Karin Tyler
MILWAUKEE - A major violence prevention grant and concerns over funding led Milwaukee Common Council members to delay confirmation of the mayor’s nominee to lead the Office of Community Wellness and Safety on Tuesday. March 24.
What we know:
The state of Wisconsin awarded $1.8 million in violence prevention grant funding to Milwaukee County, but no money was allocated to the City of Milwaukee’s Office of Community Wellness and Safety.
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City leaders said that raised concerns about the future of the department and its leadership.
Mayor Cavalier Johnson nominated Karin Tyler earlier this year to serve as director of the Office of Community Wellness and Safety.
During Tuesday’s Common Council meeting, Alderwoman Sharlen Moore introduced a motion to refer Tyler’s nomination back to committee, citing what she called "grave concerns" about Tyler’s ability to lead the department and the lack of funding.
The Common Council approved Moore’s motion in an 11-4 vote, delaying Tyler’s confirmation.
The city said Tyler began working in the Milwaukee Health Department in 2008 and formally joined the violence prevention team in 2017.
The backstory:
After only five months on the job, Adam Procell announced his resignation in late January because of what he said was a legal technicality. He has been open about his past, convicted of homicide at 15 years old.
Adam Procell
Community wellness and safety used to be a division within the city’s Department of Administration, but the Common Council moved the office to its own standalone department. It was in the 2026 budget, which Johnson vetoed, but the council overrode.
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Johnson said the city attorney found a problem: Procell’s past conviction made him ineligible to head a city department. Article 13 of the Wisconsin Constitution states: "No person convicted of a felony...shall be eligible to any office of trust, profit or honor in this state unless pardoned of the conviction."
What's next:
The nomination will now return to committee for further consideration.
Milwaukee violence prevention leader, mayor nominates Karin Tyler
Mayor Cavalier Johnson on Tuesday nominated Karin Tyler to lead the city's Department of Community Wellness and Safety.
The Source: Information in this post was provided by the Milwaukee Common Council's public meeting minutes.