Candidates in the News

• Tammy Sternard, Democratic candidate for Door County Sheriff, issued this statement on school safety and youth outreach.

“As a law enforcement officer and mother, the issue of school safety is something I take very seriously and feel is worth investing in for our children’s future. I have researched this area extensively and feel it would be of great benefit to our community. I recently attended training on school safety. One of the most startling statistics the presenter shared was that it’s estimated more than 166,000 students miss school each day because of bullying. We can make a difference by addressing the issues in schools. I will assign full-time school resource officers to the schools that wish to participate. I just don’t talk about school safety, I have a plan to accomplish it without increasing the budget. I would start off with a pilot school. We would work with educators, community groups and other law enforcement agencies to develop programing to resolve problems affecting all youth from 4K through high school. Once we have built a program that works, we then would look at expanding it to other schools.

I plan to analyze current juvenile crime trends and work with parents, educators, clergy and other professionals to develop programming focusing on preventing juvenile issues with the primary goal of keeping as many juveniles out of the court and jail systems.

As a community we have an obligation to provide a safe learning environment for our children so they have the opportunity to learn and grow reaching their fullest potential.”

• Joe Majeski, Democratic Candidate for the 1st Assembly District, met recently in Sturgeon Bay with current and retired medical professionals from around the 1st District to address the complex and critical health care issues facing Wisconsin. As the longtime administrator of a health care clinic in Luxemburg, Majeski has been at the forefront of developing and implementing health care policies that work for both providers and citizens.

“A strong health care system is absolutely essential for people who need life-saving care and also for a healthy economy,” Majeski said. “In my years managing a local health care clinic, I saw far too many people who couldn’t afford to pay for life-saving health care. As a state representative, I will be committed to creating good jobs and making sure our hardworking men and women are able to earn a living wage so they can afford high-quality health care.”

The health care agenda enacted by the current Republican legislature has been disastrous for the patients, providers and taxpayers of our state. Specifically, Republicans rejected federal funds that would have provided health care coverage to an additional 87,000 people, created thousands of health care jobs and saved Wisconsin taxpayers $206 million in the first two years alone.

“The citizens of the 1st Assembly District deserve a legislator who will do the right thing for people who need health care and for our taxpayers,” Majeski said. “One of my top priorities in the Assembly will be ensuring all our citizens have access to affordable care and that our small businesses and citizens are protected from significant health care costs.”

• Dean DeBroux, Democratic candidate for Wisconsin’s 1st State Senate District, is honored to receive the endorsement of the National Organization for Women and Planned Parenthood. DeBroux said, “Receiving the endorsement of the National Organization for Women is very special to me. I agree with the purpose of NOW, which is, ‘To take action to bring women into full participation in the mainstream of American society now, exercising all privileges and responsibilities thereof in truly equal partnership with men.’ It is common sense to want our mothers, sisters and daughters to share equally in all the rights and responsibilities of being an American. So too, I am proud of my endorsement by Planned Parenthood, which is a major source of health care provision for millions of women. Planned Parenthood provides preventive care, contraception, reproductive health services, cancer and HIV screening, counseling and child health services to many women and families who would have little or no access to such services otherwise. I support equal pay for equal work and my commitment to equality and my support of women’s health issues is recognized by these endorsements.”

• Common Cause of Wisconsin, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to restoring the core values of American democracy, recently came across a 1997 press release from then-State Representative Scott Walker (R-Wauwatosa) proposing that all out-of-state groups that spend money in Wisconsin elections disclose where those funds came from. He strongly supported the type of full disclosure of the donors of outside money that Wisconsin has needed for two decades.

“In 1996, we saw one of the most elaborate money laundering schemes in history. Wisconsin voters have a right to know the source of all the money being poured into the state from Washington, D.C. and beyond,” Walker wrote in the March 9, 1997, press release.

While State Rep. Walker strongly supported electioneering disclosure, Governor Walker has been much less supportive. In fact, he and his allies have been major impediments to providing information voters need about who is behind the millions of dollars being spent in Wisconsin elections – particularly in gubernatorial elections.