David Crowley, the Democratic candidate for governor in Wisconsin, approved several million dollars in county funding for Community Advocates, the organization where his wife, Ericka Crowley, is employed. This was revealed through records examined by the Daily Caller.
From 2020 to 2021, Crowley’s signature was on documents that raised Milwaukee County’s aid to Community Advocates from $6.5 million to $17.85 million. After taking office as Milwaukee County Executive in May 2020, he contacted the Ethics Board in May 2021 about a rental assistance contract with the nonprofit, which his wife joined just the previous year.
Crowley noted in his letter that Community Advocates was selected for the funding because of its long-standing partnership with Milwaukee County and its proven competency in managing essential programs. He asserted that his wife’s job did not affect the decision to grant the funding, pointing out that previous contracts had been established before she became an employee there.
He claimed the letter was an effort to ensure “full transparency.” However, while he stressed the established connection between the county and Community Advocates, documentation shows he approved three increases to the organization’s contract after his wife’s employment began.
Community Advocates originally received a $6.5 million contract in July 2020, shortly after Crowley took office. The contract was incrementally increased by $5 million in November 2020, followed by another $950,000 in January 2021, and a final increase of $5.4 million in March 2021, which extended the contract through December of that year.
Although Crowley disclosed his wife’s job in a financial statement submitted to Milwaukee County in January 2021, it wasn’t clear whether he had consulted the Ethics Board regarding the funding decisions before approving them. Notably, he had already approved two increases before the disclosure was made, and he approved another increase in March prior to contacting the Ethics Board about a new agreement.
In his May correspondence, Crowley mentioned he consulted with Milwaukee County Corporation Counsel, which found the future contract to be allowable. However, his letter did not clarify whether he had sought or received similar advice prior to the earlier funding approvals.
The original contract with Community Advocates was awarded without competitive bidding, using emergency procurement protocols due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Crowley’s campaign emphasized that the rent assistance program from Community Advocates had already been underway before he became County Executive and that all funding had received County Board approval.
Since Crowley’s arrival in office, Milwaukee County has allocated over $65 million in federal Emergency Rental Assistance funds in partnership with Community Advocates. The campaign did not provide further comment to the Daily Caller regarding these matters.
As the election approaches, Crowley is set to compete against Republican candidate Tom Tiffany on November 3.
