The most important issue facing Eau Claire County is the need to continue to provide the good and quality services that our county provides while still ensuring that those quality services meet the needs that our growing population requires. Because county government is a function of state government, a lot of our ability as a county to raise funds and provide funding for those services is tied to the state. The county only got just over a million dollars in shared revenue increases from the state this last budget, and it is not enough. We must continue to advocate for more shared revenue increases, as well as more local control so we can adequately fund our county services, and prioritize the services that help the most vulnerable in our community.

The second biggest issue facing the county is the closure of the HSHS hospital and prevea health centers in our community. This was a devastating blow to our community and will affect many of our neighbors in a profound way. I applaud local leaders for their efforts in finding immediate solutions to this problem, as well as Governor Evers for signing a 15 million dollar funding bill to hopefully keep emergency services operating. However, the joint finance committee must release these funds, and this is why it is imperative that local leaders are unapologetic in their advocacy and in their calls for the JFC to release the funds. We as a community must also continue to look for long term solutions, and our calls for medicaid expansion must be louder.

We are in a crisis when it comes to affordable housing within our community. Rents are skyrocketing, and home prices are far out of reach for many families. I find it unacceptable that in the richest, most prosperous country on earth, people continue to experience homelessness. Many of which exist in the Chippewa Valley. We must offer more than words. We must execute concrete action. We must again call on our state legislature to give us more local control when it comes to housing, because we should be able to determine what kind of housing comes in our community. We must be able to hold developers accountable, and ensure that every new development has a portion of units that are affordable.

We must continue to prioritize sustainability and services that uplift the most vulnerable in our community. When it comes to sustainability, we must continue to be aggressive and faster when it comes to implementing our sustainability goals and putting more funding towards efforts to decarbonize county government and services. We must provide funding towards building a permanent day shelter downtown. The city put forward 500,000, and we should do the same, because this has been an immediate need that has been neglected for a long time in our community. We must also continue to expand Meals On Wheels and funding towards Sojourner House. More shared revenue from the state and flexibility on outdated levy limits will help us do all of that.

In my four years on the County Board, I have learned that to actualize progressive solutions to complex problems boils down to money; what’s in the County budget. The most important issue we face is the problem of maintaining services and facilities as costs escalate faster than revenues. Maintaining roads, and serving people with serious mental health needs, have higher price tags every year. The closure of HSHS will mean fewer local providers of mental health services. This will mean sending people out of the county to higher price providers and dislocation for the individuals served.

Raising fees for optional services like park passes helps, but borrowing for big capital projects needs to be part of the mix as does working with non-profits and other government entities.1. In my fo

The second biggest issue is that service needs will continue to rise. There is more homelessness in the county and our population is aging. I am proposing a resolution for the county to contribute ARPA dollars toward a community effort to provide a Day Resource Center for people experiencing homelessness to stay warm or cool in a safe place where they would have access to a variety of human services and housing resources. I also support increased funding of such Aging and Disability Resource Center programs as Meals on Wheels, evidence-based programs for caregivers for people living with dementia and more dollars toward respite care.

1. The third issue is two-fold: making county services more well known and getting more diverse people involved in county government. If people with a diversity of perspectives aren’t at the table, all of us suffer. I’ve pushed putting county accomplishments and new and exciting programs on the website. But the county needs a public relations/public information officer to increase our visibility and transparency. To draw more diverse voices to the table, I worked with other county board members to make it possible for members to attend meetings remotely. That way, folks who must be out of town because of jobs, or people watching children or vulnerable adults could run for seats at the table. I’ve also proposed mentoring for new board members by experienced board members.

My top budget priority if re-elected will be making sure the Human Services budget contains enough money to serve the mental health needs of people that we are mandated by law to serve. My second priority is the county helping in any way possible to keep mental health and AODA beds and other services let go by the HSHS closing in the county somehow. I have lived in District 22 for over 30 years; my goal is to focus on the Board’s mission, i.e., to provide quality, innovative and cost-effective services that safeguard and enhance the well-being of residents and resources. I listen. I collaborate, I solve problems and I advocate for people with disabilities and other life challenges.