Election Season Has Arrived!!!
by James L. Palmer, II
WPPA Assistant Executive Director
& Director of Governmental Affairs
After months of evaluation and deliberation, the WPPA Political Action Committee (PAC) has made its endorsements for the November 7 elections. The PAC evaluated input received from members and local associations, the candidates’ responses to our questionnaires, and where applicable, their legislative report card results. The WPPA is committed to supporting those candidates deemed to best support the interests of our membership.
Jim Doyle for Governor
Despite the fact that the WPPA has enjoyed a good relationship with
Rep. Mark Green as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives,
the WPPA chose to endorse Jim Doyle in his bid for reelection.
Governor Doyle has demonstrated his support for law enforcement
and labor, not only in signing WPPA bills into law, but in his
ardent opposition to constitutional limitations on the ability
of local governments to tax and spend. The PAC felt that Mark Green’s
commitment to pursue constitutional spending controls, a measure
which the WPPA has opposed due to the detrimental consequences
on public employees, was simply too much to overcome.
Next year, Wisconsin’s governor will likely face a $400 million gap to pay for state programs. Green’s proposals to maintain 2006 spending levels in 2007, implement a “real property tax freeze,” all the while entertaining $148 million in new spending, were viewed by the PAC as untenable.
The PAC recognized Jim Doyle’s commitment to fully fund shared revenue, as well as his unambiguous opposition to legislative attempts to restrict the ability of local public employees to collectively bargain with their employers, or to resolve their contractual disputes through mediation and arbitration.
J.B. Van Hollen for Attorney General
Even though the WPPA PAC recognized Kathleen Falk’s strong
record on labor-related issues, as well as her ability to effectively
manage a large governmental entity, the PAC viewed J.B. Van Hollen’s
prosecutorial experience, as well as his experience in criminal justice
management, as more applicable to the position of state attorney
general.
State Legislature
The WPPA sent a questionnaire to each candidate running for an office
in the State Assembly or State Senate. The questionnaire covered
a wide variety of issues, including the Taxpayer’s Protection
Amendment, state funding to local government, property taxes, mediation-arbitration
laws for local public employees, arbitration of discipline for
municipal law enforcement officers, and protective status for county
correctional officers. The PAC evaluated the candidates’ responses,
and where applicable, their voting records.
WPPA members with comments or questions are encouraged to contact Assistant Executive Director Jim Palmer. With nearly 11,000 members from more than 375 local associations, the WPPA’s political support is invaluable. The 2006 endorsements are comprised of candidates who could demonstrate their commitment to our membership, and who, if elected, will aid our organization’s ability to keep Wisconsin a safe place to live, work, and raise a family.
The WPPA is pleased to support the following candidates:
| STATE SENATE | |
| 1 | Alan Lasee (R) |
| 3 | Tim Carpenter (D) |
| 5 | Jim Sullivan (D) |
| 7 | Jeff Plale (D) |
| 11 | Neal Kedzie (R) |
| 15 | Judith Robson (D) |
| 17 | Dale Schultz (R) |
| 19 | Michael Ellis (R) |
| 21 | John Lehman (D) |
| 23 | David Zien (R) |
| 25 | Robert Jauch (D) |
| 27 | Jon Erpenbach (D) |
| 29 | Russell Decker (D) |
| 33 | Theodore Kanavas (R) |
| STATE ASSEMBLY | |
| 1 | Garey Bies (R) |
| 3 | Alvin Ott (R) |
| 4 | Richard Langan (D) |
| 5 | Thomas Nelson (D) |
| 7 | Peggy Krusick (D) |
| 9 | Josh Zepnick (D) |
| 11 | Jason Fields (D) |
| 12 | Frederick Kessler (D) |
| 13 | David Cullen (D) |
| 15 | Tony Staskunas (D) |
| 16 | Leon Young (D) |
| 19 | Jon Richards (D) |
| 20 | Christine Sinicki (D) |
| 22 | Sheldon Wasserman (D) |
| 23 | Stanley Teplin (D) |
| 26 | Terry Van Akkeren (D) |
| 28 | Mark Pettis (R) |
| 29 | Kerry Kittel (D) |
| 37 | Andy Jorgenson (D) |
| 43 | Kim Hixon (D) |
| 44 | Michael Sheridan (D) |
| 45 | Chuck Benedict (D) |
| 46 | Gary Hebl (D) |
| 49 | Philip Garthwaite (D) |
| 50 | Will Buros (D) |
| 51 | Stephen Freese (R) |
| 54 | Gordon Hintz (D) |
| 56 | Susan Garcia Franz (D) |
| 61 | Robert Turner (D) |
| 62 | Cory Mason (D) |
| 64 | James Kreuser (D) |
| 65 | John Steinbrink (D) |
| 69 | Scott Suder (R) |
| 70 | Amy Sue Vruwink (D) |
| 71 | Louis Molepske (D) |
| 72 | Marlin Schneider (D) |
| 73 | Frank Boyle (D) |
| 74 | Gary Sherman (D) |
| 75 | Mary Hubler (D) |
| 76 | Terese Berceau (D) |
| 77 | Spencer Black (D) |
| 79 | Sondy Pope-Roberts (D) |
| 80 | Brett Davis (R) |
| 81 | David Travis (D) |
| 83 | Scott Gunderson (R) |
| 84 | Mark Gundrum (R) |
| 85 | Donna Seidel (D) |
| 86 | Jerry Petrowski (R) |
| 88 | Judy Krawczyk (R) |
| 90 | Karl Van Roy (R) |
| 91 | Barbara Gronemus (D) |
| 92 | Terry Musser (R) |
| 93 | Robin Kreibich (R) |
| 94 | Michael Huebsch (R) |
| 95 | Jennifer Shilling (D) |
| 98 | Rich Zipperer (R) |
U. S. SENATE
Herb Kohl (D)
| U. S. HOUSE | |
| 1 | Paul Ryan (R) |
| 2 | Tammy Baldwin (D) |
| 3 | Ron Kind (D) |
| 6 | Thomas Petri (R) |
| 7 | David Obey (D) |
| 8 | John Gard (R) |
PLEASE REMEMBER TO VOTE ON NOVEMBER 7!
