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Todd Daniel Novak (born April 23, 1965) is an American Republican politician and retired newspaper editor from Iowa County, Wisconsin. He is a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Wisconsin's 51st Assembly district since 2015. He previously served 12 years as mayor of Dodgeville, Wisconsin, from 2012 to 2024.
Todd Novak | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 51st district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Howard Marklein |
| Mayor of Dodgeville, Wisconsin | |
| In office April 2012 – April 2024 | |
| Preceded by | James McCaulley |
| Succeeded by | Barry Hottmann |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 23, 1965 Cobb, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Residence | Dodgeville, Wisconsin |
| Occupation | Newspaper editor, politician |
| Website | Official website |
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.
On November 3, 2020, Novak was re-elected to his fourth term in the Wisconsin State Assembly. Novak defeated his challenger, Democrat Kriss Marion by a margin of 1,258 votes. This was his largest margin since first being elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly. He further increased his margin two years later, when he was re-elected to his fifth term in the Wisconsin State Assembly. Novak defeated his challenger, Democrat Leah Spicer, by a margin of 3,214 votes.[4]
Although a Republican, Novak has positioned himself as an "independent voice" and has touted a bipartisan voting record, which is helpful in his liberal-leaning district.[5]
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For the 2021–2022 Legislative Cycle, Novak served on the following committees:[6]
- Assembly Committee on Local Government (Chair)
- Speakers Task Force on Water Quality (Chair)
- Assembly Committee on Agriculture
- Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice & Public Safety
- Assembly Committee on Rural Development
- Assembly Committee on Environment
In his first term in the State Assembly, Novak authored a bill creating the Frank Lloyd Wright Trail which links the architect's 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 traveled 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]
Representative Novak authored two bills as a result of the task force's findings. The first bill, 2019 Assembly Bill 790 increases funding for Wisconsin Land and Water Conservation staff. The bill also adds new language calling for conservation staff to work to implement the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP).[9] The CREP leverages federal and state funding to compensate farmers to voluntarily decommission farmland and implement conservation practices.[10] The second bill, 2019 Assembly Bill 801 provides funding to the University of Wisconsin System to implement the Freshwater Collaborative. The Freshwater Collaborative Program is designed to address two unique challenges relevant in Wisconsin, Agriculture Water Management, and Water Quality Safety and emerging contaminants. As part of the Freshwater Collaborative, the UW System will work to establish and develop a variety of undergraduate programs focused on preparing the Wisconsin Workforce to address Water Management and Water Quality safety issues while expanding opportunities for research and collaboration across campuses.[11]
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Wisconsin Assembly (2014–present)
| Year | Election | Date | Elected | Defeated | Total | Plurality | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Primary[12] | Aug. 26 | Todd Novak | Republican | 2,262 | 48.29% | Dennis Polivka | Rep. | 922 | 19.68% | 4,684 | 1,340 |
| Tyler G. Schultz | Rep. | 859 | 18.34% | |||||||||
| Ken Rhino Rynes | Rep. | 639 | 13.64% | |||||||||
| General[13] | Nov. 4 | Todd Novak | Republican | 10,642 | 47.48% | Dick Cates | Dem. | 10,577 | 47.19% | 22,413 | 65 | |
| Adam Laufenberg | Ind. | 1,177 | 5.25% | |||||||||
| 2016 | General[14] | Nov. 8 | Todd Novak (inc.) | Republican | 13,912 | 51.29% | Jeff Wright | Dem. | 13,189 | 48.62% | 27,124 | 723 |
| 2018 | General[15] | Nov. 6 | Todd Novak (inc.) | Republican | 12,445 | 50.65% | Jeff Wright | Dem. | 12,113 | 49.29% | 24,573 | 332 |
| 2020 | General[16] | Nov. 3 | Todd Novak (inc.) | Republican | 15,937 | 52.04% | Kriss Marion | Dem. | 14,679 | 47.93% | 30,624 | 1,258 |
| 2022 | General[17] | Nov. 8 | Todd Novak (inc.) | Republican | 14,760 | 56.08% | Leah Spicer | Dem. | 11,546 | 43.87% | 26,320 | 3,214 |
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