Evan Goyke, Milwaukee's new city attorney, will keep his legislative seat this year

Following his Tuesday election to a four-year term as Milwaukee city attorney, state Rep. Evan Goyke said he would simultaneously serve out the remainder of his term in the state Legislature, which ends at the close of this year.

The Democratic legislator cited divided state politics, with the Legislature controlled by Republicans, as his reason for finishing out his Assembly term.

Goyke told the Journal Sentinel the decision about whether to stay in the seat or leave the Legislature came down to the math of how many Democratic-controlled seats would be needed to protect Gov. Tony Evers' veto and ensure "there is not one-party control that could rewrite our democracy."

Republicans currently hold a 64-to-35 majority in the Assembly, two short of the two-thirds vote the party would need to be able to override a governor's veto without any Democratic support.

The number of Democrats will further decrease with the election of state Rep. Marisabel Cabrera to the Milwaukee County Circuit Court on Tuesday.

That means Goyke's seat could be the difference between giving or denying Republicans a veto-proof majority in the Assembly.

"It isn't going to be easy, and it isn't going to be fun, but the stakes are such that I think it's important to me, it's important to my constituents, I believe, to have their voice represented and to not allow a veto-proof majority to exist," he told the Journal Sentinel.

He said with the pending change to the district maps that ends Wisconsin Republicans' grip on legislative power, he was confident Republican legislators would take advantage of a veto-proof majority to "potentially rewrite the rules of our democracy, and that's not going to happen on my watch."

Lawmakers are not expected to return to Madison until next year after the election.

Goyke said his focus would be on the office of city attorney but that if there were legislative responsibilities he would make time to be in Madison.

He will not be seeking re-election to the Assembly seat he has held since he was elected in 2012.

On Tuesday, Goyke unseated first-term incumbent City Attorney Tearman Spencer by a margin of 63% to 36%.

His four-year term as city attorney begins April 16. Among the challenges he'll face is a need to rebuild the office after years of conflict and controversy under his predecessor. A mass exodus of staff that hampered the office's ability to carry out its core duties.

At this point, while he is doing both jobs he said he expects to collect both salaries.

The city attorney will make an annual salary of $169,435.83 in the four-year term that begins after the April 2 election.

Members of the state Legislature make an annual salary of $57,408.

Alison Dirr can be reached at adirr@jrn.com. Jessie Opoien can be reached at jessie.opoien@jrn.com.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Incoming Milwaukee City Attorney Evan Goyke will finish Assembly term