Welcome Back!
Welcome back to the Dane County Board of Supervisors District 35 News/Updates and Information Bulletin. My goal is to update constituents of District 35 in the Stoughton, Pleasant Springs and Dunkirk area of Dane County a couple times a year. I am interested in informing constituents on what I have been working on in county government, and hearing any input that you would like to provide to me about the county and our district. You can contact me at my email address and visit my page on the Dane County Website to sign up for District 35 Updates.
Recent Happenings
April Election & New Board Term for 2024-2026
We had an election on April 4th, and I am proud to say I was re-elected to my second two-year term on the county board. The board as a whole will have eleven new members for this term. All 37 seats are up for election every two years. I am looking forward to another good couple of years coming up although budgeting will get a little tougher because we will no longer have use of the American Rescue Act Funds we were accustom to due to COVID. I look forward to continue working on many of the same issues in committee that I worked on in my first term, which includes Public Works & Transportation, Land and Water Issues, Renewable Energies, Affordable Housing, Public Safety and many others.
2024-2026 Committee Assignments
My second term committee assignments include the Executive Committee, Public Works & Transportation Committee, Lakes & Watershed Commission, and the Dunkirk Dam Lake District Commission. Shortly after the 2024-2026 Board was sworn in, my peers elected me to a leadership position as Chair of the Public Works & Transportation Committee, I am honored to have been elected and to serve in this role.
County Executive Retires
Long time Dane County Executive Joe Parisi retired after 13 years of guiding the county. Joe initiated many critical changes during his tenure that benefitted the community in areas of environmental protections to our land and water, increasing funds and programs to address our severe housing crisis, advancing renewable energies, addressing homelessness, mental health, and racial disparities and many other issues. County Board Chair Patrick Miles assumed the role of Interim County Executive for a few weeks, shortly after, Patrick appointed Jamie Kuhn as new Interim County Executive per state statute until the next election to be held November 5th with the primary held on August 13th. There will be another County Executive election for the full four-year term in April 2025. Information on new County Executive Jamie Kuhn and her department can be found here: https://exec.danecounty.gov/.
New Office of Justice Reform
We recently approved a director to head the new Office of Justice Reform for Dane County. Colleen Clark-Bernhardt has been selected to lead the new department. She is a long-time county employee. The Office of Justice Reform was formed as a part of the 2023 budget to bridge criminal justice agencies across Dane County, and to make restorative justice a more integral factor in county plans. It aims to reduce recidivism and increase opportunity and stability for those leaving the criminal justice system.
Dane County Department of Human Services
Dane County Human Services is a huge part of county government. It is the largest department comprising about 40 percent of the county budget. The mission of Dane County Human Services is to “Provide access to effective, innovative, and evidence-based services and resources that support wellbeing, opportunities to thrive, safety, and justice to persons of all backgrounds.” The department serves the county in so many areas including Behavioral Health, Family, Youth & Community, Disability & Aging, and Economic Assistance, Healthcare, Housing & Jobs. Here is a link to the vast benefits and services of Dane County Human Needs Department.
https://danecountyhumanservices.org
Dane County Board
The Dane County Board of Supervisors is the legislative and policy making body of County Government. It is made up of 37 supervisors elected from districts in the county. The mission of the Board of Supervisors is to effectively represent the people of Dane County, providing services which secure the blessings of freedom, ensure domestic tranquility, promote the general welfare, and perfect the forms of government.
https://board.countyofdane.com
Are you interested in learning more about Dane County’s legislative process and getting involved in County Board actions? Learn more here: https://board.danecounty.gov/Legislative-Process.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me. Thank you!
