Alderman fights for seat from prison

Alderman Michael McGee Jr.'s challenger in a runoff election next month has at least one big advantage over him: She's not in jail.

That might not be enough.

Held without bail and charged with election fraud, bribery and extortion, McGee won February's nine-candidate primary election with 32 percent of the vote — 10 percentage points more than runoff rival Milele Coggs.

Many constituents in Milwaukee's north side have had their fill of McGee, who survived a recall election last year. But others are sticking by him and see his prosecution as racially motivated — especially since the black man has spent 10 months behind bars awaiting trial on the sort of charges white politicians elsewhere have been able to post bail for.

McGee, 38, is a vocal figure in his mostly black district in one of the United States' most segregated metropolitan areas. The son of former Alderman Mike McGee Sr., he's been involved in many racial issues since taking over the district in 2004.

"He didn't care what district you were from, if you had a problem and called him he was there," said his campaign manager Lucille Berrien. "(He) don't care what time of night it was, if your son got shot or your daughter got shot or if they got beat by police and you called him, he was there."

McGee is charged in federal court with seeking and accepting bribes from businesses in his district in exchange for help obtaining or keeping liquor licenses. He is charged in state court with making threats, election violations and disobeying court orders. Among other things he's accused of buying votes in last year's recall election.

Federal prosecutors successfully argued against bail for McGee. They have said that while McGee was in jail he contacted potential witnesses to intimidate them or get them to change their testimony, but he has not been charged with intimidating witnesses.

One of McGee's state attorneys, Larry Jarrett, said McGee would give no interviews before trial and refused to comment further. His federal attorney Calvin Malone said his client is innocent and they planned to fight each of the allegations.

Even as many people argue that he's a disgrace who cannot possibly represent his district from behind bars, few people are counting him out in the April 1 runoff.

Coggs, a member of a high-profile political family, is "a serious opponent," said Janet Boles, a professor of political science at Marquette University. "On the other hand he has an enormous reservoir of good will and protectiveness and support because of his past behavior in advocating for his district and secondly he seems to be a poster boy for racial disparities in the Wisconsin criminal justice system."

About 50 McGee supporters attended the hearing when the 10 federal charges were announced. Some wore black "Free Ald. McGee 4 Me" T-shirts and about a half-dozen stood with raised fists as McGee was led into the courtroom, his hands shackled to his waist.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel columnist Eugene Kane, who concentrates on minority issues, suspects McGee's constituents voted for him in the primary to protest the charges.

Kane, like McGee's supporters, wonders why he's in jail without bail when he has never been convicted of a violent crime.

No matter what the prosecution's reason, the perception will always be, "What are they doing to this black guy?" Kane said.

"What makes him a lot different is that he has been more outspoken on racial issues than anybody else," Kane said. "I think they are doing themselves a disservice. They are creating a folk hero of Mike McGee. They are creating a martyr of Mike McGee."

He added, however, that he wouldn't be surprised if McGee lost, saying, "There are just as many black folks who are kind of fed up with (McGee) as there are white people."

Coggs, 30, a political consultant, is the niece of state Sen. Spencer Coggs and cousin to state Rep. Leon Young and Milwaukee County Supervisor Elizabeth Coggs-Jones. She said residents need an advocate at City Hall.

"As I look into the future I recognize that the next four years are going to be critical to the direction and development and the economic prosperity of the residents," she said.

McGee's state trial is set for May, the federal trial for June.

The charges came weeks after last year's recall election, brought on by constituents who called him a "scofflaw" and "embarrassment to his community." They cited, among other things, his use of a homophobic slur and arrests for disorderly conduct and obstructing an officer that did not lead to prosecution.

Facing seven challengers, McGee won the recall with 64 percent of the vote.