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Cavalier Johnson

Mayor of Milwaukee
City of Milwaukee, WI

In April of 2022, the people of Milwaukee elected Mayor Cavalier Johnson as the forty-fifth chief executive of the City of Milwaukee. Earning more than 70% of the vote, he became the first black mayor elected in the city, and only the 4th elected mayor in the past 62 years.

Mayor Johnson took office as Acting Mayor of the City of Milwaukee in late 2021, and he set out immediately to build a safer city. He has prioritized violence reduction, economic development, and roadway safety. Before taking on his role as Acting Mayor, Johnson served as Common Council President while representing the city’s 2nd Aldermanic District.

Mayor Johnson’s commitment to public service began at an early age when he was selected by the YMCA to participate in a pre-college program for low-income Milwaukee Public School students. That program, Sponsor-A-Scholar, instilled in him a passion to make Milwaukee better for future generations.

Growing up, his family moved frequently, and until middle school Mayor Johnson attended a different Milwaukee Public School almost every year. He has seen violence, evictions, and food insecurity — challenges common in urban poverty. He brings that lived experience to his work as Mayor.

After graduating Bay View High School, Mayor Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and returned home to work for the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board, now Employ Milwaukee. His focus included working with at-risk young people, youth looking for their first jobs, and adults retooling to enter the workforce.

Before his election as alderman, he served as a staff assistant in the Mayor’s Office, where he worked with community and faith leaders to find creative solutions to pressing issues facing families.

Mayor Johnson remains deeply committed to the community, having served on the boards of the Milwaukee YMCA, ACLU-Wisconsin and Milwaukee Community Brainstorming Conference.

His work is guided by his life experiences. He has prioritized making Milwaukee a more inclusive and respectful community. He is a champion for LGBTQ+ rights and led the passage of Milwaukee’s ban on conversion therapy.

He and his wife, Dominique, have one son and twin daughters and live on Milwaukee’s near west side.

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