Mayoral challenger Lena Taylor blasts Tom Barrett over public employee residency issue; Barrett campaign calls criticism 'absurd'

State Sen. Lena Taylor on Friday blamed Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett for the end of the city's residency requirement for public employees.

Taylor's criticism came a day after a report in the Journal Sentinel by Marquette Law School fellow Mike Gousha that about 28% of the city's 6,438 employees — 1,793 workers and their families — now live outside the city in the aftermath of state action that eliminated a requirement they live in the city.

The Milwaukee Democrat and declared candidate for Barrett's job cited what she called his "failure to show leadership in Madison and to rally support in Milwaukee" to defeat the state action as the reason the city needs a new mayor.

A statement from the Barrett campaign called Taylor's criticism "baseless and absurd" and said she was ineffective in stopping Republicans from ending the residency requirement.

Taylor "knows that Tom Barrett fought tooth and nail against a hostile, Republican-controlled legislature and governor to keep them from ending residency," the statement said.

"Senator Taylor is doing what politicians often do — she’s substituting press conferences for real leadership and offers false charges hoping something can stick to her opponent and advance her political career."

State lawmakers did away with strict residency laws in 2013, a decision Barrett harshly criticized. Among his arguments were that ending the residency requirement would reduce property values and would mean employees would be contributing nothing toward their pensions if they weren’t paying city property taxes.

Lawmakers did allow the city to require that police officers, firefighters and other emergency workers live within 15 miles of the city limits. The police union sued, but in May 2017 a federal appeals court upheld the requirement.

Taylor also condemned Barrett for appointing Brett Blomme as chairman of the city's Board of Zoning Appeals.

Blomme — who is paid $39,865 a year for the part-time position — and his husband purchased a $109,000 home in Milwaukee in 2018 but own a $380,000 home in Cottage Grove in Dane County.

"If the chair of BOZA makes more than the median income of people of color in this city … for a part-time position, what does that say," Taylor said at a news conference outside City Hall.

Blomme, a Milwaukee County circuit judge candidate, says he resides in the Milwaukee residence.

In 2013, the Wisconsin Legislature approved an end to local residency requirements for municipalities. Taylor and the other Democrats voted against the budget that included an end to the requirement. 

On Friday, however, she declined to say whether she would work to reinstate it.

Barrett spokeswoman Jodie Tabak declined to say whether Barrett was available to respond to Taylor's criticism, deferring comment to his campaign, though he has not formally announced that he is seeking re-election.

Journal Sentinel reporter Patrick Marley contributed to this report from Madison.