A new cohort of the Dane County Board of Supervisors was sworn in this month and reelected Patrick Miles as chair. Miles also will serve as county executive after Joe Parisi retires in May until an interim leader is selected.
The Dane County Board of Supervisors elected new leadership, keeping Supervisor Patrick Miles as chair. Miles also will serve temporarily as county executive after Joe Parisi retires in May.
The County Board met for the first time in its 2024-2026 term, with 10 new members. The new supervisors are: Henry Fries (District 5), Tommy Rylander (District 12), Dan Blazewicz (District 17), Jeffrey Kroning (District 21), David Boetcher (District 25), Lisa Jackson (District 26), Don Postler (District 29), Randy Udell (District 33), David Peterson (District 36) and Kerry Marren (District 37).
With 37 seats in all, the Board of Supervisors is the legislative and policy-making body for the county. Each supervisor serves a two-year term. Over half of the board ran unopposed in the April 2 election.
Miles represents District 34, including the towns of Dunn and Blooming Grove and the village of McFarland. He was elected to the board in 2006, making him one of the longest-serving members, and received 25 votes from the new board for his reelection as chair. He was elected as chair of the board in 2022, becoming the first person of color to serve in the role.
Supervisor Rick Rose received nine votes for chair and Supervisor April Kigeya received two votes.
Miles, who is Asian, grew up in Portage, the youngest of five children raised by a single mother who emigrated from Japan to the U.S. He said while there is much he is proud of from his last two years as chair, he also plans to make improvements moving forward.
“My first term as County Board chair has certainly been a learning experience — while I think there are things I did well, there are also things I know I can do better,” he said Tuesday. “When things get busy, I tend to go from one task to the next and sometimes forget I need to inform my colleagues about things that have happened, things that have to be decided spur of the moment.”
“That is one thing I will endeavor to do better, to make sure I pause, to make sure folks are informed,” he said.
With longtime County Executive Parisi retiring on May 3, Miles will serve in the role until he appoints someone to serve in the interim before a special election in November. Miles will also make appointments to the standing committees of the County Board, along with additional committee appointments.
Sarah Smith of District 24 was elected vice chair and Chad Kemp, District 32, was chosen to serve as second vice.
Only 36 supervisors were sworn in, as District 7 on Madison's near west side has a vacant seat. Former Supervisor Cecely Castillo recently resigned to take a position as the County Board's chief of staff starting on April 15 but still appeared on the April 2 ballot and was reelected. However, she declined the post and the board will appoint a temporary successor until a new election takes place in 2025.
Figueroa new Madison council leader
The Madison City Council this month elected Ald. Yannette Figueroa Cole as its new president.
Across the street in the City-County Building, the Madison City Council elected Ald. Yannette Figueroa Cole, District 10, as the new council president and John Duncan, District 1, as council vice president.
Jael Currie of District 16 had been president for the past year.
Ald. Bill Tishler, District 11, was also nominated for president but Figueroa Cole won the seat with 11 votes, while Tishler received eight. Ald. Sabrina Madison was absent from the voting portion of the meeting.
Figueroa Cole grew up in Puerto Rico and has lived in Madison for almost 30 years. She assumed office in 2021 and has served as council vice president for the past year. While it’s been a pattern for the City Council to promote the vice president to the president role, Figueroa Cole said that’s not why she wants to lead the group.
“My decision to seek this seat is not rooted in ... any sense of entitlement due to my current position,” she said. “Rather, it is driven by my unwavering belief in continuity and my confidence in my ability to tackle process improvements and complex issues, such as the budget.
“I am a perpetual learner,” she added, “and I am always eager to share that knowledge.”
Duncan was elected to the vice president role with 12 votes, while Ald. Barbara Harrington-McKinney earned seven votes.
