by Baylor Spears, Wisconsin Examiner
Update: At the end of a contentious, five-hour hearing Thursday night, a committee unanimously voted to recommend that the full Dane County Board reject hiring Rep. Sheila Stubbs as the next director of Dane County Human Services, the Wisconsin State Journal reports. Stubbs’ nomination will move to the full board in the coming weeks.
Rep. Shelia Stubbs (D-Madison) said on Thursday she now plans to step down from the Assembly once confirmed as director of the Dane County Human Services department.
The announcement follows conflicting statements made on Wednesday by Stubbs, who was intending to serve in both full-time jobs, and Dane County Executive Joe Parisi about whether she would step down.
“I have decided that upon confirmation my intention is to submit my resignation to the Governor,” Stubbs said in the brief statement.
Stubbs’ resignation would leave an open seat in the state Assembly and a special election would need to be scheduled by Gov. Tony Evers. The vacancy could put greater pressure on Democrats to ensure there are little to no absences in their caucus during floor sessions to ensure Republicans don’t briefly hold a veto-proof supermajority.
Stubbs’ decision to step down once confirmed addresses some of the concerns of members of the Dane County Board of Supervisors about her potentially serving in the state Legislature while overseeing the county’s largest agency
However, county officials had also expressed concerns about the comments made by Stubbs to her church congregation. The comments included the accusation that the board was putting her under undue scrutiny because of her race and a call to action for residents to email the board to demand Stubbs’ “immediate” confirmation.
Patrick Miles, chair of the County Board, said prior to Stubbs’ announcement that her comments were filled with misinformation and a misunderstanding of the board’s process for confirming people. He said it could indicate how she may function in the role.
“I fear it’s an example of how she’s going to operate when we have disagreements over budget and policy issues,” Miles said. “Rather than discussing and debating the merits of those issues, it’s going to turn into these other things.”
The Dane County Health & Human Needs Committee is scheduled to meet tonight to consider Stubbs’ confirmation. She will then need to be confirmed by the full board.
This story was written by Baylor Spears, a reporter for the Wisconsin Examiner, where this story first appeared.
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