Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler called for new leadership to be put in place in the wake of complaints of bullying and harassment raised by Milwaukee 2020 Host Committee staff.
In a letter to staff, the Milwaukee 2020 Host Committee Board of Directors announced it has engaged a third party to investigate concerns employees have raised.
It also announced that Host Committee President Liz Gilbert will not be in the office or in contact with staff “in the interest of ensuring a fair and impartial investigation process.”
Additionally, Adam Alonso, the committee’s chief of staff, has been placed on administrative leave pending the results of the investigation.
Wikler told WisPolitics.com that he and the entire party were “gravely concerned about the serious allegation.”
Wikler said it was a core value among Dems that employees feel safe and secure at their workspaces and that he hoped new leadership would be put in place soon to “reset the culture.”
“It’s five short months until the convention begins and every day counts,” Wikler said.
Gov. Tony Evers today said the important thing is for the complaint to be investigated, a process he said he didn’t think should take too long.
“It concerns me as an employer — and someone who has supervised people in the past and present — if allegations are strong then we need to take them seriously,” Evers said. “I don’t believe it’s going to have an impact on the convention. I’m happy that we are doing an investigation so we can make sure people have been heard.”
