Kenosha state Rep. Peter Barca announced Thursday that he will give up his post as the Democratic minority leader of the Assembly.
In a statement, Barca said:
This afternoon I made the very difficult decision to step down as leader of the Assembly Democrats following deliberate, thoughtful discussions. I am grateful to my colleagues for their support over the last seven years.
It has been my honor to work as their leader in the fight for family-supporting jobs and an economy that works for everyone. Assembly Democrats have always fought to do what is right for Wisconsin families and workers.
I will continue this effort but will be able to put much more focus on my district, which will have more challenges than ever in the months ahead.
We ended our discussion this afternoon with a very constructive strategy session, and we are very focused on the work we must do to improve Gov. Walker’s short-sighted budget. We are well prepared for the work ahead.
Barca's last day in the leadership post will be September 30.
The representative has served as minority leader in the Assembly throughout Republican Scott Walker's tenure in the governor's office. Barca often spoke passionately in the Capitol, fighting GOP proposals, including Act 10, the law which ended most collective bargaining rights for most public workers.
Barca recently was in the news as one of the several Democrats who went along with the Republican majority, in approving the $3 billion Foxconn incentives package. The Taiwanese electronics giant wants to build a huge LCD panel plant in either Kenosha County or Racine County. The company says it will employ 3,000 people at the plant initially, and possibly up to 13,000, eventually.
