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Eric Genrich

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Eric Genrich
48th Mayor of Green Bay
Incumbent
Assumed office
April 15, 2019
Preceded byJim Schmitt
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the 90th district
In office
January 7, 2013 – January 7, 2019
Preceded byKarl Van Roy
Succeeded byStaush Gruszynski
Personal details
Born (1979-10-08) October 8, 1979 (age 45)
Green Bay, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseEmily A. Kelley
Children2
EducationUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison (BA)
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (MLIS)
WebsiteOfficial website

Eric Genrich (/ˈɡɛnrɪk/ GHEN-rik;[1] born October 8, 1979) is an American politician who has served as the mayor of Green Bay, Wisconsin, since 2019. Genrich previously represented Green Bay in the Wisconsin State Assembly from 2013 until 2019.

Early life and education

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Born in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Genrich graduated from Notre Dame Academy in 1998. He went on to attend the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he majored in history and sociology, earning his bachelor's degree in 2002.[2] He earned a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee in 2010.

Career

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After graduating from the University of Wisconsin, Genrich was employed for six years as a legislative aide to State Senator Dave Hansen. He was subsequently employed as a district representative for Congressman Steve Kagen. After Kagen left office in 2011, Genrich was employed as an IT librarian at the Brown County Library, where he worked until his election to the Assembly in 2012.[3]

Wisconsin Legislature

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The 2011 Wisconsin gerrymander (2011 Wisc. Act 43) significantly altered the political makeup of the Wisconsin's 90th Assembly district, removing suburban Howard and Suamico, and packing in more of Green Bay's population. In March 2012, 90th district incumbent State Representative Karl Van Roy announced he would not seek re-election in the new district,[4] Genrich announced his candidacy for the seat a month later.[5]

Genrich would defeat Republican activist and businessman David VanderLeest in the 2012 general election, taking 60.2% of the vote.[6] He was subsequently re-elected in 2014, defeating attorney Eric Wimberger, and was unopposed in 2016.[7]

Genrich, as a Democrat, served in the minority during his six years in the Wisconsin State Assembly. He was a member of the committees on education, on energy and utilities, on insurance, on regulatory licensing reform, and on science and technology.[2]

Mayor of Green Bay

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In March 2018, he announced his candidacy for mayor of Green Bay in the 2019 election, in a bid to replace Jim Schmitt, who was not seeking another term as mayor.[8] Genrich and Brown County Supervisor Patrick Buckley advanced from a primary election, and Genrich defeated Buckley with 57.1% of the vote.[9]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mayor Genrich was one of several Wisconsin mayors and politicians who sought alternative voting accommodations to comply with COVID-19 lockdown procedures.[10] Genrich and the city of Green Bay filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin about two weeks before the April 7 elections, stating that they did not have the capacity to carry out the election as directed, and asking for an injunction to delay the election until June.[11] The suit was quickly dismissed by the court, which said it lacked jurisdiction to rule on the matter.[12] A subsequent order from Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers to postpone the election also fell in the Wisconsin Supreme Court.[13] The election went forward as scheduled on April 7, though with less than 10% of their normal election workers. Brown County Clerk Sandy Juno offered to allocate Wisconsin National Guard personnel to manage polling stations, but Green Bay (along with other neighboring municipalities) refused, citing a lack of training.[14] As a result of the personnel shortages, Green Bay could operate only 2 of their 31 in-person polling locations and endured long lines of voters waiting to cast their ballots.[14]

Personal life

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Genrich and his wife, Emily (née Kelley), live on Green Bay's east side with their two children, Amelia and Henry.[15]

Electoral history

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Wisconsin Assembly (2012, 2014, 2016)

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Wisconsin Assembly, 90th District Election, 2012[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 6, 2012
Democratic Eric Genrich 11,353 60.21% +18.69%
Republican David VanderLeest 7,432 39.41% −19.00%
Scattering 71 0.38%
Plurality 3,921 20.79% +3.89%
Total votes 18,856 100.0% +1.59%
Democratic gain from Republican Swing 37.70%
Wisconsin Assembly, 90th District Election, 2014[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 4, 2014
Democratic Eric Genrich (incumbent) 7,953 54.94% −5.27%
Republican Eric Wimberger 5,342 36.90% −2.51%
Independent Shae Sortwell 1,164 8.04%
Scattering 18 0.12%
Plurality 2,611 18.04% -2.76%
Total votes 14,477 100.0% -23.22%
Democratic hold

Green Bay Mayor (2019, 2023)

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Green Bay, Wisconsin, Mayoral Election, 2019
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Nonpartisan Primary, February 19, 2019 (top-two)[16]
Nonpartisan Eric Genrich 4,505 43.61%
Nonpartisan Patrick Buckley 1,871 18.11%
Nonpartisan Patrick M. Evans 1,799 17.41%
Nonpartisan Guy Zima 853 8.26%
Nonpartisan Joe Moore 525 5.08%
Nonpartisan Mark Steuer 507 4.91%
Nonpartisan Nick Mortensen 166 1.61%
Nonpartisan Paul Boucher 68 0.66%
Scattering 37 0.36%
Total votes 10,331 100.0%
General Election, April 2, 2019[17]
Nonpartisan Eric Genrich 11,421 57.61%
Nonpartisan Patrick Buckley 8,296 41.85%
Scattering 108 0.54%
Plurality 3,125 15.76% +10.17%
Total votes 19,825 100.0% +22.16%

References

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  1. ^ "Community Update 3/23/20". Facebook. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Representative Eric Genrich". Wisconsin Legislature. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  3. ^ "Eric Genrich" (PDF). Wisconsin Public Utility Institute. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 21, 2019. Retrieved May 15, 2021 – via Wayback Machine.
  4. ^ Schneider, Doug (March 6, 2012). "Van Roy to retire from state Assembly". Green Bay Press-Gazette. p. 3. Retrieved May 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Schneider, Doug (April 12, 2012). "Genrich to seek 90th Assembly District seat". Green Bay Press-Gazette. p. 3. Retrieved May 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b Canvass Results for 2012 Presidential and General Election - 11/6/2012 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. December 26, 2012. p. 30. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  7. ^ a b Canvass Results for 2014 General Election - 11/4/2014 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. November 26, 2014. p. 29. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  8. ^ Anderson, Jonathan (March 12, 2018). "Rep. Eric Genrich announces candidacy for mayor of Green Bay". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  9. ^ BeMiller, Haley (April 2, 2019). "Eric Genrich defeats Patrick Buckley to become Green Bay's first new mayor in 16 years". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  10. ^ White, Laurel (March 20, 2020). "Some Wisconsin Mayors Urge Postponing April 7 Election". Wisconsin Public Radio. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  11. ^ White, Laurel (March 25, 2020). "Green Bay Files Federal Lawsuit To Delay Wisconsin's April 7 Election". Wisconsin Public Radio. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  12. ^ Krumholz, Ben (March 28, 2020). "With lawsuit dismissed, Green Bay preparing for April 7 election". WLUK-TV. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  13. ^ Beck, Molly; Marley, Patrick (April 6, 2020). "Wisconsin justices block Tony Evers' order to shut down election, U.S. Supreme Court restricts absentee voting". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  14. ^ a b Krumholz, Ben (April 7, 2020). "A foggy election night with long lines in Green Bay". WLUK-TV. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  15. ^ "About the Mayor". Green Bay, Wisconsin. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  16. ^ Brown County, Wisconsin, 2019 Spring Primary Final Unofficial Results (PDF) (Report). Office of the Clerk of Brown County, Wisconsin. February 20, 2019. p. 1. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  17. ^ Brown County, Wisconsin, 2019 Nonpartisan Office Official Results (PDF) (Report). Office of the Clerk of Brown County, Wisconsin. April 8, 2019. p. 8. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
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Wisconsin State Assembly
Preceded by Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 90th district
2013 – 2019 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Green Bay, Wisconsin
2019 – present 		Incumbent
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