Wisconsin Representative Bob Donovan is chastising the Milwaukee Common Council for its “symbolic resolutions that will do nothing except antagonize Washington.”
Wisconsin Representative Bob Donovan (R-Greenfield) is blasting the Milwaukee Common Council after it voted unanimously this week to pass part of its “ICE Out MKE” initiative.
“The Common Council are injecting themselves into the national debate with symbolic resolutions that will do nothing except antagonize Washington,” Donovan said. “Instead, they should be getting back to the basics of local governance—the work they were elected to do.”
On Tuesday, the Council passed a resolution calling for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on a 14-0 with one abstention. It also requests that ICE avoid conducting immigration enforcement in Milwaukee. The measure now heads to Mayor Cavalier Johnson, whose spokesman said the mayor’s office would review it but did not give any indication whether the mayor would sign it.
“After seeing what the council is up to, I long for the days when the biggest debate was the streetcar. Believe me, I never thought I would say that.”
Bob Donovan
In a statement released Thursday, Donovan–a longtime member of the Milwaukee Common Council– railed against the Council wading into national politics instead of focusing on the city it governs.
“At a time when national homicides across the nation have plummeted, Milwaukee continues to increase. What are they doing about that?” Donovan asked rhetorically. “Why are they not paying a little more attention to the paving of their streets, fixing potholes? Why are they not ensuring the street lights come on at night so citizens feel safe walking their community?
“Why are they not exploring ways to take advantage of state legislation to consolidate city services at a time when the city budget is already tight? Why are they not speaking about the homeless, drug dealing, or the prostitution that have wreaked havoc on our streets? What are they doing about the boarded-up businesses and homes that you see throughout our neighborhoods?
Donovan served as a Milwaukee alderman for 20 years before retiring from the Common Council in 2020. He unsuccessfully for mayor in 2015 and in a special election in 2022 before getting elected to the Wisconsin Assembly the following year. He has been a longtime critic of Milwaukee politicians, especially on the issues of crime and wasteful spending.
“The reality is they are doing nothing but grandstanding for national issues—to the determinant of their constituents,” he said in his statement. “After seeing what the council is up to, I long for the days when the biggest debate was the streetcar. Believe me, I never thought I would say that.”
