Milwaukee, WI
Former Milwaukee city attorney charged with misconduct in public office
Milwaukee’s former city attorney has been charged with misconduct in public office — a felony — and resisting or obstructing an officer.
Tearman Spencer, who was defeated by Evan Goyke in an election last spring, faces over four years in jail if convicted and fines of up to $20,000.
A criminal complaint filed Wednesday by the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office said Spencer directed his staff to help him “avoid, fees and repairs, required by Department of Neighborhood Services Inspections that totaled thousands of dollars and to avoid inspections regarding his personal property.”
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The complaint added he “exercised a discretionary power in a manner inconsistent with the duties of his office with intent to obtain a dishonest advantage for himself or another.”
This isn’t the first time Spencer has found himself in hot water. In 2023, a state equal rights officer found there was “probable cause” to believe he violated labor laws after a former assistant city attorney reported he had touched her inappropriately.
Shortly after Spencer began his term, hoards of attorneys and staff members also left the office, some alleging ethical violations.
Wednesday’s complaint focuses on a property that Spencer used to store cars he owned.
Spencer told an inspector with the Department of Neighborhood Services that he used a locked portion of a building on the city’s north side to store his vehicles.
The inspector was there to perform a fire inspection, but said Spencer’s “presence made her uncomfortable and she did not complete the inspection.” Another inspector who came back later handed out code violations for the property because of illegal use, according to the complaint.
The property owner of the building said Spencer told him he didn’t need an occupancy permit to store his cars at the property because he was given a memo from the city attorney’s office, “stating a building used for storing cars does not need an occupancy permit.”
The complaint said Spencer “exercised a discretionary power of directing city resources in an effort to prevent DNS (Department of Neighborhood Services), who would be the defendant’s client, from conducting inspections and assessment on the property.”
The complaint said that’s because Spencer directed his staff to draft a memo regarding occupancy permits and cars after he was faced with the fines. The complaint said that memo was not sent to the Department of Neighborhood Services, but rather sent to a “private citizen with whom he (Spencer) has private financial dealings in an attempt based on the surrounding circumstances to avoid the inspections and fees in the thousands.”
During an interview with investigators, Spencer admitted he directed his office to work on the memo because “his personal property was at issue,” the complaint said.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson called the charges “disturbing and disappointing.”
“The people of Milwaukee have expectations their elected officials scrupulously follow the law, and today’s charges assert that Mr. Spencer did not,” a statement from Johnson said.
“I have consistently called for accountability for those who violate the public’s trust,” the statement added. “The voters of this city removed City Attorney Spencer from office in April. That was one form of accountability. He will now face accountability in a court of law.”
Online court records don’t show a court appearance for Spencer yet. The records also don’t reveal who is representing Spencer as his attorney.
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The Milwaukee Brewers were one of the more active teams in the league this offseason and it was one of the more shocking storylines to follow all winter.
They opted to trade Freddy Peralta to the New York Mets, which was a blockbuster deal, but it was expected. Peralta was on an expiring contract, and the Brewers were unlikely to be able to land a long-term deal with him. Milwaukee would much rather have control of Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams for the next five to seven years rather than a singular year of Peralta.
But they also traded Isaac Collins to the Kansas City Royals and Caleb Durbin to the Boston Red Sox. The Collins deal was a head scratcher, but the Durbin deal was the most shocking move of Milwaukee’s offseason.
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The Brewers traded Durbin and two other infielders to Boston in exchange for Kyle Harrison, David Hamilton, and Shane Drohan. Harrison is the biggest addition of the trade. Drohan has already flashed dominant potential this spring. Hamilton, who struggled last season, seemingly has the full belief of Brewers manager Pat Murphy.
David Hamilton could soon become a star for the Brewers
“He’s got so much ability in there, and he’s got experience, and he might be a utility player but I think he can be really good for us. I think he can take his offensive game to a whole other level,” Murphy said when talking about Hamilton, per Brewers beat writer Adam McCalvy.
Last season, Hamilton slashed .198/.257/.333 with a .590 OPS and a 63 OPS+. It was his third year in the big leagues and his second full year at the level and he’s yet to post an OPS+ over 100. But he’s still been worth 3.6 WAR over the last two years because of his defense and baserunning. The issue has been his bat. Even when he hit .248 in 2024, his OPS was under .700.
But Murphy seemingly believes Hamilton could take the next step at the plate, which would set him up to be a very good platoon infielder and versatile bat. He has the chance to quietly develop into a star with the Brewers if he can get his OPS over .700 and closer to .750. Obviously, this isn’t going to be easy, but Murphy seems to believe he’s closer to this breakout than many fans assume.
MILWAUKEE – Landmark Credit Union Live, Milwaukee’s newest concert venue, opened its doors on Friday. And with the Bucks playing next door at the same time, the whole area was hopping.
What they’re saying:
Fans flocked to Fiserv Forum to watch the team play the New York Knicks, and music lovers stood in line to see Rainbow Kitten Surprise on the opening night of Landmark Credit Union Live.
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“Very busy, very crowded the bars and restaurants,” said Ashley Evans. “That’d be great to add to the city again, to continue to bring more tourists out.”
“This is going to be amazing. I’ve been wanting to see them for a very long time, so I’m very excited,” said Rachel Lococo.
Fans line up for the official opening of Landmark Credit Union Live
Landmark Credit Union Live can host up to 4,500 people. Friday night’s show was sold out, drawing fans from places like Chicago, Minnesota, Iowa and elsewhere.
“Some people have driven from Indiana, so there’s a lot of people coming out tonight,” said Kade McCane, who came from Madison. “Honestly, really exciting to be among the first people who get to be there, and for RKS to be among the first people who will ever perform here, I hope this venue gets huge and big and becomes very popular.”
The excitement was felt all around Milwaukee. Even the competition rolled out the welcome mat.
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“Our goal to grow as a city means that a lot of things have to happen. This is the very, tiny, small work that has to happen,” said Gary Witt, president and CEO of The Pabst Theater Group, which runs six nearby venues.
“The introduction of any new business in the city, especially one that pays attention to the fact that we have spent 24 years growing the live culture economy in the city of Milwaukee, says to me that we’ve done our job.”
Witt said live entertainment is an industry Milwaukee’s economy has been dependent on coming from visitors like those who turned out Friday.
The Source: FOX6 News interviewed the people in this story and referenced prior coverage related to the opening of Landmark Credit Union Live.
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