Russell S. Decker (born May 25, 1953) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

home construction contractor and former Democratic politician. He served 20 years in the

Wisconsin State Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the larger Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after t ...

(1991–2011) and was majority leader from October 2007 through December 2010.

Biography

Born in

Athens, Wisconsin Athens is a village in Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,105 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Wausau, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Athens is located at (45.032641, -90.076442). Athens ...

, Decker graduated from Athens High School, afterward attending

Northcentral Technical College Northcentral Technical College (NTC) is a public community college in Wausau, Wisconsin. It is a member of the Wisconsin Technical College System. The district of the college includes all of, or portions of, Marathon, Lincoln, Taylor, Price, ...

Wausau, Wisconsin Wausau ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States. The Wisconsin River divides the city into east and west. The city's suburbs include Schofield, Weston, Mosinee, Maine, Rib Mountain, Kronenwetter, and ...

as an apprentice

bricklayer A bricklayer, which is related to but different from a mason, is a craftsman and tradesman who lays bricks to construct brickwork. The terms also refer to personnel who use blocks to construct blockwork walls and other forms of masonry. ...

. He now lives in Schofield, Wisconsin. Decker was first elected to the Senate in 1990. The day after passage of the 2007-2008 state budget, the Senate Democratic Caucus elected Decker to replace

Judy Robson Judith Biros Robson (born November 21, 1939) is a retired American nurse, nursing instructor, and Democratic politician. She served 12 years in the Wisconsin State Senate and 12 years in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Rock County. ...

as Majority Leader.

DUI

In April 2005, Decker was arrested and charged with OWI. He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of driving with a prohibited

blood alcohol content Blood alcohol content (BAC), also called blood alcohol concentration or blood alcohol level, is a measurement of alcohol intoxication used for legal or medical purposes; it is expressed as mass of alcohol per volume or mass of blood. For exampl ...

and had to give up his driver's license for six months. On November 2, 2010, Republican Pam Galloway defeated Decker in his reelection bid."GOP challenger defeats Majority Leader Decker,"
''JS Online'', November 3, 2010. Retrieved March 25, 2011. In the lame duck session after losing re-election, Decker cast a deciding vote not to ratify new state employee contracts, and as a result was stripped of his leadership position by a vote of his caucus.

Committee assignments

* Committee on Senate Organization (Chair) * Joint Committee on Legislative Organization * Joint Survey Committee on Tax Exemptions * Joint Committee on Employment Relations * Joint Legislative Council

References

External links

*''Follow the Money'' - Russ Decker
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campaign contributions {{DEFAULTSORT:Decker, Russ 1953 births Living people People from Athens, Wisconsin Northcentral Technical College alumni Democratic Party Wisconsin state senators Wisconsin politicians convicted of crimes 21st-century American politicians People from Schofield, Wisconsin