A major Madison-area politician announced his intention to replace outgoing County Executive Kathleen Falk Tuesday, becoming the first major liberal challenger to County Board Chairman Scott McDonell.
State Rep. Joe Parisi, D-Madison, officially announced his intention to run for Dane County Executive on Tuesday.
Falk announced in October she would step down in April 2011. A plan was put forth Tuesday that will allow for a more orderly transition, while still having an election for county executive in April, saving taxpayers money on a costly special election in June.
Falk will step down Dec. 21, at which point McDonell will become acting county executive. By Jan. 6, he will appoint Falk to serve as interim county executive until a new executive is chosen to take her place in the April election. While McDonell is serving as acting executive, County Board Vice Chair John Hendrick would step up and assume the duties of county board chair.
If the County Board approves, Falk would resume duties as county executive on Jan. 7 and continue to receive pay.
Falk spokesperson Josh Wescott said Falk chose to step down in order to maximize time for others to get into the race. He added she wanted to allow for a smooth transition for county government.
The decision also eliminates the need for a special election. Primary elections will take place on Feb. 15 and spring elections on April 5. The County Executive spot for the remaining two years of the term will be on the ballots.
“This sticks by the previous intention [to not have a special election],” Wescott said.
The election is currently a three-way contest. McDonell announced his intention to run in October, shortly after Falk’s decision to resign. Current Verona mayor Jon Hockhammer entered the race in November. Parisi declared his candidacy on Tuesday.
“What it boiled down to were my options of how to best serve my community,” Parisi said. “First on the list has to be economic development.”
Parisi said the Dane County economy is no longer sheltered from the state and national economies. He added the level of state, public and University of Wisconsin employees has dropped.
Clean energy and green jobs are the keys to economic redevelopment, Parisi said. The work at the university finding alternative energy sources such as wind, solar and biomass are starts, he added.
Parisi said this initiative would not only protect the environment, but also create jobs and save money.
He said the money Wisconsin ships out to buy fossil fuels could be kept in Wisconsin, along with jobs in research, manufacturing and installation with these new forms of energy.
“The county executive’s office didn’t always have to pay as much attention to economic development, but now it’s at the forefront,” Parisi added.
