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Joseph Czarnezki

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Joseph Czarnezki
Member of the Wisconsin Elections Commission
In office
May 1, 2023 – October 17, 2023
Appointed byTony Evers
Preceded byJulie Glancey
Succeeded byCarrie Riepl
County Clerk of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
In office
January 5, 2009 – January 2, 2017
Preceded byMark Ryan
Succeeded byGeorge L. Christenson
Member of the Wisconsin Senate
from the 8th district
In office
April 13, 1983 – January 4, 1993
Preceded byJames Flynn
Succeeded byAlberta Darling
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
In office
January 3, 1983 – April 13, 1983
Preceded byAnnette Polly Williams
Succeeded byPeggy Krusick
Constituency17th Assembly district
In office
January 5, 1981 – January 3, 1983
Preceded byKevin Soucie
Succeeded byThomas Seery
Constituency7th Assembly district
Personal details
Born (1954-09-27) September 27, 1954 (age 70)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Residence(s)Milwaukee, Wisconsin
EducationUniversity of Wisconsin–Milwaukee

Joseph J. Czarnezki (born September 27, 1954) is an American politician and public administrator from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He served briefly as a member of the Wisconsin Elections Commission, appointed by Governor Tony Evers in May 2023, his appointment was rejected by the Wisconsin Senate in October 2023, due to a controversy over the reappointment of state elections administrator Meagan Wolfe. Czarnezki previously served ten years in the Wisconsin Senate and two years in the State Assembly, representing western Milwaukee County. He also led several city departments under Milwaukee mayor John O. Norquist, served eight years as county clerk, and was a member of the Milwaukee County board of supervisors.

Life and career

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Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Czarnezki graduated from University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. In 1980 he was elected to the 7th district of the Wisconsin State Assembly as a Democrat, serving until 1983.[1][2] From 1983 to 1993, he was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate. Czarnezki was an unsuccessful candidate for Milwaukee County Executive in 1992, losing to F. Thomas Ament. Czarnezki subsequently served in various positions in the administration of Milwaukee Mayor John O. Norquist, including deputy director of administration, health commissioner, director of intergovernmental affairs, executive director of the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission, and city budget director.

In 2008, Czarnezki was elected County Clerk of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. In 2012, Czarnezki was reelected county clerk without opposition.[3][4] Czarnezki did not seek reelection in 2016.

In 2020, Czarnezki was elected to the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors, representing the 11th supervisory district in the southwestern portion of the county.[5]

Wisconsin Elections Commission (2023)

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In May 2023, Czarnezky was appointed to the Wisconsin Elections Commission by Governor Tony Evers, replacing Julie Glancey, who stepped down before the end of her term.[6] His appointment coincided with a period of intense turmoil at the elections commission, due to lingering Republican complaints about the 2020 election. Shortly after his appointment, the commission was set to vote on the reappointment of elections administrator Meagan Wolfe. Democrats on the commission abstained from the vote, to allow Wolfe to remain in office by default, adhering to the rule set in the recent Wisconsin Supreme Court case of State ex rel. Kaul v. Prehn.[7] After legal wrangling, Republicans in the state senate acknowledged that they did not have the power to remove Wolfe through the confirmation process, but they took out their frustration on Czarnezky, rejecting his appointment to the commission on October 17, 2023.[8]

Electoral history

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Wisconsin Assembly, 7th district (1980)

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Wisconsin Assembly, 7th District Election, 1980[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Primary, September 9, 1980
Democratic Joseph Czarnezki 1,503 35.76%
Democratic Peggy Krusick 1,020 24.27%
Democratic Bruce R. Bailey 853 20.30%
Democratic Joseph R. Krupa 827 19.68%
Plurality 483 11.49%
Total votes 4,203 100.0%
General Election, November 4, 1980
Democratic Joseph Czarnezki 13,430 70.26% +4.75%
Republican Craig S. Rendahl 5,817 29.74%
Plurality 7,923 40.51% +9.50%
Total votes 19,557 100.0% +35.87%
Democratic hold

Wisconsin Assembly, 17th district (1982)

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Wisconsin Assembly, 17th District Election, 1982[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Primary, September 14, 1982
Democratic Joseph Czarnezki 4,634 56.02%
Democratic Peggy Krusick 3,150 38.08%
Democratic Joseph Kaczynski 488 5.90%
Plurality 1,484 17.94%
Total votes 8,272 100.0%
General Election, November 2, 1982
Democratic Joseph Czarnezki 13,430 76.04%
Republican Robert G. Donovan 4,232 23.96%
Plurality 9,198 52.08%
Total votes 17,662 100.0%
Democratic hold

Wisconsin Senate (1983, 1984, 1988)

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Wisconsin Senate, 8th District Special Election, 1983[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Special Democratic Primary, September 14, 1982
Democratic Joseph Czarnezki 6,400 62.47%
Democratic Thomas A. Hauke 3,544 34.59%
Democratic Roman R. Blenski 301 2.94%
Plurality 2,856 27.88%
Total votes 10,245 100.0%
Special Election, April 5, 1983
Democratic Joseph Czarnezki 11,268 76.04% +15.90%
Republican Kevin M. Soczka 2,462 17.93%
Plurality 8,806 64.14% +31.80%
Total votes 13,730 100.0% -77.46%
Democratic hold
Wisconsin Senate, 8th District Election, 1984[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 6, 1984
Democratic Joseph Czarnezki (incumbent) 51,237 100.0%
Total votes 51,237 100.0% +273.18%
Democratic hold
Wisconsin Senate, 8th District Election, 1988[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 8, 1988
Democratic Joseph Czarnezki (incumbent) 50,491 100.0%
Total votes 50,491 100.0% -1.46%
Democratic hold

References

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  1. ^ a b "Elections in Wisconsin". The state of Wisconsin Blue Book 1981–1982 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. 1981. pp. 894, 915. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "Elections in Wisconsin". The state of Wisconsin Blue Book 1983–1984 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. 1983. pp. 885, 888, 907, 910. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  3. ^ Milwaukee County Clerk Archived 2010-08-17 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Larry Sandler and Don Behm. "All Politics Blog No opponents file against officials in 3 counties". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, June 4, 2012. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  5. ^ "Joseph J. Czarnezki, 11th District Supervisor". Milwaukee County. Archived from the original on March 5, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2022 – via Wayback Machine.
  6. ^ Schulte, Laura (May 1, 2023). "Former Milwaukee County Clerk Joseph Czarnezki appointed to Wisconsin Elections Commission". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  7. ^ State ex rel. Kaul v. Prehn, 2021AP1673 (Wisconsin Supreme Court June 29, 2022).
  8. ^ Beck, Molly (October 17, 2023). "Republican lawmakers fire second top election official in battleground Wisconsin". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  9. ^ "Elections in Wisconsin". The State of Wisconsin Blue Book 1985–1986 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. 1985. p. 921. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  10. ^ "Elections in Wisconsin". The State of Wisconsin Blue Book 1989–1990 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. 1989. p. 922. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
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Wisconsin State Assembly
Preceded by Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 7th district
January 5, 1981 – January 3, 1983
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 17th district
January 3, 1983 – April 13, 1983
Succeeded by
Wisconsin Senate
Preceded by Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 8th district
April 13, 1983 – January 4, 1993
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by
Mark Ryan
County Clerk of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
January 5, 2009 – January 2, 2017
Succeeded by
George L. Christenson
Government offices
Preceded by
Julie Glancey
Member of the Wisconsin Elections Commission
May 1, 2023 – present
Incumbent