The fact that most University of Wisconsin students wouldn't recognize the name of Dane County Supervisor Ashok Kumar, District 5, is both a blessing and a curse: Students may have had no idea this man is their elected official, but that ignorance makes it easier to put this blight in public representation behind us.

Last week, Mr. Kumar announced he will not seek a second term on the Dane County Board of Supervisors. We congratulate Mr. Kumar on this inspired decision. Not only does it sound the death knell of the misguided Austin King dynasty, but it may give students a new chance at proper representation at the county level.

Prior to his election, Mr. Kumar's leadership skills seemed more akin to a high school student council president than a county representative. His decision to belittle the student body on tuition lobbying efforts, combined with his rejection of fiscal responsibility on segregated fees and the infantile Facebook profile of Chancellor John Wiley, all spoke to his failure to serve as the student body's voice at the county level.

That voice is still missing. While Mr. Kumar has taken the initiative to pass ordinances preventing prison profiteering and end Section 8 housing discrimination, his attention to the issues of the UW student body is almost nonexistent. Mr. Kumar's preoccupation with criminal justice reform has resulted in near total omission of public safety initiatives. In fact, when faced with accepting a no-brainer law enforcement proposal — a $5,000 state grant to purchase crowd control protection for mounted police — Mr. Kumar, inexplicably, was the only supervisor to vote against the measure.

While some may hail Mr. Kumar as a champion of progressive politics, we find nothing inspiring about his term as Dane County supervisor. With student participation in local politics at a low, this campus needs an elected official who can galvanize the student body around issues that affect their daily lives. Mr. Kumar's far leftist political agenda has instead further alienated students and widened the already gaping void of student representation in local politics. Even Mr. Kumar, when reflecting upon his term, told a Badger Herald news reporter, "I feel disengaged." We can't help but share that sentiment.

For this reason, we hail Mr. Kumar's departure as an opportunity for a new beginning for student representation in county politics. His vacancy gives this campus the chance to put forth a candidate that will finally voice students' concerns on safety, tenant issues and general student welfare that have been neglected by county officials for far too long.