Get to Know Pat

Pat Snyder is the current state representative for the 85th Assembly District. He serves on multiple committees including: the Committees on Family Law, Government Accountability and Oversight, Veterans and Military Affairs, Ways and Means, and Workforce Development and Economic Opportunities. He is the chairman of the Committee on Children and Families. He is a member of the Speaker’s Task Force on Truancy. He is the vice-chair on the Legislative Council Study Committee on Emergency Detention and Civil Commitment of Minors. He also serves on the Governor’s Council on Domestic Abuse.

Pat has always loved Wisconsin, growing up in Milwaukee during the sixties and seventies and returning to Wisconsin in November of 2000 to become the morning radio host on AM 550 WSAU. Building a loyal audience and high ratings, Pat chose to leave his radio career in 2012 and became the Outreach Director for Congressman Sean Duffy. He was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2016.

Over the past eight years, Pat has learned about the many hurdles facing the citizens of the 85th Assembly District. Pat has gained invaluable experience by listening to hard-working Wisconsinites, local, and county government; the health and wellness industry; non-profit agencies; the agricultural community; and our school superintendents. 

During his first term in the Assembly, Pat authored five bills that were signed into law by Governor Walker. He worked tirelessly as co-chair of the Foster Care Task Force to make meaningful improvements to the foster care system. From this task force came legislation for the Foster Forward Package, which included 11 bipartisan bills that were signed into law. 

Pat is a member of several community organizations including the United Way’s Hunger Coalition and Housing and Homelessness Committee, the Wausau Noon Rotary, and the ELKS Club. He is on the Marathon County Health Department’s Alcohol and Other Drugs (AODA) Committee and Marathon County Department of Social Services’ Administrative Review Panel. He is also an Aspirus Hospice Volunteer.

Pat met his wife Shawn while attending the University of Iowa. They have been married for 42 years.  Shawn is a registered nurse in the Aspirus Dialysis Unit. They have two married children; Amy, who is a legislative assistant for democrat Rep. Christine Sinicki and Daniel, a Quality Assurance Analyst with Epic Software in Verona, WI. They also have five grandchildren, Lyra, Declan, Liam, Rory and Finn.