MADISON- Less than a month after granting convicted murder Doug Balsewicz parole after serving less than 25 years of his 80 year sentence, Parole Commissioner John Tate has tendered his resignation.
According to the Governor’s office, Governor Evers had written a letter to Tate asking for his resignation & Tate granted that request this afternoon.
“It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve the state of Wisconsin in this capacity and attempt to put into practice the value of hope and redemption,” Tate wrote in a letter to Evers. “My purpose as Parole Chair was not to inflict more punishment or be the agent of vengeance, but to assess and determine if these men and woman had indeed become more than the harm they committed.”
The Governor was under immense pressure to fire Tate since Tate granted Balsewicz parole last month. A Republican State Senator even floated the idea of convening a special session to remove Tate, though Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu never called one.
Balsewicz was convicted of killing his estranged wife in front of their children in West Allis in 1997.
Balsewicz’s parole was ultimately rescinded after Governor Evers stepped in and urged Tate to reverse his decision. Balsewicz remains in prison today.
