Jeffrey Plale
Wisconsin Commissioner of Railroads
In office
August 2011 – January 2016
GovernorScott Walker
Preceded byRoger Breske
Succeeded byYash Wadhw
Administrator of the Wisconsin Division of State Facilities
In office
January 2011 – August 2011
GovernorScott Walker
DeputyPeter Maternowski
Preceded byDavid Helbach
Succeeded bySummer Shannon-Bradley
Member of the Wisconsin Senate
from the 7th district
In office
May 9, 2003 – January 3, 2011
Preceded byRichard Grobschmidt
Succeeded byChris Larson
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the 21st district
In office
March 26, 1996 – May 9, 2003
Preceded byRichard Grobschmidt
Succeeded byMark Honadel
Personal details
Born
Jeffrey T. Plale

(1968-05-31)May 31, 1968
South Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
DiedJuly 2, 2022(2022-07-02) (aged 54)
South Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Resting placeForest Home Cemetery, Milwaukee
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Elizabeth Mary Tesch
​
​
(div. 2001)​
Children2
Alma materMarquette University (B.A., M.A.)
ProfessionStockbroker, politician

Jeffrey T. Plale (May 31, 1968 – July 2, 2022)[1] was an American politician and stockbroker. Plale served as the Wisconsin Railroad Commissioner. Earlier in his career he represented South Milwaukee in the Wisconsin State Senate (2003–2011) and Wisconsin State Assembly (1996–2003).

Background and career

Born in South Milwaukee in 1968, Plale graduated from South Milwaukee High School. He worked as a stockbroker at Strong Capital Management from 1988 to 1996. He earned a B.A. in communications and public relations from Marquette University in 1990, and an M.A. in the same field in 1992. He was a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) when he was a legislator.[2] Plale was a Catholic. He and his former wife had two children. He was a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians.[3]

Public office

In 1992, he was elected as an alderman for South Milwaukee. He was first elected to the 21st District of the Assembly (South Milwaukee, Oak Creek and a small portion of Cudahy) in a March 1996 special election, with 6758 votes to 5609 for Republican Mike McCarrier; and was reelected in November 1996 with 14,020 votes to 6544 for Republican Arden Degner.[4] He was re-elected through 2002, and resigned in May 2003 after being elected to the Senate in an April 2003 special election, and was succeeded in the Assembly by Republican Mark Honadel.

He was elected to the Senate seat held by Democrat Richard Grobschmidt until Grobschmidt's resignation to take a position as Assistant Superintendent of Public Instruction under Governor-elect Jim Doyle.[5] Plale won a three-way Democratic primary, and a general election in which he polled 5282 votes to 2199 for Green Jim Carpenter (the Republicans did not contest the seat).[6] He won re-election in 2006 (after shaking off opposition in his primary) with 41,502 votes to 21,104 for Republican Dimity Grabowski and 3,564 for Green Claude VanderVeen (whose showing was the best of any Green candidate for Wisconsin Senate that year).[7]

He lost his 2010 bid for re-nomination on September 14, 2010, when he was defeated in the Wisconsin Democratic primary election by Chris Larson, a member of the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors,[8] who contended that Plale was too conservative.[9] Plale lost by 5,148 (39.3%) to 7,962 (60.7%) for Larson.[10] Larson subsequently won the Senate race, in an election that saw four Democratic seats fall to Republicans.[11]

During the lame duck legislative session after the election, Plale was one of two defeated Democratic state senators who voted against renewing contracts with state employee unions. After the vote, Plale was appointed administrator of state facilities in January, and later as Wisconsin Railroad Commissioner, by Governor Scott Walker, also a Republican.[12]

Personal life and family

Plale married Elizabeth Mary Tesch. They had two children together before divorcing in 2001.[13]

In 2022, Plale suffered from a severe lung infection that spread to other parts of his body. He was hospitalized for several months and died on July 2, 2022.[13]

References

  1. ↑ Jeff Plale, a former Democratic state legislator who went on to serve in a Republican administration, dies at age 54
  2. ↑ Lisa Kaiser (April 25, 2012). "How the Wisconsin Legislature Was Bought: Right-wing group ALEC gets its way" Shepherd Express
  3. ↑ Plale biography on VoteSmart
  4. ↑ "Lawrence S. Barish et al., eds. State of Wisconsin 1997–1998 Blue Book Madison: Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau, 1997; pp. 35, 903". Archived from the original on April 5, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
  5. ↑ Ross, J.R. Associated Press "Democratic Senator to Take State Education Job; Richard Grobschmidt is Resigning His Seat to Become the State's Top Librarian in DPI." Wisconsin State Journal Dec. 21, 2002
  6. ↑ "Lawrence S. Barish et al., eds. State of Wisconsin 2003–2004 Blue Book Madison: Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau, 2003; pp. 32, 907–908". Archived from the original on April 18, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Lawrence S. Barish et al., eds. State of Wisconsin 2007–2008 Blue Book Madison: Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau, 2007; pp. 908–909". Archived from the original on April 5, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
  8. ↑ Stein, Jason. "Larson unseats Plale in state Senate race: He will face Republican Ripp in general election in 7th District", Milwaukee Journal Sentinel September 14, 2010
  9. ↑ Fortis, Louis and Lisa Kaiser. "And the Candidates Are…: A preview of the September primary matchups" Shepherd Express July 21, 2010
  10. ↑ "Fall 2010 primary election results" Milwaukee Journal Sentinel September 14, 2010
  11. ↑ Stein, Jason and Annysa Johnson. "Republicans take over state Senate, Assembly: It's first time one party wins both houses since 1938" Milwaukee Journal Sentinel November 3, 2010
  12. ↑ DiNovella, Elizabeth. "Gov. Scott Walker Appoints Democrat Jeff Plale to Railroad Commission" The Progressive, August 23, 2011]
  13. 1 2 Hanley, Erik S.; Baker, Ben (July 5, 2022). "Jeff Plale, a former Democratic state legislator who went on to serve in a Republican administration, dies at age 54". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
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