Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos announced his retirement effective with the end of the current session in a speech on the Assembly floor on the last in-person day on February 19th. He stated that he suffered a heart attack last year and took it as a sign from God to retire. Vos, age 57, (R-Rochester) was first elected to the Assembly in 2004 and has served as Speaker since 2013. During his tenure, he became one of the most powerful figures in state government and the longest-serving Assembly Speaker on record.

Per Wikipedia:

“Vos attended the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater, where he studied political science and public relations. While at Whitewater, he roomed with Reince Priebus, who later became chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin, chairman of the Republican National Committee, and White House chief of staff. In 1989, Wisconsin governor Tommy Thompson appointed Vos as a student representative on the University of Wisconsin board of regents. Vos graduated in 1991.^[7]

After graduation, Vos worked as a legislative assistant to state representatives Jim Ladwig and Bonnie Ladwig…..Vos has an ownership stake of $4.8 million in rental properties in Whitewater, Wisconsin.” [Per the Walworth County property tax site, Ladwig & Vos, Inc. owns over twenty residential properties in the city.]

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Gov. Tony Evers issued the following statement on February 19 regarding the retirement announcement.

Gov. Evers Releases Statement Regarding Speaker Vos’ Retirement

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today released the following statement regarding Wisconsin State Assembly Speaker Robin Vos’ (R-Rochester) retirement announcement: “The Speaker’s retirement marks the end of an era in Wisconsin politics, and I’m grateful to have served as governor during Speaker Vos’ tenure. Although we’ve disagreed more often than we didn’t, I respect his candor, his ability to navigate complex policies and conversations, and his unrivaled passion for politics. “I’m also incredibly proud of the bipartisan work we’ve been able to do together these past seven years. We passed the first bipartisan budget in decades last year that made historic investments in our kids and public education. We worked together to find compromise and provide the first increase in state support for our local communities in over a decade. We kept the Brewers in Milwaukee for generations of new Wisconsinites, provided billions in tax relief for middle-class families, made one of the largest investments in affordable housing in state history, and increased key investments for the first time in a generation, from special education to funding to fix our roads and bridges. And those are just some of the highlights. “I wish the Speaker well in his retirement and hope he and his wife, Michelle, enjoy this new chapter together. Robin’s one-of-a-kind, so I wish whoever becomes the next Assembly Speaker well. They’ll no doubt have their work cut out for them. Being in public service is challenging and can be thankless work, most especially when you’re responsible for getting things done. I understand that better than most. For your sacrifices and your service over the years, thank you, Mr. Speaker.”