Ted Chisholm
By Ted Chisholm
I am running for Milwaukee County Treasurer in the August 13 Democratic primary election because our community deserves better. If elected, I will honor my promises to Milwaukee County residents, which I have been privileged to share in the Milwaukee Courier these past weeks. I will work more proactively to help homeowners in need, take prompt action on vacant and abandoned buildings that have fallen into tax delinquency, and spend your money wisely, not wastefully. I will increase transparency in the Treasurer’s Office, making it easier for our community to see how the Treasurer invests surplus funds.
As the former Senior Administrator for Management, Finance, and Strategy for the Milwaukee County Clerk of Circuit Court’s Office, I managed a $42 million budget and oversaw $20 million in court-invested funds. I also supervised jury management and information technology services, and provided oversight to contract, grant, and purchasing services. I previously oversaw a $49 million budget process as Chief of Staff for the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office. Having overseen departmental accounting services and increased investment account yields by 10,400% while serving in the Clerk of Circuit Court’s Office, I am qualified and ready to be a skilled and effective Treasurer.
I am humbled that over six dozen community leaders and organizations have endorsed my campaign, including:
Clerk of Circuit Court Anna Maria Hodges
Former Sheriff Earnell Lucas
County Board Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson
Milwaukee Alderman Mark Chambers, Jr.
Milwaukee Alderman DiAndre Jackson
Milwaukee Alderwoman Larresa Taylor
Milwaukee Alderman Peter Burgelis
SEIU Wisconsin State Council
Milwaukee Professional Firefighters’ Association
Machinists Lodge 66
IUPAT (Painters) District Council 7
Voces de la Frontera Action
Civic Leader Martha Love
Former Milwaukee County Public Works Director Tyrone Dumas
Civic Leader Dana World-Patterson
Retired Judge James Gramling
Attorney Emery Harlan
I am challenging an incumbent, and it is fair to ask why. My opponent has failed egregiously to provide the kind of leadership that we deserve. He has been in office since 2014, but failed until 2024 to invest in Columbia Savings and Loan, a highly respected community banking institution; yet he regularly touts this belated investment as a reason to reelect him. He claims to be a skilled investor, yet he works through three contracted investment advisors and secured unusual windfalls in 2023 due to flukes that allowed him, in the first place, to invest more money than usual, such as the short-term availability of federal aid dollars due to COVID-19. Meanwhile, he has drawn media scrutiny for his troubling decision to use taxpayer dollars to send mail to frequent voters during this election campaign – using voter lists that appear to have been obtained through his political campaign.
We deserve much better from our Treasurer’s Office, and I have the experience, vision, and backing from trusted community partners required to effectuate real change. I would be honored by the support of Milwaukee County voters in the Tuesday, August 13 Democratic primary.