Barca represented the northern part of the city of Kenosha and surrounding areas in the Wisconsin State Assembly for nine terms, covering the years 1985 through 1993 and 2009 through 2019, and was the Democratic floor leader from 2011 through 2017. He also served as a member of the 103rdU.S. Congress between 1993 and 1995, and was the Midwest Regional Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration during the presidency of Bill Clinton.
Starting his career as a teacher of the emotionally disturbed and a team leader for students with special needs, Barca went on to become the director of the Friendship Camp, a camp for children with disabilities. He also served as an employment specialist.[3]
Wisconsin State Assembly
Barca entered politics in 1984 when he won his first election to the State Assembly, succeeding Joseph Wimmer in the 64th District. At the time, the 64th District had just been redrawn to cover the northern half of the city of Kenosha and the town of Somers.
During his initial tenure in the State Capitol, Barca authored and passed a wide variety of proposals covering issues such as economic development, protection for seniors and the disabled, education, employment and job training, criminal justice, and environmental protection. He also worked closely with the Kenosha delegation to help pass legislation that led to the creation of the Lakeview Corporate Park.
Barca also chaired several special legislative committees that led to Wisconsin’s nationally recognized welfare reform program, implemented the award-winning 'one stop shop' employment and training systems, and developed the roadmap for rail services between Kenosha and Milwaukee.[1]
In 1991 and 1993, Barca was elected Majority Caucus Chairperson in the State Assembly.
In early 1993, newly-inaugurated President Bill Clinton appointed 22-year incumbent congressman Les Aspin as United States Secretary of Defense. Aspin therefore had to resign his seat in Wisconsin's 1st congressional district and a special election was called to fill the balance of his term in the 103rd United States Congress. Barca narrowly won a competitive Democratic Primary election, fending off fellow State Assemblymembers Jeffrey A. Neubauer of Racine and Wayne W. Wood of Janesville. In the general election, Barca faced Republican Mark Neumann, who had been Aspin's opponent in November 1992. Barca won by only 675 votes, mainly due to a weak showing in Racine.[4] Neumann, in turn, defeated Barca in the regular 1994 election 17 months later.[5]
Post-Congressional career
After Barca narrowly lost his re-election bid, President Clinton appointed him to serve as Midwest Regional Administrator to the U.S. Small Business Administration. He also served as National Ombudsman to the SBA. Barca was also leader of the National Regulatory Fairness Program, an initiative which included more than fifty company presidents throughout the country aimed at making regulatory enforcement small business friendly. He later went on to become Vice President and then President of Aurora Associates International, an international project management company.[6]
Return to politics
In November 2008, after a 14-year absence, Barca was elected to represent the 64th District once again. He was again chosen to be Majority Caucus Chairperson, and served as co-chair of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, and chair of the Partnership for a Stronger Economy.
As chair of the Partnership for a Stronger Economy, Barca traveled the state meeting with various small businesses owners and economic development professionals to craft an economic plan for Wisconsin. The Partnership led the way in helping to pass over 50 economic initiatives in the 2009–10 legislative session, including the Small Business Capital Access Program and the Entrepreneurial Assistance Grant Program, both authored by Barca.[3]
In the 2010 midterm elections, Republicans won complete control of government in Wisconsin. Following the election, Barca was elected by his colleagues to serve as Assembly Democratic Leader in the 100th Wisconsin Legislative Session.[7] He remained leader of the Democratic minority until September 2017, when he stepped down to focus more attention on his own constituency.[8]
In the 2011 legislative session, Barca rose to national prominence as a leader in the struggle against Governor Scott Walker's proposed changes to collective bargaining in Wisconsin. Barca also led Assembly Democrats in protesting the Republicans' alleged violation of open meetings laws.[9]
Barca authored legislation to ban text messaging while driving in Wisconsin.[10]
On January 7, 2019, newly-inaugurated Governor of WisconsinTony Evers nominated Mr. Barca to serve as Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Revenue. Barca resigned his Assembly seat the next day. The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Revenue and Financial Institutions unanimously approved his nomination on February 22, 2019, and the full Senate confirmed his appointment on October 8, 2019.[11][12]
Redistricting
For most of his career representing the 64th District, his constituency was drawn to cover the northern half of the city of Kenosha and a portion of the town of Somers, in Kenosha County. In 2011, however, the new Republican majority used their power to redraw the state's legislative maps. Barca's district was altered to add southern portions of Racine County, including the village of Elmwood Park, as well as parts of the village of Mount Pleasant and the city of Racine. The redrawn map was designed by the new Republican majority to remove Democratic-leaning precincts from what had been the 62nd assembly district, and by doing so, also removing those precincts from the 21st senate district, which is defined by the boundaries of the 61st, 62nd and 63rd assembly districts. This, along with other changes, successfully gerrymandered the previously-competitive 62nd assembly and 21st senate districts into safely Republican seats.[13][14]
Electoral history
Wisconsin Assembly (1984-1992)
Wisconsin Assembly, 64th District Election, 1984[15]
^ ab"Biography". Peter Barca, State Representative - 64th Assembly District. Archived from the original on November 1, 2018. Retrieved May 15, 2020 – via Wayback Machine.
^Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (1993). State of Wisconsin 1993-1994 Blue Book. Madison: Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. p. 918. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
^Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (1995). State of Wisconsin 1995-1996 Blue Book. Madison: Wisconsin Legislature Joint Committee on Legislative Organization. p. 916. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
^Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. "Elections in Wisconsin". The state of Wisconsin 1985-1986 Blue Book (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 908, 926. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
^Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. "Elections in Wisconsin". The state of Wisconsin 1987-1988 Blue Book (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 889, 908. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
^Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. "Elections in Wisconsin". State of Wisconsin 1989-1990 Blue Book (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 911, 926. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
^Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. "Elections in Wisconsin". State of Wisconsin 1991-1992 Blue Book (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 900, 916. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
^ abWisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. "Elections in Wisconsin". State of Wisconsin 1993-1994 Blue Book (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 899, 905, 918, 922. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
^Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (1995). "Elections in Wisconsin". In Barish, Lawrence S. (ed.). State of Wisconsin 1995-1996 Blue Book (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. pp. 897, 916. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
