The public agency which operates downtown Milwaukee’s Baird Center has officially named its new interim leader following a decision to fire his predecessor.
James Kanter was named Wisconsin Center District chief of staff through a district board vote on June 29.
Kanter is filling that position pending the firing of Marty Brooks, district president and CEO.
The board voted June 8 to terminate Brooks’ contract. He’s on administrative leave until that termination occurs 30 days after the vote.
Kanter was elected board chair in 2018. With his new appointment, he’s succeeded as chair by Vice Chair Grady Crosby, Northwestern Mutual’s chief sustainability and impact officer.
Kanter is Central Standard Craft Distilling’s chief commercial officer. He previously was senior director of commercial operations at MillerCoors, now known as Molson Coors Beverage Co.
The board terminated Brooks’ contract due to misuse of district funds, violations of the bylaws and employee handbook, and misrepresentation to the board, according to a district statement.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on June 12 exclusively reported Brooks’ inappropriate credit charges included expensive restaurant meals, a private club membership, musical theater tickets, and unspecified “professional services.”
That’s in addition to previously reported charges of political donations and luxury shoes.
Those taxpayer-supported expenses, totaling more than $50,000, are detailed in a district document obtained by the Journal Sentinel through an Open Records Act request.
The document provides other grounds for firing Brooks. Those include allegedly misrepresenting to the district board the nature of a recent report recommending a convention center hotel.
The board has substantial evidence the report’s conclusion “was predetermined before the study commenced,” the document said.
Neither Brooks nor his attorney have responded to requests for comment about those claims.
Brooks’ base salary is $410,000. Kanter will be paid $30,000 monthly and will work a minimum of 30 hours a week, according to a resolution approved by the board.
Wisconsin Center District also operates UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena and Miller High Life Theatre. Its funding includes a countywide tax on hotel rooms, restaurant meals, and car rentals.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
Tom Daykin can be emailed at tdaykin@jrn.com and followed on Instagram, Bluesky, X and Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Baird Center names new leader after CEO Marty Brooks firing
Reporting by Tom Daykin, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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By Tom Daykin, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
