By Ted Chisholm
Ted Chisholm
The Milwaukee County Treasurer manages banking services, accounts receivable, and check issuance for Milwaukee County government; invests Milwaukee County’s surplus funds; and collects delinquent property taxes in 18 of 19 municipalities in Milwaukee County outside of the City of Milwaukee, where the elected City Treasurer manages this responsibility.
Elected countywide, the County Treasurer must be proactive, transparent, and energetic in serving our community. You deserve a County Treasurer who will do everything possible to help residential homeowners and small business owners navigate rising property taxes while restoring vacant and abandoned properties from tax delinquency to the fabric of our communities. It is equally essential that we elect a County Treasurer who will improve the customer service provided by the Treasurer’s Office and modernize its operations.
As a candidate for County Treasurer, I possess the hands-on administrative and fiscal leadership experience to be a successful financial innovator who protects your tax dollars. I am the former Senior Administrator for Management, Finance, and Strategy for the Milwaukee County Clerk of Circuit Court’s Office, where I managed a $42 million budget as well as accounting, purchasing, contract, and grant management personnel and operations supporting Milwaukee County’s court system. Working as one of two primary subordinates to Clerk of Circuit Court Anna Maria Hodges, I also oversaw Milwaukee County’s jury management and court information technology functions.
While serving in Clerk Hodges’ innovative administration, I implemented significant changes to protect taxpayer dollars while improving the quality of service provided by the Clerk of Circuit Court’s Office. I worked successfully with county banking partners to increase annual return rates on funds invested by the court system under state law. I oversaw successful work that reduced fiscal backlogs, increased efficiency in managing vendor and contract payments, and improved checks and balances in managing any required fee refunds. Additionally, I managed a budget that invested in key community priorities, including eviction prevention and language access services, while at the same time making common-sense cuts to non-essential spending. In this way, we increased community services and made our courts more efficient, while at the same time lightening the burden on taxpayers.
I previously served as Chief of Staff to former Milwaukee County Sheriff Earnell Lucas, who, during his tenure, transformed the culture within the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office into one centered on honor, integrity, and respect for the dignity of everyone interacting with the agency. In this role, I helped Sheriff Lucas implement significant reforms and managed a $49 million annual budget process; additionally, I oversaw emergency purchasing for the Sheriff’s Office during the COVID-19 pandemic and was honored to receive the Sheriff’s Leadership Award and Distinguished Unit Award for my work during this period.
It was my honor to serve our community as an administrator in Milwaukee County government, and I am ready on Day One to lead the Milwaukee County Treasurer’s Office forward with greater community engagement, transparency, and a commitment to proactive and effective leadership.