Milwaukee County Executive clarifies meeting with Republican leadership at Capitol Thursday
Updated: 5:52 p.m. on December 16, 2022
MADISON Wis. (CBS 58) -- Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley is clarifying meetings he and his staff had at the state Capitol Thursday after telling CBS 58 he met with Republican leaders, who disputed meeting with him.
On Friday, Crowley clarified. He said he was not referring to GOP leaders, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, when he met with Republican leadership.
"When I think of state Republican leadership or Democratic leadership, I don't necessarily look at that as the Speaker of the House or the Majority Leader alone," said Crowley. "I know they are part of leadership, but I also think leadership includes individuals who represent either party on the Joint Finance Committee."
Cowley, a former state lawmaker and aid at the Capitol, said his staff has been in communication with Vos and LeMahieu about raising Milwaukee's sales tax, but he has not personally talked to them in a while.
"A lot of this can be done through our lobbying efforts where we have folks representing the county actually talking to leadership, partially Robin Vos and Devin LeMahieu," he said. "It has been a while since I personally talked with them because the nature of the work we're all doing."
The County Executive said he's hopeful these conversations will continue in effort to persuade GOP leaders to give the city more flexibility to raise revenues to combat looming financial issues for Milwaukee.
"I think we are on the same page when we talk about a lot of things. They want reforms and we believe in reforms and we have been doing those things."
Those reforms Crowley is referring to is something Speaker Vos has asked for in exchange for a possible deal. Crowley has floated making changes to the pension system and consolidating more services with the city and county to cut costs.
MADISON Wis. (CBS 58) -- Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said he visited the state Capitol Thursday to make his pitch to Republican leaders and lawmakers in an effort to get more funding from the state, but some of the individuals he claimed to have met with never happened.
"We are meeting with Republican leadership as well as members on Joint Finance," Crowley said at a WisPolitics event. "We are just really making the case on why we need the 1% sales tax."
UPDATE: Crowley told me he met with "Republican leadership as well as members on joint finance" today. But, GOP leaders @repvos@SenatorDevin said they never did.
— Emilee Fannon (@Emilee_Fannon) December 16, 2022
Crowley and Johnson both touted how their improving their relationship w/GOP leaders during Wispolitics event today https://t.co/DuiYVtQexmpic.twitter.com/iciX8vnIaa
Spokeswomen for Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu tell CBS 58 they never met with Crowley and said he never attempted to stop in their offices.
Crowley's spokesman did not respond to requests for comment on why he said he met with people he didn't.
It comes after Crowley and Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson both touted on a Wispolitics panel how they are improving their relationship with Republican leaders.
"Right now, if I take out my phone and call a legislative leader, they would return my call," Johnson said. "That wasn't happening before unfortunately."
Crowley and Johnson both said they visited the Capitol for meetings with lawmakers about Milwaukee's push for 1% local sales tax and increasing shared revenue. Both measures would significantly help the city and county's fiscal crisis that will force cuts with budget shortfalls and federal coronavirus relief aid running out.
GOP leaders have said no in the past, including Speaker Vos, who recently said he needs assurances additional funding will be used efficiently.
"People in Milwaukee have to admit they have been an abject failure in the way they have chosen to govern," Vos said on a Wisconsin Policy Forum panel Friday. "I need to see specific ideas from the City of Milwaukee of reforms that are real, meaningful."
In order to receive more funding from the state, Milwaukee leaders need to convince GOP leaders.
Johnson's office said he met with two Republican members on the Joint Finance Committee, State Rep. Mary Felzcowski and Rep. Tony Kurtz, along with a staffer for Gov. Tony Evers. Kurtz confirmed he met with Johnson and Crowley. Felzcowski was not immediately available for comment.
A source tells CBS 58 a meeting was held with Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green), co-chair of JFC, but neither Johnson nor Crowley's office responded whether they were in that meeting or not.
Both Milwaukee leaders said they are "optimistic" they can find compromise with Republican lawmakers, in large part because Wisconsin is sitting on the largest projected state budget in history at $6.6 billion.
It remains to be seen how their relationship builds from here.