Black is leaving leadership post
11:09 PM 11/07/02
Phil Brinkman State government reporter

Saying he was tired of managing legislators and overseeing their campaigns, Assembly Minority Leader Spencer Black said Thursday he was stepping down from his leadership post to concentrate more on crafting legislation.

Black, D-Madison, has served in the Assembly since 1984. One of the Democrats' most passionate voices on topics such as the environment, health care and university funding, he was elected minority leader in May 2001.

In a letter to colleagues Thursday, Black, 52, said he took the job reluctantly.

"I knew it would divert my attention from the work I've always done and loved in the Legislature, and that is concentrate on issues," he said in an interview.

The experiences of the past year and a half have borne that out, he said.

Black - who has never had to face a serious challenger for re-election, doesn't accept political action committee money and refuses to take contributions from lobbyists - said he soon found his new role consisted mostly of shaking the money tree for fellow legislators, including hitting up PACs and lobbyists.

He said he found the experience galling, and it reinforced his position that the campaign finance system needs reform. Black eventually parceled out the campaign work to other legislators while he focused on "grassroots fund-raising."

Although it made life easier, the arrangement likely raised less money and may have cost Democrats some seats, Black said.

Black said his decision was not prompted by Assembly Democrats' poor showing in this week's election. Democrats retained 41 seats in the 99-member Assembly, down from 43. But Black called the outcome respectable, given that Democrats lost two seats in redistricting earlier this year.

"I would have reached the same decision had we ended up with 44 or 45 seats," Black said.

In his letter, Black said he accepted the job last year "because I felt Assembly Democrats were adrift and our ship needed to be set on the right course again."

"Now that I feel some of the changes have been made, I can go back to the role I truly love, which is being the initiator and advocate on issues I care very deeply about," he said later.

Leadership changes at the Capitol usually happen only in coups, with much bloodletting. More recently, they have followed criminal charges.

Black said he hoped his bowing out now would set a precedent for future legislative leaders, who he said too often view their positions as permanent. He declined to speculate on a successor, although Rep. Jim Kreuser, D-Kenosha, is next in line as assistant minority leader.