Joseph J. Czarnezki (born September 27, 1954) is an American politician and public administrator from

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

. He served briefly as a member of the

Wisconsin Elections Commission The Wisconsin Elections Commission is a bipartisan regulatory agency of the state of Wisconsin established to administer and enforce election laws in the state. The Wisconsin Elections Commission was established by a 2015 act of the Wisconsin Legi ...

, appointed by Governor

Tony Evers Anthony Steven Evers ( ; born November 5, 1951) is an American politician and educator serving since 2019 as the 46th governor of Wisconsin. A member of the Democratic Party, he served from 2009 to 2019 as Wisconsin's 26th superintendent of p ...

in May 2023, his appointment was rejected by the

Wisconsin Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after those ...

in October 2023, due to a controversy over the reappointment of state elections administrator Meagan Wolfe. Czarnezki previously served ten years in the

and two years in the

State Assembly State Assembly is the name given to various legislatures, especially lower houses or full legislatures in states in federal systems of government. Channel Islands States Assembly is the name of the legislature of the Bailiwick of Jersey. The Baili ...

, representing western

Milwaukee County Milwaukee County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At the 2020 census, the population was 939,489, down from 947,735 in 2010. It is both the most populous and most densely populated county in Wisconsin, containing about 1 ...

. 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

Born in

, Czarnezki graduated from

University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UW–Milwaukee, UWM, or Milwaukee) is a Public university, public Urban university, urban research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It is the largest university in the Milwaukee metropo ...

. In 1980 he was elected to the 7th district of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, serving until 1983. From 1983 to 1993, he was a member of the

Wisconsin State Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after those o ...

. Czarnezki was an unsuccessful candidate for

Milwaukee County Executive The Milwaukee County executive serves as the chief executive officer of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. Vested with veto power and appointing authority over department heads, the county executive oversees the administrative functions of county gov ...

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 Milwaukee County () is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 939,489, down from 947,735 in 2010. It is both the most populous and most densely ...

. In 2012, Czarnezki was reelected county clerk without opposition. Czarnezki did not seek reelection in 2016. In 2020, Czarnezki was elected to the

Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors is the legislative branch of the government of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. Supervisors are elected to the board in nonpartisan elections. There are 18 supervisors. The county board has seve ...

, representing the 11th supervisory district in the southwestern portion of the county.

Wisconsin Elections Commission (2023)

In May 2023, Czarnezky was appointed to the

by Governor

, replacing Julie Glancey, who stepped down before the end of her term. 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''. 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.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly, 7th district (1980)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Democratic Primary, September 9, 1980 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 4, 1980

Wisconsin Assembly, 17th district (1982)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Democratic Primary, September 14, 1982 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 2, 1982

Wisconsin Senate (1983, 1984, 1988)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Special Democratic Primary, September 14, 1982 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Special Election, April 5, 1983 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 6, 1984 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 8, 1988

References

External links

Official (county) website (Archived March 5, 2022)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Czarnezki, Joseph 1954 births Living people Politicians from Milwaukee County supervisors in Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee alumni Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Democratic Party Wisconsin state senators 20th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature