more on his desire to lead and motivate the city's various constituencies. Sensenbrenner prevailed with 53% of the vote in the April general election. Sensenbrenner went on to win reelection in 1985, taking 73% of the vote, and again in 1987. In 1989, Sensenbrenner sought reelection while advocating for a proposed convention center on Lake Monona. Sensenbrenner was challenged by former Mayor Paul Soglin, who had served six years as mayor in the 1970s, and four other candidates. He faced attacks throughout the race on the prioritization of the convention center, seen as a luxury pavilion for the city's elites, over the interests and services for working class downtown and near-downtown districts. Sensenbrenner barely survived the February primary, with only 50 votes separating him from 3rd place finisher Rick Berg. Also on the April election ballot was a city referendum for raising property taxes to pay for Sensenbrenner's proposed convention center. Sensenbrenner and the referendum were defeated by a similar margin. Despite the setback for the convention center, it did eventually get built. New-Mayor Paul Soglin quickly reversed his position from the campaign and the convention center, now known as Monona Terrace, was opened in 1997. After leaving government, Sensenbrenner started a management consulting business, Sensenbrenner Associates, and offered his services to businesses and governments. He retired in 2009. Personal life and family Sensenbrenner is a great-grandson and inheritor of Wisconsin industrialist Frank Jacob Sensenbrenner, the 2nd President of the Kimberly-Clark corporation and a former President of the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents. Jim Sensenbrenner, who represented Wisconsin for 21 terms in the United States House of Representatives, is a second cousin of Joe Sensenbrenner. He married Mary Ellyn Drury of Portage, Wisconsin, on May 22, 1976, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Portage. At the time of their wedding, he was executive secretary to Governor Lucey and she was an attorney for the Office of the State Insurance Commissioner. They have two adult sons and still reside in Madison. Outside of politics and business, Sensenbrenner became involved in several nonprofits, serving on the boards of the Grassroots Leadership College, the Bartell Community Theatre, and the Urban Open Space Foundation, which pushed the development of Madison's McPike Park in 1999. Sensenbrenner is still President of the Board of the nonprofit Rooted, the successor organization to the Urban Open Space Foundation. Electoral history Madison Mayor (1983) | colspan="5" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"|