State Sen. Bob Jauch, D-Poplar, announced Wednesday he will not seek re-election in 2014, according to a press release.
Jauch has served in the legislature for 31 years and is known for his involvement in the northern Wisconsin mining bill debates. His colleagues have expressed well wishes and regret at his leaving.
“I simply do not have the energy to maintain that commitment in a political landscape where representative democracy is on life support,” Jauch said in the release.
Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said in a statement Jauch represented his constituents “admirably.”
“Northwestern Wisconsin is losing a tireless advocate for policies that protect our natural resources and maintain family-supporting jobs in an area of the state that has struggled economically over the years,” Fitzgerald said in the statement.
State Rep. Nick Milroy, D-District 73, said in a statement, “One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned from Bob is how to get things done the old-fashioned way, through hard work, bipartisanship and seeking compromise for the greater good.”
According to the release, Jauch is also known for his stance on spear-fishing controversy and Wisconsin public schools.
Because northern Wisconsin is “so geographically and politically isolated from the rest of the state,” Jauch said in the release it was difficult to communicate the needs of the north to his colleagues.
“I have had to constantly fight to assist northern communities with infrastructure projects, address rural school funding concerns and make sure that funding formulas are fair to the north,” Jauch said in the statement.
Jauch said this is an emotional and difficult decision to make, but added he is “grateful for the confidence and trust that has enabled [him] to serve in the Wisconsin State Legislature.”
