Todd Novak

Todd Novak
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the 51st district
Assumed office
January 3, 2015
Preceded by Howard Marklein
Personal details
Born (1965-04-23) April 23, 1965
Political party Republican
Residence Dodgeville, Wisconsin, U.S.

Todd D. Novak (born April 23, 1965) is an American newspaper editor and politician.

Born in Cobb, Wisconsin and currently residing in Dodgeville, Wisconsin, Novak was the government and assistant editor of the Dodgeville Chronicle newspaper from 1990 until his retirement in 2014. In 2012, Novak was elected mayor of Dodgeville, Wisconsin.[1] On November 4, 2014, Novak was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly, as a Republican, by a margin of 59 votes that later increased to 64 votes. The Democratic opponent Dick Cates conceded the election, on November 13, 2014, instead of asking for a recount.[2]

On November 8, 2016, Novak was re-elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly by a margin of 723 votes defeating Democrat Jeff Wright.[3]

In 2018, Novak will face Democrat Jeff Wright for a second time to hold his seat in the State Assembly.

Novak is the first openly gay Republican to serve in the Wisconsin state legislature.[4] On taking office, became one of four openly LGBT members of the Wisconsin State Legislature, alongside Sen. Tim Carpenter (D–Milwaukee) and Reps. JoCasta Zamarripa (D–Milwaukee) and Mark Spreitzer (D–Beloit).

According to a Daily Cardinal a University of Wisconsin student newspaper; Novak is recognized for his independent politics and his reputation of "voting for his district." He is proud of having a bipartisan voting record on a range of issues.[5]

Wisconsin State Assembly

For the 2017-2018 Legislative Cycle, Rep. Novak serves on the following committees[6]

  • Joint Survey Committee on Retirement Systems (Co-Chair)
  • Assembly Committee on Agriculture (Vice Chair)
  • Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice & Public Safety
  • Assembly Committee on Local Government
  • Assembly Committee on Mental Health
  • Assembly Committee on Rural Development & Mining
  • Assembly Committee on Ways & Means

In his inaugural term in the State Assembly, Novak authored a bill creating the Frank Lloyd Wright Trail which links the architects notable creations using existing roadways.[7] The notable buildings on the trail include the SC Johnson Administration Building and Research Tower, Wingspread, Burnham, Monona Terrace, First Unitarian Society Meeting House, Taliesin, Wyoming Valley School Cultural Arts center, and AD German Warehouse.[8] Other efforts in his inaugural term include the introduction of AB 771 in the 2015 legislative biennium to allocate additional resources to the Lafayette County Sheriffs Department for the purposes of drug prevention. This bill was signed into law in March 2016 to become Wisconsin Act 271. Rep. Novak is a passionate advocate for reducing the rural crime and drug use stating "One of the reasons I ran for office was to fight rural crime and drug use. We need to give our law enforcement the tools they need to fight this ongoing problem." [9]

Following his victory over Democratic opponent Jeff Wright in 2016, Novak continued his work advocating for student safety, healthcare affordability, and the rights of crime victims. In the 2017-18 legislative session Novak authored and passed a law creating a one-time $100 million grant program to fund school safety programs including staff training and infrastructure improvements. He also authored Wisconsin's version of Marsy's Law which expands and enshrines the rights of crime victims in the state's constitution. In an effort to combat out of control health care premiums, Novak authored and passed a law creating a reinsurance program in Wisconsin in order to stabilize the individual marketplace.[6]

Arts education in rural areas is also a priority for the representative. During the 2017-18 state budget process, Novak advocated for, and received in the budget, a grant to the Monroe Arts Center to expand and maintain their facility in Southwest Wisconsin. The $100,000 matching grant evolved into an almost $1 million contribution following private additional private fundraising efforts.[10]

Serving as a member of the Assembly Committee on Mental Health, Novak worked with Rep. Mike Rohrkaste (R-Neenah) to secure funding to expand Wisconsin's Dementia Care Specialist Program from 19 to 24 specialists as part of the 2017-18 budget process. Novak continues to be a strong advocate for mental health and Alzheimer's and Dementia issues.[11]

In 2017, Rep. Novak authored and passed legislation designating cheese as Wisconsin's State Dairy Product.[6]

Electoral History

2016 Election for Wisconsin's 51st Assembly District [12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Republican Todd Novak (incumbent) 13,912 51.3% +3.8%
Democratic Jeff Wright 13,189 48.7% +1.5%
Republican hold
2014 Election for Wisconsin's 51st Assembly District [13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Republican Todd Novak 10,619 47.5%
Democratic Dick Cates 10,560 47.2%
Libertarian Adam Laufenberg 1,177 5.3%
Republican hold

References

  1. ↑ "Todd Novak-State Assembly".
  2. ↑ "Cates won't ask for recount; Novak wins 51st District Assembly race".
  3. ↑ "Current Election Results". Wisconsin Vote. Retrieved 2017-02-06.
  4. ↑ "Meet Todd Novak, openly gay Republican Assembly candidate from Dodgeville". The Capital Times. February 17, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Despite left-leaning district, Novak hopes to hold off Wright in southwestern Wisconsin - The Daily Cardinal". The Daily Cardinal. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
  6. 1 2 3 "Representative Todd Novak". docs.legis.wisconsin.gov. Retrieved 2017-02-06.
  7. ↑ "Governor Scott Walker signs bill establishing Frank Lloyd Wright Trail". FOX6Now.com. 2016-03-21. Retrieved 2017-02-06.
  8. ↑ "Wisconsin Frank Lloyd Wright Trail | Travel Wisconsin". TravelWisconsin. Retrieved 2017-02-06.
  9. ↑ "Rep. Novak's Bill to Fight Drug Use in Rural Wisconsin Passes Assembly". Urban Milwaukee. Retrieved 2017-02-06.
  10. ↑ "Monroe Arts Center". www.monroeartscenter.com. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
  11. ↑ "[Subject]". legis.wisconsin.gov. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
  12. ↑ "Current Election Results".
  13. ↑ "Wisconsin 2014 fall general election results".
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