State Rep. Darrin Madison, a two-term Democrat from Milwaukee heavily favored to win reelection this fall, has not paid the $1,600 bill from October 2023, leading to a lien being placed on his property.
By Peter Cameron, THE BADGER PROJECT
The city of Madison sued a state legislator last year after he went more than 18 months without paying an ambulance bill. It has now been more than two and a half years and the bill is still outstanding.
The city filed a small claims lawsuit against state Rep. Darrin Madison (D-Milwaukee) in April 2025 for about $1,600, according to court records. He now owes more than $2,000 with court fees.
The ambulance ride occurred in October 2023. The city has placed a lien on the legislator’s property until he pays the debt.
The assemblyman’s office did not respond to messages seeking comment.
The city has hired attorney Jonathan McCollister of Heuer Law Offices, a collection firm, to recoup the bill. He did not respond to messages seeking comment.
In the current 2-year session, which runs from 2025 to 2026, state legislators earn an annual salary of $60,924. That will increase to $64,023 in 2027 for the next session.
Madison also collected nearly $20,000 in per diem payments in 2025, the second-highest total in the 99-member Assembly, according to the clerk’s report. Members of the state Assembly can claim per diem payments for up to 153 days in the first year of the 2-year legislative session, which is the non-election year, and up to 80 in the second year, when the election occurs. The rate for overnight stays is $171 and the non-overnight rate is $85.50.
Madison was first elected to the state Assembly in 2022. He refers to himself as a Democratic Socialist, one of two in the state Legislature. The ideology has become popular recently with the success of politicians like New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
The assemblyman is facing a general election challenge from Robert Longwell-Grice, a candidate from the Wisconsin Green Party. The incumbent remains heavily favored to win his deep blue Milwaukee district.
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