How convenient. The day after the election, Wisconsin voters learned that Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley — who ran an ad claiming he lowered taxes and balanced the budget — actually had a $4.6 million hole in it. The November 4 memo to the Milwaukee County Board said it happened because of an "automated calculation error."
$4.6 million hole in Crowley's county budget emerges a day after he wins race for Wisconsin governor — via @Vanessa_Swales https://t.co/mbIZg7h4i7
— Patrick Marley (@patrickdmarley) November 5, 2026
In a Nov. 4 memo to County Board leaders, the county’s budget office said the administration plans to offset the gap during 2027 and bring a fund transfer to the board for approval by the end of March. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel was the first to report on the memo.
The error occurred in a newly automated process used to allocate equipment purchases and depreciation. The memo says positive and negative signs were reversed on two airport-related entries: a $4.49 million depreciation contribution and $2.21 million in airport revenue.
A spokesperson for the county executive’s office said Crowley is aware of the error. Once it was identified, the Office of Strategy, Budget and Performance “acted immediately” to correct the issue and prevent it from happening again, the spokesperson said.
The budget office and county comptroller identified possible ways to cover the gap, including additional prescription drug rebates, cash remaining in capital projects scheduled to close in 2027 and savings or surpluses in departmental operating budgets. The memo does not specify how much each option would contribute.
Democrats will just raise taxes.
Enjoy affordability, Wisconsin.
Any comment @DavidCCrowley, about LYING to voters?
— Dr. Martha Pocan (@DrSasshole) November 5, 2026
No. He'll just use some of the state's $3.3 billion surplus to fix it.
That's just an hors d'oeuvre compare to the state budget deficits that are about to be created. We'll be talking at least $1B in structural deficit
— Temu Illinois Irish James (@blackdoglurking) November 5, 2026
Buckle up.
Great scoop by @Vanessa_Swales of the @JournalSentinel! Discovering yet more evidence of David Crowley's utter incompetence the day AFTER the election! What are the odds?!?!? https://t.co/lzuGpNpncr
— Dan O'Donnell (@DanODonnellShow) November 5, 2026
They knew and hid it from voters.
Crowley knew about this two weeks ago and decided to wait to tell his county board until after Election Day.
— Chad Doran (@doranchad) November 5, 2026
Not a model of good leadership by any measure. https://t.co/7QroxlLA2Y
Voters were warned regardless. Milwaukee County is a mess and now the entire state will be.
We filed an open records request and also asked David Crowley’s office to explain when specifically this error was found, when specifically Crowley learned about it, and why it wasn’t disclosed before the election.
— Wisconsin Right Now (@wisconsin_now) November 5, 2026
Their comments to other media have been vague on the timeline.… pic.twitter.com/4kq5ilNtwN
We'll keep an eye on this, but don't hold your breath that Crowley's office will respond.
Editor's Note: The Democrat Party has been infected by socialism, and it's spreading FAST. Democrats are claiming there's nothing to worry about, but we know the truth.
Help us continue to shine a light on the socialist takeover by joining Townhall VIP. Use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership.
Join the Conversation
VIP members get the ability to comment on articles.