New Milwaukee Election Commission executive director nominated
MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee election shakeup comes just six month before election day. Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson nominated Paulina Gutiérrez to serve as the Executive Director of Milwaukee’s Election Commission, a news release said on Monday, May 6.
In that role, Gutiérrez will oversee the staff and operations of the Election Commission. For more than a year, she has held the position of Deputy Director in that department.
Paulina Gutiérrez
Gutiérrez would replace Claire Woodall, who has been the executive director of the Milwaukee Election Commission since July 2020.
"I always had a good relationship with (Woodall)," said Milwaukee Alderman Bob Bauman. "I thought she was doing a solid job. She seemed very knowledgable with all the rules and regulations and laws governing elections in the state of Wisconsin. She’s been through the mill in terms of having handled contested elections."
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Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson made the move to Gutiérrez as he re-upped his cabinet nominations. The mayor's spokesman said the issue was not handling of elections but, "other issues internal to the election commission office and to city government that raised concern."
Milwaukee Election Commission
The mayor issued the following statement on this change in a news release:
"Paulina’s integrity and capabilities are ideally suited to this position. She will lead the office at an important juncture when public scrutiny of the work of the department will be extremely high. I have confidence in her, and I will make certain the department has the resources it needs to fulfill its duties."
"I think (Gutiérrez is) a very competent individual. I’ve known her over the years," Bauman said. "She’s held several positions of influence with the city before -- and in each one of those positions, I thought she did a great job," said Bauman.
Bauman said he was not sure Gutiérrez is fully up to speed in terms of the intricacies of the election process.
"There’s a lot of laws, there’s a lot of regulations, and I don’t know that she’s ready for the media onslaught and legal attacks that will probably be raised," Bauman added
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It is the Common Council that has the responsibility to confirm Gutiérrez in that job as executive director of the election commission.
"I do believe in the integrity of the Election Commission going forward," said Milwaukee Alderwoman Andrea Pratt. "I think it’s going to be in good hands and they have someone there who has been around as well as there are people who will come in to assist here."
Claire Woodall
FOX6 news acquired an internal email from June 2023 that showed Woodall proposing a new position centered on "civic engagement." The mayor's spokesman tells FOX6 News the mayor offered that job to Woodall.
FOX6's Jason Calvi spoke with Woodall on the phone. She responded with "no comment," adding that any comment would be through her attorney.