Mayor Cavalier Johnson has nominated Jordan Morales, an advocate for traffic safety in the city, to fill an open seat on Milwaukee’s Fire and Police Commission, the office announced in a July 13 press release.
The Milwaukee Common Council must confirm Morales’ nomination at its upcoming meetings. If confirmed, Morales, 34, will fill the spot of retiring commissioner Bree Spencer, whose term expired the same day Johnson announced Morales’ nomination.
Morales’ position on the commission will be critical for the outcome of hot button issues facing the common council, including reforms to police vehicle pursuit policy, which is expected to be voted on later this month.
Morales told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel he plans to approach contentious issues with an open mind, issuing recommendations and changes to the common council based on arguments and data he hears from both sides.
“I’ll be open to hearing data or arguments on why the police pursuit policy should be less permissive,” Morales said. “And, of course, hearing the police department’s perspective. Approaching all of that with an open mind and make an independent decision based on the things I learn while serving in the role.”
Morales has been an advocate for traffic safety in Milwaukee for years. In 2021, he constructed a makeshift traffic circle at an intersection in his Sherman Park neighborhood after two light poles and several trees were knocked down by reckless drivers.
This led him to preside over the Sherman Park Reckless Driving Commission and join the Sherman Park Community Association’s board of directors that same year.
He currently serves as an assistant superintendent for Mortenson Construction and chairs the Milwaukee Historic Preservation Commission. Morales previously served as an air traffic controller for the U.S. Department of Transportation and air traffic watch controller for the U.S. Air Force.
Morales said his background in construction will be especially helpful for him in this new role.
“I’m used to managing a union workforce,” Morales said. “Especially in large commercial construction, we have to find efficiencies and utilize our resources and manpower correctly. That is something I hope to collaborate with the police and fire department on.”
Spencer, as vice chair of the FPC, had been outspoken recently on reforming police department vehicle pursuits and critical of the department’s approach to using technologies like facial recognition, which it halted in 2025 after community and commissioner pushback.
The commission is the city’s citizen oversight body for the fire and police departments. It was once considered one of the most powerful oversight bodies in the country, including being able to modify department policies before a 2023 law stripped it of that power.
This story was updated to add new information.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee mayor nominates traffic safety advocate for open FPC seat
Reporting by Shane Colpoys, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Shane Colpoys, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
