Milwaukee Community Wellness and Safety Director Adam Procell Resigns After Legal Ruling on Eligibility

Leadership change follows department reclassification and constitutional eligibility requirements

Milwaukee’s Department of Community Wellness and Safety is preparing for a leadership transition after Director Adam Procell said he will resign. Mayor Cavalier Johnson announced the change on Friday, January 30, 2026, citing a legal interpretation that Procell is not eligible to serve as head of the department because of a past felony conviction.

The city’s current position hinges on Wisconsin Constitution Article XIII, Section 3, which states that a person convicted of a felony is not eligible to hold “any office of trust, profit or honor” in Wisconsin unless pardoned. City officials said the question became decisive after the office’s status changed during the 2026 budget process, when the public safety and violence-prevention portfolio was restructured from an office housed within the Department of Administration into a standalone city department effective January 1, 2026.

How the restructuring affected eligibility

Before the reclassification, the Office of Community Wellness and Safety operated within the Department of Administration. In that structure, the director role was treated as an administrative appointment rather than the head of a separate department. After the Common Council’s 2026 budget actions established an independent Department of Community Wellness and Safety, the city attorney concluded this week that the constitutional eligibility clause applies to the department’s director position.

Mayor Johnson said the city only formally learned of the legal conclusion in the past week and that Procell’s resignation would follow as a result.

Background on Procell’s appointment and public scrutiny

Johnson appointed Procell on August 18, 2025. Procell has publicly discussed his criminal history, including a conviction tied to a homicide committed when he was a teenager. His selection drew debate at the time, including questions about the appointment process and how the city evaluated candidates.

During summer 2025, three finalists participated in public town hall meetings as part of the selection process. Procell was nominated afterward, outside that finalist group, prompting some Common Council members to argue for stronger council oversight of future director appointments. Those concerns later intersected with the office’s budget-driven reorganization into a standalone department.

What the department does and what comes next

The Department of Community Wellness and Safety oversees city strategies intended to prevent violence and improve community safety through a public-health framework. Its scope includes coordinating efforts related to community violence, gun violence, domestic and intimate partner violence, sexual assault, child abuse, human trafficking, and services for people impacted by violence.

• Violence prevention and intervention coordination
• Partnership work across city agencies and community organizations
• Program planning intended to reduce intentional injury and homicide

No successor was announced Friday. City leaders are expected to outline interim leadership and the next steps for filling the director role as the newly independent department continues operations under its 2026 structure.

“By law, Adam cannot serve as the department director,” Mayor Johnson said during the January 30 news conference.