MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett announced that he would resign from his position Wednesday, handing power to Common Council President Cavalier Johnson, who will assume the role of acting mayor.
"I will be resigning today," Barrett told members of the media as he entered a morning news conference.
As he walked into his office ahead of this morning’s transfer of power meeting with @CavalierJohnson, @MayorOfMKE was asked if he would be resigning today and he said, “Yes, I will be resigning today.” @tmj4 pic.twitter.com/eZXOkmegVB
— Elaine Rojas-Castillo (@ElaineRCTV) December 22, 2021
Barrett said that his resignation will be effective at 5 p.m. Wednesday, which is when Common Council President Cavalier Johnson becomes Acting Mayor.
Johnson will be sworn in during a special ceremony at noon on Thursday in the auditorium at Bay View High School. The event is not open to the public. However, the event can be viewed on the City website by clicking here.
“As a son of Milwaukee and as a proud graduate of Bay View High School, it is very special to be able to hold my swearing-in as acting Mayor of Milwaukee in my high school auditorium,” Incoming Mayor Johnson said. “I’m excited and ready to go to work as acting mayor, and I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s ceremony.”
The transition comes now that the U.S. Senate has confirmed Mayor Barrett's nomination as an ambassador.
Barrett will take the oath of office to officially become the U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg at 9 a.m. Thursday morning at the Milwaukee County Courthouse.
It's likely Johnson will only have a few months to lead before a special election is held to permanently fill Barrett's seat.
He'll be running in a crowded field that includes Nick McVey, Bob Donovan, Shelia Conley-Patterson, Michael Sampson, Earnell Lucas, and Marina Dimitrijevic.
It's unclear exactly when these candidates will get to face off in a primary or general election.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
