Zepnick doesn’t recall kissing, won’t resign
Rep says he had alcohol problem
MADISON – State Rep. Josh Zepnick apologized late Friday for allegedly drunkenly kissing two women, saying he did not recall the incidents and would not resign.
The Capital Times on Friday reported the accounts of two unnamed women who said the Milwaukee Democrat had kissed them without their consent at political events in 2011 and 2015. Within hours, the chairwoman of the Democratic Party, the top Democrat in the Assembly and others from his party called for Zepnick to resign.
Just before midnight, Zepnick issued a statement apologizing for the incidents and saying he did not remember them and had been drinking irresponsibly in those years. Zepnick has said he got sober after a 2015 drunken driving arrest and conviction.
“While I have no recollection of these alleged incidents, there is never an excuse for inappropriate behavior,” Zepnick said in his statement. “I take the claims seriously and respect the feelings of the women involved. I apologize to both women for my actions and for any distress that I may have caused.”
Zepnick said he would not resign.
“My life is back on track and I’ve been sober for over two years. I will not be resigning, and I will continue to work hard on behalf of my constituents,” his statement said.
He did not immediately respond Saturday morning to an email asking if he would run for reelection in 2018 and other questions.
His statement came after Martha Laning, chairwoman of the state Democratic Party, said he should step down because of the allegations made by a party employee and a legislative employee.
“In light of these serious and corroborated charges against Rep. Zepnick, and high standards to which we hold our public officials, we ask that Rep. Zepnick immediately step down,” Laning’s statement said.
Also Friday, Assembly Minority Leader Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh) and other Assembly Democrats said Zepnick should go.
“While we acknowledge Josh has taken steps to deal with his abuse of alcohol his past actions should not be minimized,” Hintz and other Assembly Democratic leaders said in a statement. “Accordingly, it is our hope that Representative Zepnick will take the appropriate action and resign.”
Separately, Reps. Jimmy Anderson (D-Fitchburg) and Dana Wachs (D-Eau Claire) also called for Zepnick to resign. Wachs is one of more than a dozen Democrats running for governor next year.
The Capital Times reported Zepnick kissed a Democratic Party employee at the party’s annual convention in Milwaukee in 2015. In addition, a legislative employee said Zepnick in 2011 kissed her without warning at a Senate recall election party.
The newspaper interviewed the two women along with co-workers and friends who spoke with the women at the time of the events and corroborated their accounts. None of them were named.
Zepnick pleaded guilty to drunken driving in November 2015. His license was suspended for six months and he had to put an interlock device on his vehicle for a year. He also sought treatment for drinking.