Todd Novak
Todd D. Novak (born April 23, 1965) is an American newspaper editor and politician.
Todd Novak | |
---|---|
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 51st district | |
Assumed office January 3, 2015 | |
Preceded by | Howard Marklein |
Personal details | |
Born | Cobb, Wisconsin | April 23, 1965
Political party | Republican |
Residence | Dodgeville, Wisconsin, U.S. |
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]
In November 2014, Novak was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly as a Republican by a 64-vote margin. The Democratic candidate, Dick Cates, did not seek 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 defeated Jeff Wright for a second time. Novak was also successful in winning an Assembly District also won by Democratic Governor Tony Evers.
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).
Although a Republican, Novak has positioned himself as an "independent voice" and has touted a bipartisan voting record, which is helpful in his liberal-learning district.[5]
Wisconsin State Assembly
For the 2019-2020 Legislative Cycle, Novak serves on the following committees[6]
- Assembly Committee on Local Government (Chair)
- Speakers Task Force on Water Quality (Chair)
- Assembly Committee on Agriculture (Vice Chair)
- Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice & Public Safety
- Assembly Committee on Mental Health
- Assembly Committee on Rural Development
- Assembly Committee on Environment
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]
On February 11, 2019, Speaker Vos appointed Novak chairman of a 16 member bipartisan task force on water quality. The task force was created to provide recommendations on assessing and improving the quality of surface water and groundwater throughout the state of Wisconsin. The task force has traveled extensively throughout the state, visiting the cities of Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Janesville, Racine, Lancaster, LaCrosse, Mauston, Stevens Point, Menomonie, Tomahawk, Marinette, and Superior holding public hearings to gather information on specific concerns in the various regions of the state.[8]
Electoral History
[9]}}
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Todd Novak (incumbent) | 12,445 | 50.6% | -.7% | |
Democratic | Jeff Wright | 12,113 | 49.3% | +.6 | |
Republican hold | |||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Todd Novak (incumbent) | 13,912 | 51.3% | +3.8% | |
Democratic | Jeff Wright | 13,189 | 48.7% | +1.5% | |
Republican hold | |||||
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
- "Todd Novak-State Assembly".
- "Cates won't ask for recount; Novak wins 51st District Assembly race".
- "Current Election Results". Wisconsin Vote. Retrieved 2017-02-06.
- "Meet Todd Novak, openly gay Republican Assembly candidate from Dodgeville". The Capital Times. February 17, 2014.
- "Despite left-leaning district, Novak hopes to hold off Wright in southwestern Wisconsin - The Daily Cardinal". The Daily Cardinal. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
- "Representative Todd Novak". docs.legis.wisconsin.gov. Retrieved 2017-02-06.
- "Governor Scott Walker signs bill establishing Frank Lloyd Wright Trail". FOX6Now.com. 2016-03-21. Retrieved 2017-02-06.
- https://legis.wisconsin.gov/2019/committees/assembly/STF-WQ/news/speaker-robin-vos-announces-water-quality-task-force/
- (PDF) https://elections.wi.gov/sites/default/files/County%20by%20County%20Report-2018%20Election-Assembly.pdf. Missing or empty
|title=
(help) - "Current Election Results".
- "Wisconsin 2014 fall general election results".