Ald. Bob Donovan ousted as chair of Milwaukee’s Public Safety Committee

Ouch….that’s gonna leave a mark!

Outspoken Milwaukee Ald. Bob Donovan was ousted Wednesday from the Common Council’s Public Safety Committee, losing the chairmanship that he had used as a highly visible platform.

Reshuffling committee assignments for the council’s 2012-’16 term, council President Willie Hines Jr. named Ald. Terry Witkowski, a former police safety director, to replace Donovan as chairman of the public safety panel, which deals with issues involving the police, fire and health departments.

Common Council president Hines named Ald. Donovan as vice chairman of the council’s Public Works Committee, but despite that appointment Donovan accused Hines of retaliating against him, saying, “Over the years, I have spoken out on a variety of issues, and I’ve probably stepped on some toes. Some people may perceive this, as I do, as payback. It’s a sad day in Milwaukee when an elected official can’t stand up and voice his gut feelings and represent his constituents and call ’em like he sees ’em without suffering retribution.”

Despite losing his chairmanship, Ald. Donovan will no doubt continue to to use the “bully pulpit” of his office to espouse his own special brand of racially-charged vitriol, but I think Willie Hines’ decision to strip Ald. Donovan of his chairmanship was the right call.

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