Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Committee
Friends of Josh Mittness
Campaign Phone
(608)620-5093
Education
George S Parker High School, UW Rock County
Personal Pronouns
He/Him
My priorities can be described as making it possible for Wisconsin's working families to survive and thrive. Fully funding public education and lowering property tax in the process, creating a universal childcare system for WI, a single-payer healthcare option for the state of WI, and creating more affordable housing are the way that we do this.
I am uniquely qualified because I live these issues first-hand as a working-class dad struggling to survive day-to-day.
I will bring the voices of everyday families to Madison. We need fresh ideas and bold, energetic leadership to do this. We cannot continue trying the same old thing- expecting different results.
It is time for a change, and for real representation of us, by us.
There is not enough housing supply- or available, affordable rental properties.
When new housing is built, it is built for maximum profit, not for affordability. We also need to ban private equity from housing as an investment vehicle in Wisconsin.
We need to create a small tax on each dollar after $1M in annual income and use that money to end referendums for good by fully funding education at the state level and ending the private school voucher program. People should not be taxed out of their home to fund the lavish lifestyles of those who can afford to pay their fair share.
I believe the legislature needs to pass a law requiring an independent redistricting commission first. Next, we need to have that enshrined in the state constitution. We cannot allow whatever party is in power to draw their own maps, no matter what party is in power. When we don't have fair maps, the people's voice is drowned out, our power stripped from us, and we are left with rampant corruption.
We need to restructure our state income tax, raise the top tax rate, and introduce new brackets for million dollar earners. We need to redirect that money to fully fund our schools (including special education) and end the unjust use of property tax referendums to pay for our schools. This would provide more funding to our schools while simultaneously lowering property tax by up to 44%.
As working parents, we keep a close eye on our family’s budget. Tech giants will pay their own electric bills- not pass the costs on to the rest of us.
They will be transparent about water use and be 100% renewable energy. They can’t strip our resources while we foot the bill. It’s in my AI data center moratorium proposal. We need strict limits on water use and pollution, including the manure from factory farms.
The Driftless region has some of the most fertile soil. We will preserve and protect that by keeping industrial projects off our farmland and our watersheds.
No more NDAs, only binding agreements for well-paying union jobs, and worker protections.
Our property values and health are more important than making the elite richer.
Committee
Bill for Wisconsin Assembly
Campaign Phone
6084921646
Education
B.A. in Economics with a Concentration in Science, Technology & Public Policy from Carleton College, Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from the University of Wisconsin Law School; Hubert H. Humphrey Policy Fellow, University of Minnesota, PhD Dissertation Candidate in National Security Risk at University of Saskatchewan
Personal Pronouns
He, Him, His
I am a Professor of Practice - Law and Local Government Law Educator with U.W.-Madison Division of Extension and teach local government officials about ethics, conflicts of interest, budgeting, open records and open meeting laws. I understand the legislative process and can hit the ground running on Day One. We have many issues we need to address in this state such as inadequate public school funding, the high cost of childcare, the lack of access to affordable healthcare for so many, and the struggling small business and agricultural economy. I have the skillset to get things done in the Legislature and this will be my focus. Learning on the job and engaging in social media battles for clicks will not move our state forward.
Wisconsin badly needs affordable housing. Young people with families cannot find or afford homes and seniors cannot afford to leave their homes because there are no alternative affordable housing options. I have worked much of my career to build affordable housing, including senior cooperative housing across Wisconsin and Minnesota and housing for disabled adults such as Prairie Haus in New Glarus. I know how to access federal and state funding programs to obtain financial incentives for affordable housing development. I know how to work with local governments to obtain needed zoning approvals. I know how to build collaborations of stakeholders to get things done. I will bring this knowledge and experience to the Wisconsin Legislature.
Voters should choose their elected officials and not the other way around. The GOP federal and state legislative gerrymander in 2010 nearly eliminated competitive elections until 2024. I will support a constitutional amendment to create a non-partisan redistricting commission that meets every ten years, following a census, to create fair and competitive federal and state legislative districts. This will be in addition to an amendment ensuring the right of Wisconsinites to vote. I understand the concerns of many Americans that the Trump Administration started a redistricting war in 2026 and that Democrats have to fight back. However, we may have only one chance in Wisconsin to ensure fair elections; we can't let this opportunity pass us by.
Strong public schools build great communities. As New Glarus School Board President, I know the Wisconsin school funding formula is both complicated and broken. School districts are continually forced go to referendum just to keep up with keep the lights on. Local property taxpayers are understandably frustrated by property tax increases, particularly those on fixed incomes. Meanwhile, the GOP Legislature provides income tax cuts to higher income taxpayers and an estimated $1.8 billion for private school tuition vouchers. I will work to eliminate the property tax credit for non-residents of Wisconsin, return the focus of school funding back to public schools and onto the income tax, and substantially increase Special Education funding.
State and local government regulation is rapidly falling behind the development of hyperscale data centers. The Wisconsin Legislature must give state agencies and local governments the necessary regulatory tools to ensure the review process is transparent to citizens, while protecting consumers from rising electricity prices and our natural environment from the risks of pollution and excessive water usage. As a former state environmental regulator, I
have the knowledge and experience to work on this issue on Day One. As a former state agricultural regulator, I also know how to help ensure CAFO's meet or exceed state environmental regulations.
