Campaign Phone
920-397-5710
Education
Bachelor of Science in Education and Master of Science in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Personal Pronouns
she/her/hers
I’m running for Assembly because we need commonsense, collaborative and responsive representation in Madison. I’ll fight to protect women’s reproductive rights and keep abortion safe and legal. As a former public school teacher, I know how important public schools are to our communities. I’ll work hard to ensure that every child gets a high-quality education regardless of where they live. The current school funding formula is not working and needs to be improved to better address the needs of schools throughout the state. I am honored to have earned the Gun Sense Candidate Distinction. There are effective measures that can reduce gun violence. I will strongly support safer gun storage requirements, background checks on all gun purchases and red flag laws that make our communities and families safer. Now that Wisconsin has fair maps, we have the opportunity to change the face of the Wisconsin legislature and move Wisconsin forward. I am ready to be part of that change.
Statewide, the supply of housing is at historic lows. Median home prices are going up. Renters face rent increases larger than the growth in their wages. We need housing of all types including affordable, workforce, and market rate. While housing is an issue statewide, each community has unique challenges. In Fort Atkinson, a 2019 study found a shortage of owner-occupied housing. Jefferson County initiated a revolving loan fund for developers to encourage them to build low-cost housing in rural areas, and programs that help people become homeowners including financial counseling and support for Habitat for Humanity. In Deerfield, a new comprehensive plan lays out 20 years of growth and includes more apartments and clusters of cottages. In Cottage Grove, there is a need for more duplexes and townhomes. In the Assembly, I will champion housing solutions that work for the communities I represent. This is an area where bi-partisan solutions can be found.
In 2024, Wisconsin has new, fair maps for the first time in decades. In the long term, Wisconsin needs a nonpartisan redistricting process. I support a nonpartisan, independent commission process and transparency in that process so Wisconsinites have confidence in the final result.
Climate change is an existential threat and is having an undeniable effect on the health, safety, and economic wellbeing of people and communities all across Wisconsin and worldwide. Environmental sustainability refers to managing our natural resources responsibly to meet current needs while ensuring our actions preserve the ability of future generations to meet their needs. I support the work of Wisconsin’s Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy to meet goals in moving toward a “clean energy economy.” I also fully support a focus on environmental justice, equitable economic development, and health equity in all of our efforts to create a more sustainable future.
As a public school teacher for 33 years, I experienced firsthand the negative consequences of declining support for our schools. There have been some increases in funding over the past several years, but not at the level Governor Evers has proposed and not at the level necessary to reverse decades of inadequate support. I do not support using public dollars for private schools. With the declining enrollments, local districts, especially rural ones, are squeezed and are being forced to make decisions that hurt our students and families. I would have supported using some of the record budget surplus to support schools. I support fully funding special education, which is now funded at only 30% of what it costs local districts. The way we fund our schools and the school funding formula need to be revamped. Teachers need to be respected as professionals and treated as such. Schools must be safe places where kids can learn, and teachers can teach.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Campaign Phone #
(608)516-3363
Campaign Phone
608-516-3363
Education
BBA Operations Management, Magna Cum Laude
Candidate Video Interview
My priorities will be listening to people in this district, both rural and urban, and finding out what their specific issues and needs are, then working with all my colleagues at the state to help find solutions. I've served on city council since 2008, school board in 2011, and resigned when I was elected Mayor in 2019. I would suspect we have similar financial issues in regard to state aid, emergency services personnel, roads not keeping up with repairs, school district's constantly going out for referendums, housing shortages, empty store fronts, and farmers, businesses, and families with ever rising expenses. I have a BBA in Operations Management, professional career in Purchasing/Operations Management for over 27 years and owned my small business for 20 years. Personally and professionally, I've always advocated for spending money wisely & working together to accomplish our goals. My experience has always dealt with different political views and beliefs, and we've been effective working together to try and solve our local issues. Government's main job is to serve the needs of the citizens, ensuring a safe, clean environment and providing quality educational choices. I will work for the entire district and will be your reasonable, sensible, and cooperative voice in Madison - as is expected of us as elected officials.
I can't speak to the entire state, and I don't know all the specific needs or issues throughout this district yet, but I would expect we are all facing various housing shortages and needs. There are numerous studies, which my city did as well, and articles written indicating housing shortage in all areas: single family, multi-family, workforce, and senior housing. Unfortunately, interest rates are still high and shortages or lead times in some materials still exist, making building unaffordable for most developers, builders and buyers. However, the League of Municipalities is collaborating with the Realtors and Builders Association, and I've been following their monthly postings on the various ways they're trying to assist communities to help find solutions. I'll be meeting with some of these groups soon, as well as other mayors and city managers in Milwaukee to have discussions on this topic. The range of issues in each municipality spans from land availability, regulations, permit fees, lot sizes, zoning and more. Helping each community navigate their roadblocks is a tall task and one that I hope is a priority in the house where we can all get behind and assist our state to fulfill these supply and demand issues. I don't know if this requires new bills or regulation changes, but it's a need worth our time.
Every state should have fair, non-partisan maps so all citizens have confidence in the electoral system. I fully support a nonpartisan, transparent process that the majority of both parties and the governor will pass. I look forward to help getting legislation written and passed for all future redistricting. Unfortunately, only Assembly Republican’s (unanimously) supported the Governors’ 2024 redistricting map, and the Senate majority did as well. However, we’ll all have time to research best practices for the next update in 2030. My hope is that both parties will come to an agreement and put forth legislation that puts this topic to rest. There are many state issues that should have bipartisan support, this one should make it to the top of the list to get accomplished.
I believe we all want to live in a clean environment with plenty of natural resources to enjoy. There's no shortage of initiatives to support, from clean water, planting trees, walking and biking paths, to recycling and more. Currently in my district area, flooding has been an issue which wipes out farmland and properties along its path. I’m working with Jefferson County and the DNR to research solutions to help mitigate this problem, which affects more than just one county. This is another subject area that should have bipartisan support and I look forward to promoting many initiatives.
As a former 3-term board member, mother of 3 & grandmother, educational options are very important-for every family. All parents have the right to send their children to the school of their choice, public or private. We have open enrollment options, but that only applies to other public schools which may not always have openings. I’m in favor of parents choosing the right fit for their family & if they choose a private school, they should be responsible for the difference in per pupil calculation. I understand there are rules in place based on income, as well as other rules & regulations–or lack thereof & accountability should be standard protocol for all. All public allocations should be spent wisely, not frivolously & all schools should be held to the same scrutiny receiving funds. I believe competition amongst schools is good, as all schools should strive to be the best & exceed expectations on their own report card. Regarding disabilities, as a grandmother of a special needs child, along with other family & friends with loved ones with special needs, I applaud every teacher, aide, & support staff who voluntarily go into this profession to help make lives for these precious children & their families better. I'm in favor of a universal special education fund shared equally for both public and private schools.
Candidate has not yet responded.
