Chris Abele vetoes money for Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Clarke threatens lawsuit
MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele has vetoed $4 million earmarked for the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office, leading Sheriff Clarke to threaten Abele with a lawsuit. Clarke says Abele is using the budget to violate his right to free speech.
Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele
Abele announced Tuesday, November 17th that he was vetoing only two of the County Board's 66 budget amendments -- including the additional spending for the Sheriff's Office. Abele said Clarke shouldn't be rewarded for recent controversial comments.
"The sheriff has said a lot of things lately publicly. He’s compared the Black Lives Matter movement to 'sub-human creeps' and ISIS," Abele told reporters Tuesday.
Clarke responded on talk radio, saying that he would file a federal lawsuit because Abele violated his free speech rights.
Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke
"How smart is this guy? Abele just transmitted a violation of my freedom of speech. This lawsuit comes gift-wrapped. He’s weaponized the budget process now to create this chilling effect on my rights under the United States Constitution to express myself," Clarke said.
Clarke has said his office faces a $9.8 million structural deficit in 2016. On the radio Tuesday, the sheriff indicated that he would spend what was necessary to operate the Sheriff's Office and allow the County Board to find the money later.
At a news conference, Abele shrugged off the suggestion that Clarke planned to sue him.
"I wonder which taxpayers are going to be paying for that lawsuit and whether that money might be better spent on public safety," Abele said.
Abele says the budget leaves the Sheriff's Office with the same funding as last year -- but because of increasing costs in personnel and elsewhere, Sheriff Clarke says he starts next year almost $10 million in the hole.
The $10 million hole is more than 10% of the Sheriff's Office's budget. Clarke has said he won't be able to cut that much.
Clarke could still get the extra four million if county supervisors override Abele's veto.
As of early Tuesday afternoon, Abele's Office said it hadn't been served with Clarke's lawsuit.
Sheriff Clarke, through a spokeswoman, refused an interview with FOX6 News.
Monitor FOX6 News and FOX6Now.com for updates on this developing story.