Lisa Subeck

Subeck was elected to her first term on the Madison Common Council on April 8, 2011, beating Brian Driscoll by 2573 votes to 1837 (58% to 41%). There was no incumbent in the race. She had previously run in 2005 for the same position and lost in the April general election to Jed Sanborn, 1033 votes to 714 (59% to 41%).

In 2011, Subeck and fellow Alder Matthew Phair introduced a series of budget amendments to address crime, gang and drug violence in the Southwest section of Madison. The budget amendments included $30,000 for police overtime as part of a community safety initiative, $900,000 for the purchase and rehabilitation of a vacant restaurant building for a community center, funding for a spray park, and $60,000 for an additional building inspector to work in deteriorating neighborhoods.[4] A majority of the items were passed in the 2012 budget. A spray park opened at Elver Park in 2014,[5] and after two years of negotiations, the City of Madison purchased the former Griff's restaurant and is developing final plans for its use to focus on youth, job training, and employment.[6]

In January 2012, Subeck joined five other alders in calling for fellow Alder Solomon to resign over allegations he sexually harassed and assaulted an assistant city clerk in January 2012. After a lengthy investigation the city’s civil rights office found no proof that Solomon had sexually harassed the assistant city clerk and determined not to press charges.[7] Solomon remained in office.

In 2013, Subeck worked with the Mayor to lead an effort to pass new campaign finance disclosure rules that exceed what is required by state law, requiring corporations and other entities making independent expenditures to disclose not only their campaign spending but also their donors who contributed to expenditures for or against a candidate in a city election.[8]

On November 4, 2014, Subeck was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly as a Democrat.[9][1] She won a Democratic Primary against fellow City Council member Mark Clear[10] before running uncontested in the general election. Subeck was reelected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2016 and again in 2018.[11]