4412
(1 vote, average 5.00 out of 5)
Written by Louis Weisberg, Staff writer
Feb 10, 2012
Carolina Stark and her husband Michael Stark celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary with a trip to Peru in September 2010. This picture of the couple was taken during the three days they spent with an indigenous Quechua family on a floating reed island in Lake Titicaca. – Photo: Courtesy
Carolina Stark's life would make a good story for a feature film. It would be a feel-good movie, the kind that makes you proud to be an American.
Stark's father, a small-town Wisconsinite, met her mother while serving in the Armed Forces in Colombia. She was born at Walter Reed Army Medical Center near Washington, D.C., on the Fourth of July.
The new family settled in the tiny rural community of Oostburg but traveled frequently to Bogota to spend time with Stark's mother's family, allowing her to grow up not only bilingual but also multicultural.
Although she started school in a two-room schoolhouse, Stark went on to become the first person in her family to complete college. After graduating magna cum laude from St. Louis University with a BA in criminal justice, she earned a JD from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 2002.
At 34, Stark is now an administrative law judge for the Department of Workforce Development. She hopes her next professional move, with the help of county voters, will be to the Milwaukee Circuit Court bench.
On Feb. 21, Stark's name will appear on the ballot as a candidate for circuit court judge, along with Scott Walker appointee Nelson Phillips III and Christopher Lipscomb, a three-time candidate. The top two vote getters will proceed to the April 3 election.
Although Wisconsin Supreme Court Judge David Prosser won his retention campaign after promising to rubber-stamp Gov. Scott Walker's legislative agenda, judicial candidates are prohibited by law from partisan politicking. Stark takes the ban to heart, refusing to address specific issues that might arise in a legal case. But Stark acknowledges that she supports full LGBT equality.
"I think all citizens deserve full equality," she said, adding that all Americans deserve equal access to education, health care, housing, transportation and other essential services provided by government.
Stark attributes her commitment to social justice to her unique upbringing. As the only woman in the race, the only bilingual candidate and the only candidate who resides in the city of Milwaukee, she believes she has a fresh perspective to bring to the bench – an underrepresented perspective but one that reflects a large portion of the county's population.
Stark said that while she can't answer specific questions about her views, her actions should provide voters with a guide to her philosophical mindset. "Draw your conclusions from what I do, not from what I say," she said.
Stark's actions have included working as a defense attorney for immigrants and serving on the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission. (Editor's disclosure: WiG CEO Leonard Sobczak chaired the commission for the first six months Stark served.) She also serves regularly as a poll watcher and as a community volunteer.
Stark and her husband Michael Stark, also an administrative law judge, live in the city's historic Concordia neighborhood, one of urban Milwaukee's few racially diverse areas. They are heavily involved in the local neighborhood association.
The couple owns one car that both use, not only because they're avid environmentalists but also because they believe it's important for them as judges to have the experience of using public transportation.
"Riding the bus reminds you that it's harder when you have to depend on public transportation to get to work or school or the grocery store," she said. "It gives you a different perspective."
Stark said her background and her Fourth of July birth date have inspired many of her life choices. Because of her unique story, she's always been drawn to a career "participating in the institutions of our democracy," she said.
Stark's belief in the democratic process is so strong that she decided to run for circuit court judge even after being told the race would cost her at least $100,000 – far more than she and her husband can afford.
"I thought, 'Where can my experience and skills serve the public?' I think this is a good fit with my previous experience," she said. "I like working with people, and to work in the circuit courts you have to be able to work with people. I have a lot of experience in the circuit courts working as a defense attorney."
Whatever the outcome of the race, Stark's story is undoubtedly one of the most compelling behind the names appearing on the Feb. 21 ballot.
"I feel very fortunate," Stark said. "I feel like I'm living the American dream."
Endorsed by
Stark has received the endorsements of AFSCME Milwaukee District Council 48, AFSCME local 82, SEIU Wisconsin State Council, Milwaukee Alds. Bob Bauman and Nik Kovac, Oak Creek Mayor Al Foekler, Wisconsin State Rep. Sandy Pasch and Milwaukee County Supervisor Peggy Romo West.
On the
Feb. 21 ballot
Administrative law judge Carolina Stark is running for Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge in Branch 17. She faces incumbent Nelson Phillips III, a recent Scott Walker appointee, and Christopher Lipscomb, a three-time judicial candidate.
