Incumbent Joe Parisi secured another term as Dane County Executive following his victory in this past Tuesday’s election.
Parisi plans to make pandemic recovery the main priority of his agenda during his third term. He received 79% of the vote while his opponent, Mary Ann Nicholson, received 21% according to the Cap Times. Parisi has served as the County Executive since 2011, and his new term is due to last until 2024.
Nicholson officially ended her campaign prior to last Tuesday’s election due to the death of her husband. Following the election, Nicholson expressed her appreciation for those who supported her campaign and also extended her congratulations to Parisi in a campaign email.
"I am very proud of our showing tonight,” Nicholson said. “Congratulations to Mr. Parisi on his win."
During his campaign, Parisi emphasized that he hopes to unite the Dane County community and address problems facing the citizenry. Parisi pointed out that he believes the county has been able to make its most positive changes in recent years in moments where it has felt a sense of community.
“They also present great opportunities to do what we do best in Dane County — bring people together, get work done and deliver tangible results,” Parisi said. “That’s how we built from scratch mental health teams for Dane County schools, started cleaning our lakes by ‘sucking the muck’ from miles of waterways, helped young people struggling with poverty earn driver’s licenses and have county government on the verge of being 100% renewable thanks to our efforts at increasing clean, green energy production.”
Parisi plans to prioritize programs to help Dane County residents recover from the economic effects of the pandemic, stating that the challenges stemming from it “are like none we have faced in our lifetime.” At a press conference last Tuesday, Parisi expressed his view that Dane County has thus far been effective at aiding residents and affirmed his commitment to continuing relief efforts.
“We’re in a time of great hope and challenge at the same time,” Parisi said at a press conference last Tuesday. “I see us coming out of the pandemic strong as long as we continue to stick together like we have been.”
State Representative Mark Pocan expressed his confidence that Parisi will be able to continue addressing issues brought on by the pandemic during his new term.
“County Executive Parisi has shown amazing skill in navigating the complex challenges posed by COVID-19,” a quote by Pocan reads on Parisi’s campaign website. “Joe’s calm and steady demeanor, coupled with his incredible competence as a leader, has been central to the success Dane County has had addressing the virus and the economic fallout it has caused.
