Alderman and Milwaukee mayor at odds over lack of parking in District 4

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- One alderman is making a push to end alternate side parking in his district but says Mayor Cavalier Johnson is blocking that path.

Alderman Bob Bauman says there isn’t enough parking in District 4. Cars parked in the Concordia neighborhood will no longer have to adhere to alternate side parking rules, but that agreement has ignited a war of words between Mayor Johnson and Ald. Bauman.

“It caught me completely by surprise and gave me immense disappointment that the alderman had like this explosive, petulant response to this, when both of us are trying to get to the exact same point,” said Mayor Johnson.

Currently, Milwaukee residents must park their vehicles on the odd-numbered side of the street on odd days of the week and even-numbered side on even days of the week, from 2 a.m.-6 a.m.

“We looked at various alternatives, various approaches that might alleviate the problem,” said Ald. Bauman.

Bauman proposed to remove alternate side parking in his district. The full Common Council agreed last month but Mayor Johnson vetoed the file, requesting a Department of Public Works study.

“My veto, simply, it simply said like, let’s follow the ordinance in the books. Let’s do the thing that ultimately would result in the same result that the alderman wanted,” said Mayor Johnson.

Shortly after, Ald. Bauman put out a statement saying, “It is sad we cannot rely on oral agreements made with our Mayor.”

“I was shocked. I was the person who was shocked when I saw the very message because no one talked about a traffic study. No one talked about a parking study in my conversation with him. The word never came up,” said Bauman.

Ald. Bauman is urging members to override the veto, saying the study would be a waste of money. Bauman says he has already presented testimonies and pictures of the issue during the Common Council meeting back in June.

Meanwhile, residents say finding a parking spot is a daily challenge.

“Parking has traditionally been an issue, and that’s something that really needs to be addressed,” said former District 4 resident Yocheved Ornstein.

Mayor Johnson says he believes come wintertime, Ald. Bauman’s push to remove alternate side parking will be an issue once again.

“He’s gonna complain, he’s gonna say the department is incompetent, he’s gonna say it’s the evil mayor. He’s gonna do all this crap and he’s gonna end up throwing me under the bus,” said Mayor Johnson.

Residents say they just want to be able to park their cars without the fear of a ticket.

“Let people park where they want. We shouldn’t have alternate parking if parking is in short supply,” said Carolyn Gambill, a Milwaukee resident.