Shelia Stubbs rejected by Dane County Board  

On Thursday night, the Dane County Board made an unprecedented decision, rejecting state Rep. Shelia Stubbs’ confirmation as director of human services, the Capital Times reports. Dane County Executive Joe Parisi, who appointed Stubbs, has no ability to veto the board’s decision. 

The board cited a lack of qualifications in its rejection of Stubbs, with 27 of its 37 members voting against confirmation, five members abstaining, two in support, and three absent.  

The confirmation process has taken place amid high racial tensions, with community leaders and Stubbs’ supporters saying she faced unfair treatment, and officials saying they were threatened and called racial slurs if they did not vote for Stubbs’ appointment. 

Both Stubbs and Parisi requested the committee refocus amid the rhetoric; Parisi also noted the singular pushback on Stubbs’ nomination in terms of documents and information requested. 

Among the reasons cited for Stubbs’ rejection was her prior experience managing eight people, when the new appointment would require management of over 800 people and the county’s largest agency with a budget of more than $240 million. She also served as chair of the county board’s Health and Human Needs Committee for five years; that committee’s current seven members were the first to vote against her nomination.