On an 8-7 vote, Milwaukee Ald. Cavalier "Chevy" Johnson was elected Common Council president, succeeding Ald. Ashanti Hamilton.

Late last week, Hamilton, who had been seeking re-election to the council's leadership role, dropped out of the race and instead endorsed Ald. Milele Coggs.

The public split broke with recent precedent in which the race for Common Council president is hashed out behind closed doors with a winner picked unanimously in public.

There was also a divided vote for the position of city clerk, with Jim Owczarski ultimately retaining his position with 13 votes.

The votes laid bare the divisions on the council.

As the meeting closed, Hamilton acknowledged those divisions, saying there hasn't been a divided vote on either position in his time on the council.

"I am hoping that as we move forward that we’re just not calling on unifying, we’re calling on rectifying what causes this division," he said to Johnson. "As my first word of advice: that it starts at the head. So I’m hoping that there is a recognition of this historical moment and what’s necessary in order to right the ship going forward."

Johnson got the votes of Alds. Nik Kovac, Robert Bauman, JoCasta Zamarripa, Michael Murphy, José Pérez, Scott Spiker, Marina Dimitrijevic and himself.

Coggs got the votes of Alds. Hamilton, Nikiya Dodd, Khalif Rainey, Chantia Lewis, Mark Borkowski, Russell Stamper II and herself.

The vote came after a series of statements by Coggs and three of her colleagues in support of her and her decade-plus experience on the council as the city faces significant financial challenges, including from the immense costs of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Johnson, who was first elected in 2016, reflected after Tuesday's vote on his life experience and the mandates facing the council.

He said he is one of 10 siblings in a split family with a father who served as a janitor for more than 30 years and a mother who worked as a certified nursing assistant for nearly that length of time.

"After living at more addresses than I can count, experiencing all of the love and the pain that 53206 and other distressed ZIP codes can muster — from substandard housing, familial violence, gun violence, food scarcity, eviction, theft and threat of death — I looked around myself at a young age and I said I want better for me, I want better for my family, I want better for my neighborhood, and I want better for my city," Johnson said.

He said there were times he didn't think he would make it but he refocused on school and found a passion to serve.

He went to college but instead of avoiding challenged neighborhoods, he said, he committed himself to public service in Milwaukee, the U.S. and abroad.

"I share the concerns of my colleagues," he said. "After all, I've got lived experiences facing many of these issues. All of us should be focused on lifting the tide for people who live in neighborhoods like the ones I experienced growing up."

He said all council members have a responsibility to ensure that people living in those neighborhoods have access to quality services that won't decrease any more than in any other parts of the city, regardless of fiscal challenges, and to ensure that representation on the council is just and diverse.

"All of us must ensure that public safety includes public health and not just people with badges and guns," he said. "All of us must fight to make sure we hold the state's feet to the fire when it comes to the slow-motion mass-murder that we see on the news every single night in this community."

Johnson told the Journal Sentinel that Coggs had a compelling story to tell in that she would have been the first woman elected as president of the Common Council and that she has served on the council for 12 years.

He thought those who voted for her recognized her record and that some members felt that someone more seasoned should have the opportunity to serve in the post. However, he said, any council member can run for president.

"Experience can cut two ways: There’s the legislative piece but there’s the lived experience piece, too," he said, adding he thought the work he had to do as a young black man in this city to get to his position was overlooked by some.

Kovac said this isn't the first time there have been disagreements on the council.

"I suspect where we can find unity in the future we will find unity, and I will be working toward that," he said.

Bauman said Johnson had been running for the seat for a long time, and that the eight people who voted for him had pretty much committed to doing so a week ago.

The public schism is not a good look, he said, and it's something he hopes isn't indicative of lingering resentment and discord moving forward.

Hamilton told the Journal Sentinel when asked about the council divisions after the meeting that he thinks there are "major concerns about our ability to remain committed to a community-focused agenda and a commitment to trying to protect the independence of the council."

He said the hope is that Johnson takes the fact that seven members of the council were unwilling to give him their vote and addresses issues individually with those members.

Asked what such a division means for the council moving forward, Hamilton said, "A lot of that will be determined by some of the decisions that (Johnson) makes in the next couple weeks, when it comes to the responsibilities that come from the president including committee chairs and appointments to various committees across the city."

Johnson contended that he is a member of the community and his service at the city has not changed that. And in terms of independence, he said his previous work in the mayor's office doesn't mean he isn't independent.

He thinks members who didn't vote for him will come around in order to work toward an agenda that benefits the city and their residents.

He said he plans to handle committee assignments "very judiciously," looking at each council member's strengths and interests in addition to what will most benefit the body and the city.

Coggs declined to be interviewed, saying via text message that she congratulates Johnson on his victory and wishes him well as president.

For the position of city clerk, Dodd nominated former Milwaukee County Board chairman Theodore Lipscomb Sr., who wasn't aware he was being nominated until after the vote had passed. Coggs abstained. Lipscomb is a resident of Glendale.

The vote followed the swearing-in Tuesday of the 15-member Common Council.

The day marked a historical milestone in which women now make up a third of council members.

Mayor Tom Barrett takes oath of office for fifth term

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett also took the oath of office Tuesday morning in the backyard of his west side home.

Barrett defeated state Sen. Lena Taylor in the April 7 election, winning a fifth term at the city's helm.

He said in a virtual press conference that in this next term he wants to continue focusing on creating jobs in the city and bringing down the crime rate. Barrett also said he wants to focus on early education and is concerned that the achievement gaps will widen during the pandemic.

“That underscores why it’s so important to put a lot of emphasis on early education,” Barrett said. “I’m going to continue to work the foundations, with businesses, working with child care centers, working with others to make sure that we can have our kids prepared when they go to kindergarten. That’s imperative and that’s making sure that child care workers are paid well, that we’re making sure that we’re having safe places for kids to be.”

Barrett said housing continues to be a “high priority” and wants to work toward 10,000 homes that are new or rehabilitated.

“I look at the next four years as an emphasis on neighborhoods and bringing this economy back,” Barrett said.

The coronavirus pandemic has had an impact on the city, residents and businesses.

Barrett said the pandemic has shown “schisms” in the community.

“When I first saw the number of cases in the African American community I realized that this was really a reflection of a lot of the underlying issues we have in our society in our health care system,” Barrett said.

Barrett added the city is seeing outbreaks in Hispanic neighborhoods and senior centers.

“With all of that I remain totally optimistic about the future of this city,” Barrett said. “I know as I walk through the neighborhoods in the city, that I see people who love their children and want to see them get a good education. … I see people in every single neighborhood that want to have a job that can support their families.”

Contact Alison Dirr at 414-224-2383 or adirr@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter @AlisonDirr.