Home municipality
Village of DeForest
Home ZIP code
53532
Preferred pronouns
She/Her/Hers
The 2027 budget gap is structural, not a one-time problem. The county should focus on long-term fixes: prioritize core services that prevent higher costs later, redesign or scale back lower-impact programs, control workforce and benefit growth, and slow new projects that add operating costs later. A balanced solution should pair permanent savings with fair, targeted revenue options, avoid draining reserves, and clearly show residents how today’s choices prevent larger cuts or tax hikes in the future. Push for investment around the airport like a hotel to diversify revenue streams.
The county has an ideal property of its own to create affordable housing: the 3+ acre site of the former Army Reserve Center at the corner of Wright Street and Straubel Court. It's served by Bus Rapid Transit, is adjacent to the East Madison Community Center and Madison College, and the property is already zoned for residential. The county should also support efforts to invest in rehabilitation of older affordable units.
DeForest and Windsor residents waited many years to see highway improvements to Lake Road (County CV), which will finish later this year. Same goes for part of North Street (County V), some of which could still use work. I want to work with the Highway and Transportation Department to ensure outlying communities get the funding they deserve. In addition, I'd like to work with our county Parks Department and villages to not just acquire parkland, but also develop what we have with trails and amenities so it can be enjoyed for generations to come.
My husband and I have lived in this district for more than two decades, raised our children, and built deep roots in the community. My professional experience spans education, healthcare, and public service. I have a Master of Science degree in Biology and work at UW-Madison manufacturing drugs for use in human clinical trials. I have served on the DeForest Area School Board since 2021, where I help oversee a multimillion-dollar budget, set policy, and remain directly accountable to the families I serve. Under this leadership, our district maintains a highly ranked school system with a AA+ bond rating. This work prepares me to responsibly manage county resources while being efficient with the use of taxpayer money.
Home municipality
Village of DeForest
Home ZIP code
53532
This question is listed under a false pretense. Dane County needs reduce spending to pre-Covid levels. Why did the County Executive (and board members) become addicted to federal funding during the pandemic that they knew was temporary? We need to decrease our spending to match revenues and not the other way around. I will advocate for a zero base budgeting approach. This approach will allow every expense to be justified for each budgeting period. Each line of the budget must be scrutinized to make sure it aligns with the board's current goals and objectives.
This question assumes that Dane County's efforts to combat these issues are working, I don't believe that they are. One thing that Dane County can do is to cut down on the red tape and regulations that they are forcing on the developers. As far as the homeless population is concerned, many of these people are coming here from out of state. Instead of supporting our local hardworking people, the housing is being allocated to out of state people who are on govt. assistance. I'm all for helping people who need help-but there needs to be benchmarks or metrics that need to be met first.
The number ONE priority is to reduce the crushing property tax burden that is placed on the residents of Dane County. There is NO
WAY that this can or will be able to sustain itself. I especially am hearing from seniors who cannot keep up with the rate of increases.
Please see Dane County board chair Patrick Miles for more information on this subject....
My second priority is to immediately have the Dept of Human Services conduct a forensic audit; we need to know where every penny is going.
My third priority is to work on reducing the size of the Dane County board from 37 seats to 15.
I’m an independent who ran for the state Assembly twice, and County Executive. I’m not part of the current political gridlock. By being an independent, I’m held strictly accountable to the people of Dane County and will work with anybody or any party to pass effective legislation that will benefit the people who call here home.
I've been in sales for most of my adult life, and in that career, you need to be able to relate to people and understand what their needs are. Politics is no different. I'm not a politician, and I don't plan on making a career out of being one.
I'm also a big believer in term limits @ the local, state, and federal level. I want the voters to know they will not mistake me for the current Dane County leadership!
