Public defender Leon Todd appointed to head Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission, pending council approval

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett has nominated Leon Todd, an assistant state public defender, to succeed Griselda Aldrete as executive director of the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission.

His appointment requires approval by the Common Council.

In a statement Tuesday, Barrett called Todd the "ideal candidate" to lead the commission, which has experienced significant turmoil and turnover in recent years.

"I believe that he will bring the leadership necessary to oversee the Commission in an equitable and just manner,” Barrett said in the statement. 

According to the city, Todd has been an assistant public defender in the Office of the State Public Defender Appellate Division since 2014, a role in which he has argued cases before the state Supreme Court. The statement said he had represented incarcerated clients across the state.

He previously represented low-income clients in cases involving housing, family, public benefits and consumer law when he worked as an attorney for Legal Action of Wisconsin, according to the statement. He remains on the organization's board.

He was raised in Milwaukee's Sherman Park neighborhood and went to Milwaukee Public Schools, according to the city. 

He is also on the board of the Wisconsin Justice Initiative and a member of the Wisconsin Association of African American Lawyers, according to the city. 

The commission's responsibilities — particularly hiring, promoting and investigating complaints — require it to function like other city departments with a full-time staff, which includes the executive director.

The executive director has a powerful role but does not get to vote on issues before the commission. The salary range for the position is $103,000 to $145,000.

Aldrete was the third executive director since 2018. She announced in July she was not seeking reappointment and officially left her post at the end of last month. In making her decision, she spoke out about a toxic political environment at City Hall, saying the climate there "sadly puts a premium on political point-scoring and conflict."

Aldrete highlighted her work on the ACLU stop-and-frisk settlement agreement and the independent investigations into police misconduct undertaken by the commission. But she came under criticism from Common Council and police officials as the commission faced high staff turnover, allegations of dysfunction and struggled to complete routine tasks, such as promotional testing.

Aldrete, the former president of Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee, took the position in September 2019. She replaced LaKeisha Butler who stepped down as executive director after a little more than a year on the job because her family was relocating to Alabama.

Butler had replaced MaryNell Regan, who resigned in April 2018 because, as she put it, the mayor wanted to go in a different direction.

Under Regan's leadership, the board of commissioners became more independent in the waning days of former Police Chief Edward Flynn's tenure, issuing their first directive, or order, to Flynn.

Regan's resignation came soon after two aldermen accused the Fire and Police Commission of violating the state's open meetings law when it appointed now former Police Chief Alfonso Morales.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Ashley Luthern contributed to this story. 

Contact Alison Dirr at 414-224-2383 or adirr@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter @AlisonDirr.