MADISON, Wis. — Former Wisconsin Senate Minority Leader Melissa Agard took the oath of office Wednesday to become the next Dane County executive.
Though it is a new chapter for Agard, who served five terms in the Wisconsin State Legislature, it is not unfamiliar territory for the lifelong Madison resident who also had two terms on the Dane County Board of Supervisors in 2010 and 2012.
“We’re traveling across the county and meeting people where they are at, figuring out what is working and what is not working,” Agard said. “County government is about pragmatism. It’s not about picking one side or another. It’s about being able to find solutions to real problems and make sure we are moving our community forward in the most pragmatic way possible.”
From protecting the environment and completing the Dane County jail project to economic development and preparing for unprecedented population growth, Agard outlined first-term priorities for a crowd gathered at Alliant Energy Center in Madison.
“I spoke about the fact that my brother died from fentanyl poisoning, and this tragedy shook my family,” Agard told supporters as she also vowed to expand access to mental health and addiction services.
Bill Tishler, an alder on the Madison Common Council, said he is optimistic about the experience Agard will bring to the position.
“Our concerns are also the county’s concerns, and so what I think we are going to see with Melissa is a much stronger partnership and somebody who knows how to navigate and to talk to people in the state Capitol,” Tishler explained.
Agard, who has been a familiar face around the Capitol, having served in the Assembly and Senate, now hopes those relationships will help in her new role.
“I believe my relationships, not only with Democrats in the legislature but my Republican colleagues as well, my relationships with the governor and our delegation in Washington, D.C., as well as our local elected leaders, means we’re ready to hit the ground,” Agard said.
After her swearing-in ceremony, Agard headed to the City-County Building in downtown Madison to get to work, holding briefings and meetings with staff.