Author: Sam Buisman

The Madison Professional Police Officers Association declares it has “no confidence” in Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway. 

In a press release published Monday morning, the Madison police union unveiled that its roughly 500 members voted near-unanimously to express no confidence in the leadership of Mayor Rhodes-Conway. The union explains in the release that their members found the Mayor to be negligent to the needs of law enforcement and uninterested in working with the MPPOA to meet its goals. 

In the release, the MPPOA goes as far as to express regret for endorsing Rhodes-Conway during her run for mayor.

“It has become clear that Mayor Rhodes-Conway misled us when she was running for office,” says the release. “Collectively, we are uncertain of her ability to move us forward for the betterment of our police department and our city.” 

Mayor Rhodes-Conway responded to the police union's vote later Monday morning, voicing disappointment in the MPPOA for what she described as an aversion to change.

“It is extremely unfortunate that the Madison Professional Police Officers Association has failed to realize the importance of this time,” said Rhodes-Conway, “and is sowing division instead of stepping up to partner with the community and the rest of City government.” 

The Mayor insisted that she is still open to working with the MPPOA and including them in policy and budgetary discussions. 

This tit-for-tat further enflames the already blazing tensions between Madison law enforcement and the city's activist groups and certain progressive politicians following George Floyd's murder, which the Mayor has often found herself in the middle of.