Milwaukee Alderwoman Responds to Poll Incident
MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee Alderwoman Milele Coggs is accused of hitting a poll worker with her car Tuesday after what is described as a heated argument over election results.
"She was out of line, she was very demanding," said Jennifer Hunt-Evans, a poll worker who watched the Alderwoman get into an argument with the Chief Inspector at the polling place where she was working. It happened at the polling place at Martin Luther King School on the north side.
Milwaukee Election Commissioner Sue Edmann tells Newsradio 620 WTMJ Alderwoman Coggs appeared at the polling site after it had closed and asked for the results in Elizabeth Coggs' race. Workers provided those results. Edmann says her understanding is that the Alderwoman then asked for additional results and poll workers refused to provide them, telling her they were closing.
"Apparently she wasn't happy with that and they got involved in a verbal confrontation and then he told her she needed to leave the polling site and they took the incident outside and he called 911," Edmann said.
At some point, Coggs tried to back her car out of a spot and she allegedly hit the chief inspector with her car. He was taken to the hospital.
The incident took place around 9:00 p.m., Milwaukee police confirmed. Minor injuries were reported.
Hunt-Evans tells us she couldn't believe the way the Alderwoman was acting, "she wanted it her way or no way."
Edmann says once the polls have closed, it is OK for the chief inspector to read the results at that polling place to members of the public.
Coggs released the following statement on the incident:
"Allegations leveled against me by a Milwaukee polling location worker about an incident in the parking lot of the polling place are false. It is my intent at this time to let the legal process and any other potential investigation run their course. My focus will continue to be on serving my constituents and managing the important business of the 6th District."
"Again, the allegations are false and I am confident that the eyewitness accounts will make things crystal clear going forward."
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