Newly elected Dane County Executive and State Rep. Joe Parisi, D-Madison, resigned from the Assembly Wednesday to transition into his new role at the county level.
Parisi will be sworn in as county executive April 19, he defeated Dane County Supervisor Eileen Bruskewitz in the April 5 election by nearly 70,000 votes. Parisi will replace outgoing Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk, who served in the position for 14 years.
Parisi represented the 48th Assembly district which includes Monona and portions of Madison's east side, since 2004. He said he is excited to continue representing Dane County in his new role and hopes to facilitate the election of his replacement in the Legislature.
""In order to ensure that my constituents have the fullest opportunity to choose their next representative, I will resign from my legislative office in order to initiate the process for scheduling a special election,"" Parisi said in a statement.
Though there is no date set for the primary election, candidates have begun to step forward.
Democrat Vicky Selkowe announced her candidacy Wednesday, calling for voters to respond to the urgency and direction of recent state politics.
""The current actions by Governor Scott Walker and his Republican legislative allies proves that right now, more than ever, we need a representative who understands that it isn't enough to just carry our voice to the Capitol, we need a leader committed to action to push us forward and get results,"" Selkowe said in a statement.
Selkowe, a graduate of the UW-Madison Law School, has recently worked as an attorney and chief of staff to state Rep. Cory Mason, D-Racine.
