When County Leaders Cry ‘Crisis’ but Cash In
By Franklin Community News
A Crisis of Standards
Today the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Milwaukee County Board Chair Marcelia Nicholson spent more than $13,000 in donor funds on Uber and Lyft rides, cocktails, and candy. (Read the JSOnline story here.)
That revelation underscores a deeper problem: at the very moment County leaders are telling residents the budget is in crisis and warning of looming fiscal cliffs, Nicholson and her close allies — Supervisors Kathleen Vincent and Steve Taylor — are flouting the very standards they demand of others.
Nicholson and Vincent have quietly padded expenses, omitted conflicts, and misused staff. Taylor, meanwhile, has loudly postured as a budget hawk, even as the nonprofit he runs has bled money year after year. Together, they embody a troubling double standard: austerity for the public, perks for themselves.
📢 Crisis for Thee, Perks for Me
While County leaders warn of a “fiscal cliff” and tell residents to brace for service cuts:
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Marcelia Nicholson billed taxpayers for a $2,600 Milwaukee Athletic Club membership.
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Kathleen Vincent expensed nearly $700 in clothing and accessories
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Steve Taylor collected a $75,000 salary from the ROC Foundation while it posted three straight years of deficits. T
Nicholson: Donor Cash Meets County Perks
Nicholson’s private spending spree is mirrored by her public use of county dollars.Her 2023 Statement of Economic Interests reveals she billed taxpayers more than $2,600 for a membership at the Milwaukee Athletic Club.
She also charged nearly $4,000 in office “décor” and accessories — tumblers, tote bags, rollerblades, flowers, even tinsel. Travel records show another $3,600 for conferences and hotel stays, including an overnight in Madison for the Governor’s State of the State address.
Nicholson positions herself as a progressive voice of fiscal responsibility, but her filings suggest a pattern of privilege and self-benefit. She asks residents to sacrifice for the county budget even as she treats public funds as a personal expense account.
Vincent: Omission and Misuse
That omission shields potential conflicts from public view, precisely what the disclosure law is meant to prevent.
At the same time, Vincent and Supervisor Taylor came under fire for directing their shared county legislative aide to attend at least five Milwaukee County Circuit Court hearings that had nothing to do with county business. The estimated cost — $141.80 in taxpayer-funded staff time — exceeded the $50 misuse threshold under the Milwaukee County Code of Ethics.
Vincent also expensed nearly $700 in clothing and accessories — including Adidas polos, a Columbia jacket, and headphones — calling them “office expenditures.” For constituents watching services cut back, such self-serving perks ring hollow.
Taylor: The Budget Hawk with Red Ink in His Own House
If Nicholson spends freely and Vincent omits conflicts, Supervisor Steve Taylor represents the biggest double standard of all. Taylor has spent months posturing as the County’s budget hawk, warning colleagues and the press that “the sky is falling” on Milwaukee County finances. Yet his own record running the ROC Foundation suggests he cannot balance even a small nonprofit’s books.
According to ROC’s 2023 IRS Form 990EZ, the Foundation once again ran at a deficit:
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Revenue: $146,733
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Expenses: $148,258
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Deficit: –$1,525
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Year-end Fund Balance: –$24,664
The failures were clearest in fundraising. The ROC golf tournament, once touted as its flagship event, barely broke even — in 2022 Taylor actually lost money after rental costs swallowed proceeds. The 2023 jersey auction fared no better, with expenses nearly matching revenue.
All the while, Taylor drew a salary and benefits exceeding $75,000 annually — far more than ROC paid out in grants most years. In effect, the Foundation has become a vehicle for Taylor’s paycheck, not community benefit.
Taylor’s own disclosures compound the problem. In December 2023, he was forced to amend his Statement of Economic Interests twice after reporters found he had failed to disclose both his ROC employment and his private firm, Steve Taylor Consulting, LLC.
Even now, his associations with entities like Engage Franklin remain blurred, raising questions about transparency.
💬 Taylor’s Rhetoric vs. Reality
“It’s not good. It’s not good at all. We’re going to have a tough budget.”
— Supervisor Steve Taylor, July 2024
Yet under his leadership, the ROC Foundation lost nearly $40,000 over three years, while he still collected a $75,000 annual salary.
A Pattern, Not a Fluke
Together, these cases form a troubling picture. Nicholson billing both donors and taxpayers for perks. Vincent omitting elected offices and misusing staff. Taylor running a nonprofit into the ground while drawing a salary and preaching fiscal restraint.
These aren’t isolated errors. They represent a consistent pattern in which the rules apply to everyone else but not to the insiders themselves.
right to ask: if Nicholson, Taylor, and Vincent cannot responsibly manage their own accounts, disclosures, and organizations, why should anyone trust them with the stewardship of a $1.47 billion county budget?
📢 Not Hawks, Just Hypocrites
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Nicholson styles herself a progressive voice but treats taxpayer dollars as a personal perk fund.
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Vincent brands herself a dedicated public servant yet hides conflicts and misuses staff.
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Taylor proclaims himself a budget hawk while running a nonprofit deep into the red.
This is not just a matter of bookkeeping. It is a matter of integrity, transparency, and public trust.
And as Franklin Community News has always said — exposing corruption, double standards, and self-dealing is not about partisanship.
It is for the Greater Good.
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