Sen. Melissa Agard, D-Madison and Dane County Supervisor Dana Pellebon will face off on the Nov. 5 ballot to become the next Dane County executive.
The position opened for re-election this year after Joe Parisi announced his retirement in October 2023. Agard and Pellebon advanced from the primary election in August, earning more votes than candidates Wes Sparkman and Regina Vidaver.
The county executive position establishes county government departments, appoints heads of departments and approves or vetoes resolutions set forth by the Dane County Board of Supervisors. The county executive also takes responsibility for submitting the annual budget to the county board.
Both candidates, however, told The Daily Cardinal they believe they have the experience to handle the responsibilities of county executive.
Pellebon, the grassroots candidate from District 33, said being in the executive position means “having experience running programs, setting strategic priorities and efforts, and then being able to implement budgetary items is where the executive resides.”
Still, Agard said her 14 years in elected office as a current senator for District 16 and former Wisconsin Assembly member would allow her to "build on her experience" further in a county executive position.
“I’m running to build on their progress and create a forward thinking county government ready for the challenges and opportunities ahead,” Agard said in a Nov. 30, 2023 press release.
Both candidates put a large emphasis on prioritizing housing affordability in Dane County if they were to be elected.
Agard told the Cardinal it is especially important to hear students' perspectives on housing affordability issues to create meaningful change.
“It is clear that we must be doing better that everyone is at the table, including students… we must ultimately strive for equity (in decision-making),” she said.
Pellebon said her experience as the Director of Housing and Operations at Porchlight Inc., an organization focused on reducing homelessness through supportive services and affordable housing, offers a unique perspective on Madison’s ongoing affordable housing shortage.
“I have an enormous amount of experience in the housing industry and understand the intricacies of not just funding, but managing, renting development, all of the different areas of housing,” she said.
Pellebon’s other priorities include criminal justice reform and access to social services, particularly for students.
Agard emphasized the importance of protecting and preserving the natural environment as one of her primary concerns should she be elected.
“I plan to continue with the sustainability movement… placing environmental protections within the county is something I hear from students a lot,” Agard said.
Additionally, she hopes to ensure the county is doing what it can to protect vulnerable communities with services like child welfare, behavioral health resources and addiction resources.
As for the election process, Agard called it “the hardest job interview I have ever had” but said she was grateful to everyone that has shown up to support the democratic process throughout her campaign.
Pellebon also talked about the challenges of the campaign, particularly with being a grassroots candidate running against a more established candidate.
“I feel that the process needs to be more open… there is money involved in all of these processes that has not been afforded to a grassroots campaign such as mine,” Pellebon said.
However, both candidates stress it is up to the voters to determine the person whose experience and platforms are best suited to fulfill the county executive role.
“Despite the fact that the government has felt very broken… voting in every election is so important and the youth vote is so important,” Agard said. “Democracy is something we all need to do.”
The winner of the Nov. 5 election will serve through the end of Parisi’s term in April 2025.
