With November’s election showdowns looming large over the country, it’s important to focus on the local issues that affect our everyday lives, and to remember to show up in the August primary, even if it doesn’t seem as important. While there aren’t many contested elections in August in either Madison or Milwaukee, there are a few to pay attention to, most notably in Madison.

With the recent retirement of former Dane County Executive Joe Parisi, four local community members are looking to take his place, and the August primary will decide which of them moves on to the November general election. Joe Parisi, who held the office from 2011 until 2024, was pushed to the forefront by the pandemic, becoming the face of the measures that Dane County enacted in the hopes to stop the spread of the pandemic. As the politics of the pandemic response grew more contentious, Parisi oversaw the enactment of some of the most rigid policies in the state, which, while derided by some, likely made the outbreak in Madison much less deadly than it could have been. He joins a national wave of local officials who are retiring post pandemic, and while he has not said whether this is the reason for his departure, many of his counterparts across the country left office because of toxic politics and threats from community members who disagreed with the administration on mask mandates and limits on large gatherings.

Melissa Agard, Wes Sparkman, Regina Vidaver, and Dana Pellebon are all on the ballot to replace Parisi and take over from the temporary executive assigned when he fully stepped back in May. This is a non-partisan contest, but with Dane County being liberal, this is a contest between four progressives. Parisi endorsed Agard, a current state senator, as his replacement, but Dana Pellebon has also been very active in the local LGBTQ community, even having a table at the recent Big Gay Market at Alliant Energy Center. Her resume is rich with community involvement, ranging from being on the leadership team for Dane County Sexual Assault Response Team, as well as a board member for both Freedom, Inc. and Urban Triage. Wes Sparkman is currently the Director of The Tamara D. Grigsby Office for Equity and Inclusion in Dane County, and has been the Chairman of the Board for SSM Health Wisconsin Region and Chair on the Board of Visitors for the UW-Madison School of Sociology. He also has a history in law enforcement, citing a decade of service to the “City of Madison Police and Fire Commission, including two terms as President,” according to his election website. Regina Vidaver is a scientist and common council member, with experience specializing in public health. “Regina oversaw the public health response when 13,000 Afghan refugees arrived at Fort McCoy, and managed all procurement for the Alternate Care Facility at State Fair Park during the COVID-19 emergency,” according to her election website. She also helped advocate for the C.A.R.E.S (Community Alternative Response Emergency Services) team, which “has led to a dramatic decrease in the need for police responses to calls for people experiencing serious behavioral health needs.”

Statewide, there are another pair of constitutional amendments aimed at pulling power away from the executive branch and into the legislative branch, which, because of gerrymandering, is majority conservative. These referendums would take away the power of the governor to allocate emergency federal funding, like that allocated during the pandemic, and in 2018 when Dane County saw catastrophic flooding. If they pass, the governor would have to call a special session to ask for approval, slowing down the response time.

Chuck Erickson, a dedicated out public servant with over two decades of experience on the Dane County Board, is running in a competitive primary for District 77 in the Wisconsin State Assembly. Chuck’s roots run deep in Madison, having long been a resident of both the Vilas and Monona Bay neighborhoods, where he has actively engaged with his community.

Since 2002, Chuck has served the people of Madison as a Dane County Board supervisor, tirelessly advocating for inclusive decision-making processes. Throughout his tenure, Chuck has been at the forefront of progressive initiatives, including the recognition of domestic partnerships and gay marriage. His advocacy extends to championing affordable housing and securing substantial investments for the Bayview Foundation.