Know your Building Commission

Gov. Scott McCallum. The governor of Wisconsin is the de facto chairman of the State Building Commission.
Sen. Fred Risser, D-Madison. First elected to Legislature as an assemblyman in 1956, Risser has represented downtown Madison's Senate district since winning a special election in 1962. He has served on the Building Commission since 1969. He is the president of the Senate and chairs several key committees, including the Joint Legislative Council and the Joint Committee on Legislative Organization. He earned both a bachelor's and a law degree from the University of Oregon and now owns a law practice in Madison.
Sen. Carol A. Roessler, R-Oshkosh. Roessler was first elected to the to the Assembly in 1982 and has served in the Senate since winning a special election in 1987. She has been a member of the Building Commission since 1989. She chairs the Building Commission's Administrative Affairs Subcommittee. Roessler's other committee assignments are mainly in the realm of health and human services. Roessler earned a bachelor's from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in 1972 and studied at the University of Michigan's School of Gerontology.
Sen. Robert W. Wirch, D-Pleasant Prairie. Wirch has served in the Legislature since 1992, first in the Assembly and, since 1996, in the Senate. He has been a member of the Building Commission since 1999. Wirch chairs the Economic, Housing and Government Operations Committee and served on the Transportation Projects Committee. Before joining the Legislature, Wirch worked in the American Brass factory in Kenosha. In 1970, Wirch earned a bachelor's in history from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.
Rep. Timothy T. Hoven, R-Port Washington. Hoven was elected to the Assembly in 1994. He has served on the Building Commission since 1997. He serves on several key committees, including Utilities, Census and Redistricting, and Corrections and the Courts. In 1997, he received a bachelor's from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in criminal justice and political science.
Rep. Robert L. Turner, D-Racine. Turner was elected to the Assembly in 1990 after serving three years on the State Elections Board. He has served on the Building Commission since 1991. He holds several key committee assignments, including Labor and Employment, Transportation, and Ways and Means. In 1976, Turner earned a bachelor's in business administration from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.
Rep. Daniel P. Vrakas, R-Hartland. Vrakas was elected to the Assembly in 1990 and was chairman of the Majority Caucus in 1999. He has been a member of the Building Commission since 1999. He also chairs the Labor and Employment Committee and serves on the Rules Committee, Environment Committee, Transportation Projects Commission, Council on Workforce Excellence and the Workers' Compensation Advisory Council. Vrakas earned a bachelor's from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and attended graduate school at the University of Arizona.
Bryce Styza, citizen member, Hartland. Styza joined the Building Commission in 1986 as Gov. Tommy G. Thompson's first and so far only citizen appointee. He is president of Harmony Homes in Waukesha.