For 30 years, Democratic Rep. Annette “Polly” Williams championed issues most important to African-American constituents of her Milwaukee Assembly district. The longest-serving female elected official in Wisconsin, and the woman who served the longest in the Assembly, Williams worked with Republican leaders in 1990 to pass Parental School Choice, which gave low-income Milwaukee parents the right to send their children to private schools at state expense. In her first WisconsinEye interview after announcing her retirement, Williams also talked about the bitter Capitol fight she won this year, killing the plan of fellow Democrats Gov. Jim Doyle and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett to have the Milwaukee Public Schools superintendent appointed by the mayor and not the MPS board.

In a Newsmaker interview on May 25, Democratic Rep. Mary Hubler talked about her decision to end 26 years in the Assembly and not seek re-election. She talked about the challenges of representing a rural area, her three attempts to rewrite the state Constitution to provide new property tax breaks to homeowners, and leadership opportunities that woman legislators now have that they did not have when she was first elected. She also talked about the day she and another lawmaker taped a piece of fresh fish – which took days to be discovered – to the bottom of the chair of another Assembly Democrat.

After 12 years in the Assembly, Republican Rep. Phil Montgomery is retiring from the Legislature. In a Newsmakers interview, Montgomery talked about why he led the move to set a 10% renewable energy requirement in 2003 but led the fight against Gov. Jim Doyle's bill to raise that standard to 25% this year. He also defended pushing through the change that stripped local governments of the ability to regulate cable companies and gave that function to a state agency. Montgomery is the 10th Assembly Republican to not seek re-election or run for higher office this year.

Democratic Rep. Spencer Black summarized 26 years of being at the center of environmental issues like the recent Clean Energy Jobs Act, the Stewardship Fund that buys pristine lands to keep them from being developed, and the fight to protect the Wolf River from damage from mining planned by Exxon. Black, who recently announced he will not seek re-election, said his toughest fight was keeping the prohibition of mining. Black also criticized, what he said has been, the growing role of special-interest groups and the money they spend to influence Capitol decisions.

For 12 years, Republican Rep. Kitty Rhoades has represented one of the fastest-growing parts of Wisconsin – the Wisconsin-Minnesota border region often referred to as "Minnconsin." In a Newsmaker interview, Rhoades discussed her decision to not seek re-election, her historical role as the first Assembly Republican woman to serve as cochairman of the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee, and fears that new state spending programs have created unrealistic future expectations. She also said one of her biggest frustrations is the inability of officials in both states to resolve an income tax "reciprocity" issue that will impose a new burden on Wisconsin residents who work in Minnesota.   

Republican Rep. Don Friske decided to not seek re-election so he and his wife could operate their small businesses and he could spend more time with his 14-year-old son. A former deputy sheriff, the Merrill lawmaker talked about his work on three law-enforcement related issues – legalizing the carrying of concealed weapons, tougher penalties for drunk drivers, and requiring psychological evaluations for potential sworn officers. In a Newsmakers interview, Friske also talked about ways to help the forestry industry, which he said is the single largest employer in his 35th District.

After nine years in the state Senate, Republican Senator Ted Kanavas said he decided to not seek re-election to resume his career in technology-related businesses. In a Newsmaker interview, Kanavas said he seriously considered running for governor this year, but decided that the campaign of Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker had too big of a lead. Kanavas also said Walker's opponent in the September primary for the Republican nomination, Mark Neumann, should quit the race so Walker could focus on defeating the likely Democratic nominee, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. Kanavas said he may run for office - maybe for governor - in the future. 

In a Newsmaker interview, Democratic Sen. Judy Biros Robson talked about her decision to not seek re-election, ending her 23-year career in the Legislature. Robson, a nurse, talked about championing major health-care issues -- including the SeniorCare program that helps seniors pay for prescriptions, a requirement that health insurers cover autism treatment for children, and emergency contraception for assault victims. She also discussed how the recession has hit Janesville and Beloit in her 15th District. The first woman to serve as Senate Democratic majority leader, Robson related the challenges faced by women legislators and said she is considering running for lieutenant governor.

Madison Bureau Chief for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Steve Walters interviewed retiring legislator, Rep. Suzanne Jeskewitz, R-Menomonee Falls, from inside the Capitol on June 10, 2008.

Madison Bureau Chief for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Steve Walters interviewed retiring legislator, Rep. Terry Musser, R-Black River Falls, from inside the Capitol on May 28, 2008.

Madison Bureau Chief for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Steve Walters interviewed retiring legislator, Rep. Barbara Gronemus, D-Whitehall, from inside the Capitol on May 15, 2008.

Madison Bureau Chief for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Steve Walters interviewed retiring legislator, Rep. David Travis, D-Waunakee, from inside the Capitol on April 22, 2008.

Madison Bureau Chief for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Steve Walters interviewed retiring legislator, Rep. Frank Boyle, D-Superior, from inside the Capitol on April 17, 2008.

Madison Bureau Chief for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Steve Walters interviewed retiring legislator, Sen. Carol Roessler, R-Oshkosh, from her Capitol office on April 10, 2008.

After 12 years in the Assembly, Rep. Steve Wieckert, R-Appleton, said that he would not run for re-election in November of 2008. In this interview with WisconsinEye Public Policy Producer Craig Sauer, Wieckert reflected on his successes and frustrations in office, his reasons for first running for public office, and his political future. The interview took place from Wieckert’s office in the Capitol on April 3, 2008.