Milwaukee County Ethics Board Orders Steve Taylor to Deactivate His Supervisor Facebook Page

Milwaukee County Ethics Board Orders Steve Taylor to Deactivate His Supervisor Facebook Page

Board votes 6–0, finds “strong reasonable appearance” page is County-affiliated; dismissal of ethics complaint conditioned on Taylor’s compliance

By Dr. Richard Busalacchi
Franklin Community News

The Milwaukee County Ethics Board has unanimously directed County Supervisor Steve F. Taylor (Oak Creek/Franklin) to deactivate and stop using his existing “Supervisor Steve F. Taylor” Facebook page following its review of a verified ethics complaint concerning the intersection of a County-aligned social-media presence and Taylor’s political campaign information.

The six-member Ethics Board voted 6–0 following a September 11 closed-session review of the verified complaint filed by Dr. Richard Busalacchi, publisher of Franklin Community News, and Kevin Fischer, a Franklin Community News contributor, along with two subsequent supplemental submissions.

The Board did not find that Taylor violated the Milwaukee County Ethics Code and determined that several allegations lacked sufficient supporting evidence.

However, the Board found a “strong reasonable appearance” that Taylor’s Supervisor Facebook page was County-affiliated and identified links to his campaign website and campaign email address as a potential ethics issue. Rather than simply requiring removal of those links, the Board directed Taylor to deactivate the page and encouraged creation of a new County-affiliated Facebook page for the District 17 Supervisor’s office.

The dismissal of the verified complaint is conditioned on Taylor’s compliance with that directive.

Taylor Holds Key County Board Positions

Taylor represents Milwaukee County’s 17th Supervisory District, which includes all of Oak Creek and portions of Franklin. He currently serves as Chairman of the County Board’s Finance Committee and Chairman of the Capital Improvements Committee, and is also a member of the Community, Environment and Economic Development Committee and the Parks and Culture Committee. The Finance Committee reviews County budget matters, taxation and insurance and leads the Board’s deliberations on the annual County budget, while the Capital Improvements Committee evaluates and prioritizes major County capital projects.

Complaint Focused on Government and Campaign Lines

The original verified complaint focused on the Facebook page titled “Supervisor Steve F. Taylor.”

The complaint documented that the page identified Taylor as a government official, described itself as addressing matters facing Milwaukee County and was used to communicate about County government.

At the same time, the page directed visitors to Taylor’s political campaign website and displayed a campaign-branded email address. The linked website was associated with Friends of Steve F. Taylor and contained campaign information and a mechanism for political contributions.

The complaint alleged potential violations of Milwaukee County General Ordinances §§9.05(2)(a), 9.05(2)(c)(2), 9.06(1)(c) and 9.06(1)(d).

It also asked the Ethics Board to examine who administered the page and whether County employees, work time, equipment, networks or other County resources were involved.

The complaint did not contend that Taylor was prohibited from criticizing Franklin Community News, Fischer or Busalacchi. Rather, it questioned whether political and campaign activity was being mixed with a social-media presence appearing to represent a County elected office.

Comparison With Other County Supervisors

The complaint included a comparative review of social-media pages maintained by Milwaukee County supervisors, documenting how other supervisors identified their government-facing Facebook pages and what contact information those pages provided.

The Ethics Board specifically addressed that evidence.

While the Board said simply removing Taylor’s campaign website and email references could resolve the immediate issue, it took “particular interest” in the comparison with other supervisors.

That evidence contributed to the Board’s decision to “go a step further” and require deactivation of Taylor’s existing page.

Two Supplements Added Evidence

Additional information was submitted to the Ethics Board on August 31 and September 7.

The August 31 submission documented changes to Taylor’s Facebook page after the original complaint, including the subsequent addition of a link to his official Milwaukee County webpage.

The September 7 supplement documented activity involving the separate Facebook accounts “Steve F. Taylor” and “Supervisor Steve F. Taylor.”

Among the material submitted was evidence that the Supervisor-branded account had accessed Busalacchi’s personal Facebook content as a non-follower and left an emoji reaction.

The information was submitted as additional evidence concerning the identity, operation and use of the Supervisor-branded account rather than as a stand-alone Ethics Code violation.

Board Finds “Strong Reasonable Appearance” of County Affiliation

Following release of the matter by the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office, the Ethics Board considered the complaint during its September 11 closed session.

According to the Board’s September 25 correspondence, all six members agreed that there had historically been a distinction between Taylor’s “Supervisor Steve F. Taylor” page and his separate “Steve F. Taylor” personal page.

Based on the current presentation of the Supervisor page and the existence of the separate personal page, the Board concluded there was a:

“strong reasonable appearance”

that the Supervisor page was a County-affiliated social-media profile.

The Board characterized the campaign links appearing on the page as a “potential issue” and said their presence could create an “appearance of a violation” of §9.06(1)(d).

The Board did not, however, conclude that an Ethics Code violation had occurred.

Board Orders Page Deactivated

The Ethics Board directed Taylor to deactivate the existing Supervisor page and encouraged him to work with Milwaukee County Board and County Clerk staff to establish a new County-affiliated Facebook page for the District 17 Supervisor’s office.

The replacement page is expected to be managed similarly to those of other County supervisors in the interest of “consistency, conformity, and transparency.”

In separate correspondence to Taylor, the Board said the new page should contain no links or history of links to political campaign websites and should be considered an asset of the office rather than an asset of the individual holding the office.

Countywide Social-Media Policy May Follow

The Ethics Board also said it intends to develop a countywide formal opinion concerning County-affiliated social-media profiles.

According to the Board, representative social-media profiles should be County-provided and managed as representations of the governmental office or department. Individuals should not convert personal or private accounts into County-affiliated pages or retain access to those accounts after leaving office or employment.

The forthcoming opinion could therefore establish broader guidance governing County-affiliated social media throughout Milwaukee County government.

What the Board Did Not Find

The Ethics Board determined that the remaining allegations lacked sufficient evidence to establish additional potential Ethics Code violations.

Regarding §§9.05(2)(a) and 9.05(2)(c)(2), the Board said the evidence did not establish a private or substantial tangible benefit received by Taylor.

The Board also distinguished political contributions from other things of value under the County Ethics Code and rejected the argument that intangible political benefits such as exposure or goodwill constituted the type of “substantial value” contemplated by those provisions.

It further found no example during the period examined in which the Supervisor page was actively used to post about Taylor’s own election campaigns or directly solicit campaign contributions.

August 27 Post Was Not Found to Violate Ethics Code

The original complaint also challenged an August 27 post published on Taylor’s Supervisor page responding to criticism from Fischer and Busalacchi.

The Board unanimously determined that the content of the August 27 post itself did not present a potential Ethics Code violation and said it would not otherwise have compelled Taylor to remove it.

Because Taylor has been directed to deactivate the entire page, however, the post will also be removed with the page.

Board Declines to Investigate County Staff Involvement

The complaint also asked the Ethics Board to determine whether County employees or County resources had been involved in administering, maintaining, creating, editing, moderating or publishing material on Taylor’s Facebook page.

The Board declined to undertake that investigation, saying complainants must provide an evidentiary foundation identifying potential staff involvement. It said the evidence before it instead appeared to support Taylor being the only individual managing the page.

For matters requiring independent investigation into County employees or resources, the Board recommended Milwaukee County’s Fraud, Waste and Abuse Hotline, administered through Audit Services.

The Board noted that Audit Services investigators can seek materials, interview employees, conduct research and compile findings. Evidence of potential Ethics Code violations developed through such an investigation could subsequently be brought before the Ethics Board.

Board Considered—but Did Not Make—Harassment Determination

The Ethics Board also considered whether MCGO §9.09(4)(k), which permits it to determine whether a verified complaint was brought for harassment purposes, applied.

It did not make such a determination.

Instead, the Board explained that the verified complaint had “gave cause to the Board to issue Supv. Taylor guidance and direction related to the Code.”

Dismissal Conditioned on Taylor’s Compliance

The Board’s disposition is expressly tied to Taylor carrying out its directive.

The Board wrote:

“pending Supv. Taylor’s compliance with the Board’s directive in a timely manner, the Board dismisses the VC and will take no further action on said claims.”

In its separate memorandum to Taylor, the Board directed him to confirm that the existing Facebook page had been deactivated by 4 p.m. Wednesday, September 30.

The memorandum further states that failure to follow the directive will result in the Board reconvening to continue its consideration of the verified complaint.

FCN Received Both Board Correspondences Directly

Franklin Community News received both the Ethics Board’s correspondence to the complainants and its separate memorandum to Taylor directly from Ethics Board Executive Director Adam Gilmore.

At 5:36 p.m. September 25, Gilmore emailed Busalacchi and Fischer what he described as “copies of correspondence from the Milwaukee County Ethics Board.” Attached were the Board’s “Taylor Verified Complaint Decision Memo” and the notification letter addressed to Busalacchi and Fischer.

The findings, directives and September 30 compliance deadline reported by FCN are therefore based on correspondence provided directly by the Milwaukee County Ethics Board’s executive director.

Taylor’s compliance with the Board’s directive is due by 4 p.m. September 30.

This piece reflects the author’s personal opinion and experiences. All statements are presented as commentary protected under the First Amendment. Readers are encouraged to review public records, filings, and documented evidence referenced throughout this article.

Dr. Richard Busalacchi is the Publisher of Franklin Community News, where he focuses on government transparency, community accountability, and local public policy. He believes a community’s strength depends on open dialogue, honest leadership, and the courage to speak the truth—even when it makes powerful people uncomfortable.