Milwaukee Ald. Nikiya Dodd is stepping down at the end of the month, the lawmaker tells the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Dodd, representing the 5th District, said she was stepping down from the role due to "serious family and medical issues," according to JS.
Dodd has missed Common Council and committee meetings since the end of September. She did not say if she has picked a final day in office.
Four of the Milwaukee Common Council's seats are vacant right now, not counting Dodd's seat. That could prove problematic especially as the council debates Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson's proposed 2023 budget. Ten votes are needed to approve the budget during a meeting this Friday.
That's in addition to the just over 150,000 Milwaukee residents who will not have a lawmaker representing them in the Common Council for at least six months, according to JS.
The other empty seats are Johnson's old seat before he was elected mayor; Nik Kovac and Ashanti Hamilton's old seats before they joined Johnson's administration; and Chantia Lewis' old seat, who was removed from office over allegations of misconduct in office. Lewis was later convicted and sentenced to 30 days in jail for using more than $20,000 in campaign funds to pay for personal expenses.
This is a developing story and will be updated when TMJ4 News confirms more information.
