MADISON, Wis. — State Senator Melissa Agard stepped down from her position as Minority Leader in recent weeks, paving the way for State Sen. Dianne Hesselbein of Middleton to lead the caucus in 2024.
Agard, a Madison Democrat, sat down with Spectrum News 1 Political Reporter Anthony DaBruzzi to reflect on the year and her decision to move on from state politics.
Looking back, Agard feels there is a lot to be proud of with the legislative session so far.
“Primarily the shared revenue bill being able to get a big portion of the $7 billion that the state had in its coffers back out to our local governments or cities, towns, villages and counties so that they can deliver on the promise of good government to their communities,” Agard explained. “And being able to do that in a bipartisan way after so many years of not being able to engage in the conversation about how is it that we address the revenue crisis in the state of Wisconsin—that's a huge win.”
To accomplish that, Republicans in the majority had to reach across the aisle and engage with Democrats to get major priorities passed.
“There were a number of times where our Republican colleagues in the Senate were dependent on listening to what it is that Senate Democrats needed in order to make a bill be better so that they would have our votes and be able to cross the finish line with that and I think that's a real win also,” Agard added. “That's how government should be working.”
Despite bipartisan accomplishments and legislative leaders engaging with the minority party, Agard wouldn’t go so far as to say the relationship between Democrats and Republicans has improved.
“I think that's a stretch,” Agard said. “Certainly, every legislative session has a different temperature in the Capitol building. We've been able to get the shared revenue bill done, as you pointed out, the Brewers deal and alcohol reforms in the state of Wisconsin that I think provide more protections for the people of our communities. But at the same point, things that you would, in most states whether they're red or blue, see getting done—addressing the child care crisis in the state of Wisconsin, legalizing cannabis, expanding health care to every person of the state of Wisconsin, addressing PFAS contamination—these are things that we know that the majority of the people in the state of Wisconsin want us to be addressing, regardless of who it is that they're voting for at the top of the ticket, but we're still not able to get done because of that partisan gridlock.”
That partisan gridlock, as Agard describes it, left several missed opportunities for Democrats who still have plenty on their to-do list.
“There's a number of missed opportunities. We continue to sit on a near $4 billion surplus here in our state government,” Agard explained. “As we have university system schools closing down, people being furloughed, we're not investing in the child care crisis. We have child care deserts across the state of Wisconsin, families that are choosing to keep a caregiver home instead of going into the workforce, as most of our main street businesses are saying we need more good workers. I really think that we could be doing more in the state of Wisconsin to invest in our economy and our future so that we are a state that people want to migrate to.”
Earlier this month, Agard passed the torch on to State Sen. Dianne Hesselbein. So far, the transition has been smooth for the caucus, according to Agard.
“She's principled, she's hard-working, she has an amazing staff,” Agard said of her colleague. “And she has a vision, and her vision really matches what it is that Wisconsinites want.”
In late November, Agard announced she would be running for Dane County Executive in 2024 to fill the remainder of Joe Parisi’s term, who announced he would retire in May.
“It's bittersweet to reflect on my time in the Capitol and what it is that I’m going to be doing over the next year, campaigning to be the next Dane County Executive here for the county that provided so much opportunity to me, where I’m raising my kids and where I believe in better for our future,” Agard added. “But I know that we've planted strong seeds and tended to them and cultivated them as a caucus and that Dianne and the rest of the Senate that is going to be here moving forward is going to do a great job.”