How Does Milwaukee’s Mayor Proclaim 300 Days a Year?
Originally published on Milwaukee Magazine 1/6/23From KISS Day to Santiago Calatrava Day, Mayor Cavalier Johnson is busy honoring Milwaukee businesses, citizens and celebrities even beyond the working days of the year. Here’s a look at how he gets it done.
It’s been just over a year since Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson assumed the role of acting Mayor after ex-Mayor Tom Barrett moved to Luxembourg to serve as a U.S. Ambassador. Despite his short tenure, Johnson and his crew have made a serious effort to celebrate important people, places and events of the city through the mayoral proclamation process.
According to Todd Miller, the Community Outreach Liaison in the Office of the Mayor, the average amount of proclamations per year is around 300. As of Dec. 8, Mayor Johnson had already made 292. With only 260 working days a year, Mayor Johnson’s team stays busy processing several proclamations a week.
Mayoral proclamations are an opportunity for the city of Milwaukee to commemorate, recognize and celebrate significant landmarks, community members or large achievements. Because there are so many incredible Milwaukeeans and local businesses, the mayoral team follows a specific set of rules to determine who and what is celebrated with a mayoral proclamation.
For an event, it has to have a cultural, social or historical significance for the city. For organizational or individual milestones, proclamations are made on milestone anniversaries of ten years or more. For individuals, milestone birthdays after the age of 75 can be celebrated. They also can make posthumous proclamations.
“We want each proclamation to have significance behind it,” says Miller. “When we receive a proclamation request, our staff reviews it to make sure it meets our criteria.”
The proclamation request process is incredibly straightforward. First a nominee (or nominator) has to fill out a form from the Office of the Mayor. Then they describe compelling details like biography or an organization mission statement. Once they accept the request, they reach out to the requester to get information on the individual or the organization so they can add as much content to that proclamation as possible. If it’s an individual, it might be their birth date, where they were born, career, religious affiliations, any notable hobbies or awards or recognitions. It’s similar for organizations – significant details that make a compelling case for a proclamation. Miller shares that after a draft is prepared, they send it to the requester to ask for any edits or changes. Once those edits are made, it can be printed off and made official.
“Usually it stays with me and the other staff here,” says Miller. “And we’re able to kind of dissect these requests, but sometimes we certainly do take them to the mayor, and sometimes he brings us requests as well. So it certainly is a two way street.”
Despite moving forward with around 300 proclamations a year, there are circumstances where a request will be denied.
“We want individuals to have a milestone or a significant event. So if somebody turns 37, you know, that’s great, but we would be more interested in somebody’s 40th birthday or 45th birthday,” says Miller. “We also want to make sure that we’re not proclaiming a day in honor of somebody or an organization that might be offensive to members of our community.”
And how much input does Mayor Johnson have in these proclamations? It depends on his schedule.
“He makes a really good habit of trying to attend proclamations because it is really exciting and people get really emotional about it,” says Miller. “When the mayor did the one for Calatrava, that was a pretty significant moment. And I know that one really went over well. So yeah, I mean, he tries to get to as many of these as he can, pending his schedule.”
9 Notable Proclamations
1. Jordan Lee Day
JAN. 28, 2022
Celebrating the influential DJ’s retirement from 88.9 Radio Milwaukee
2. Pizza Shuttle Day
MARCH 1, 2022
Celebrating the historic eatery’s new ownership, alongside its history of community involvement
3. Anna Mae Robertson Day
MARCH 5, 2022
Celebrating Robertson’s lifetime of civic contributions and service in the Women’s Army Corps during World War II as a part of the “Six Triple Eight,” the first and only all-female African American unit deployed overseas during WWII
4. KISS Day
MAY 11, 2022
Celebrating the legendary rockers as they returned to Milwaukee for their “Final Tour Ever” in 2022
5. Jacob Latimore Day
AUG. 10, 2022
Celebrating the Milwaukee-born actor and singer who has had roles in the Black Nativity, The Maze Runner, Collateral Beauty, Detroit and The Chi
6. Yvonne Kemp Day
AUG. 29, 2022
Celebrating the talented photographer who was the first African American woman photographer for the Brewers and the oldest African American woman photographer for any Major League Baseball organization.
7. Santiago Calatrava Day
SEPT. 16, 2022
Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Milwaukee Art Museum’s Quadracci Pavilion, the iconic sculptural “wings” designed by Santiago Calatrava
8. Landmark Lanes Day
SEPT. 26, 2022
Celebrating the 95th Anniversary of the quintessential “underground city” bowling alley, arcade and bar
9. Pabst Theater Group Day
OCT. 21, 2022
Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of Milwaukee’s most significant venue and theater group.
