Madison Council Votes 14-6 to End Interim Police Monitor's Contract After All-Night Meeting

The Madison Common Council voted 14-6 at dawn on Wednesday to terminate the extended contract of interim independent police monitor Aeiramique Glass, ending an all-night meeting that began Tuesday, Oct. 20. Alds. Ellen Zhang, Carmella Glenn, Barbara Harrington-McKinney, Julia Matthews, Davy Mayer and Devine Nzegwu voted against the move.

When the result was announced, dozens of people who had stayed in the chambers shouted "shame" at the alders who backed it. As the meeting closed, staff and alders hurried to clear the room so it could be set up for municipal court, and uniformed police officers stepped in when some protesters confronted alders.

Ald. Will Ochowicz introduced the resolution from the floor on Oct. 6. Glass became interim monitor in December 2025, and on June 9 the council extended her appointment through March 2027, or until a permanent monitor was in place. The new resolution reverses that extension. It also places the monitor's office under the supervision of Karen Kapusta-Pofahl, the council's chief of staff, and brings in experts from the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement to help find a permanent hire.

Opponents argued the action violates the 2020 ordinance that created the position. That ordinance says the monitor reports directly to the Police Civilian Oversight Board and "shall act as directed by the board." It also bars city employees and officials from using their position to unduly influence or undermine the monitor's independence.

Eight alders co-sponsored the resolution, including Council President Sabrina Madison. In an Oct. 15 blog post, Ochowicz wrote that "trust is low between the Common Council, the PCOB, and the public" and that the current situation was "clearly not working." Ald. Regina Vidaver wrote that Glass did not follow work rules, citing paperwork for contractors and telework and family leave policies, and showed a "lack of discernment and objectivity." Ald. Noah Lieberman called it the most challenging decision he had faced as an alder.

Public comment filled eight of the meeting's 12 hours. City staff reported 177 people registered in support of the resolution, 318 against and three neither for nor against, along with 109 pages of written comment. A protest led by the UW-Madison chapter of Students for a Democratic Society gathered at the City-County Building as a police drone flew overhead, and an overflow room was opened one floor above the chambers. Crowds repeatedly interrupted speakers, and a few who defended the firing, including blogger David Blaska and police advocate Bonnie Roe, were drowned out.

Elsa Ruiz, whose son Corey Ruiz was shot and killed by a Madison police officer nearly three months ago, urged the council to keep Glass, calling her "someone I need desperately in my corner." Former alders Brenda Konkel and Marsha Rummel said the monitor and oversight board were meant to be independent of the council and mayor. Rummel said she did not believe the council had the authority to end the appointment. Sharon Irwin, grandmother of Tony Robinson, who was killed by officer Matt Kenny in 2015, told alders: "For 11 years, you ignored me." Hours before the meeting, Glass announced she had hired an attorney to represent Irwin before the Police and Fire Commission, the first time the monitor's office has done so for a complainant.

Some speakers supported the termination on process grounds. Edward Montasaros said recruiting a permanent monitor was a core part of Glass's job and pointed to how little had been done. The Police Civilian Oversight Board said Monday that a performance review found Glass "performed at a high level across every category," while also noting areas for growth, including rebuilding relationships with key stakeholders.

That review followed an Oct. 2 employment review by City Attorney Michael Haas. During about three hours of questions to Haas, police Chief John Patterson and Glass, alders grappled with how the monitor's office differs from a traditional city agency and how that affects human resources and contracting rules. "There is currently no pathway that does not lead back to the mayor or to the Common Council," Glass said.