's a lot of work to do with the FPC and I think to have other committed people from the community help with the workload would be ... a good thing," he said.

Pérez also praised commission Chairman Ed Fallone, saying he was communicative and that they would work together through a difficult budget this fall.

Contact Alison Dirr at 414-224-2383 or adirr@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter @AlisonDirr.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson nominates two to FPC