Last Updated: August 3rd, 4:35 P.M. CDT
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Joel Brennan
David Crowley
Francesca Hong
Kelda Roys
Andrew Manske
Tom Tiffany
Create Wisconsin and Imagine MKE invited all gubernatorial candidates from the Democratic and Republican parties to respond to a four-question survey about their vision for economic growth, arts, culture, and well-being for Wisconsin residents. To date, responses have been received from Mandela Barnes, Joel Brennan, David Crowley, Francesca Hong, Sara Rodriguez, and Kelda Roys. Responses are displayed in the order we received them. Responses from candidates who have dropped out have been removed from the site.
Wisconsin’s arts and culture sector contributes $12.4 billion to the state’s economy and supports more than 95,000 jobs. What impact do you see arts and culture playing in Wisconsin’s economy, tourism and growth, and what policies and strategies will you pursue as governor to grow that impact?
JOEL BRENNAN
I ran Discovery World for eleven years. I know firsthand that museums, theaters, and cultural institutions are economic engines and vitally important to education and quality of life in our state, and our state government should approach the relationship to the sector with those thoughts front and center. The arts and culture provide communities with economic boosts on their own, and they also provide a magnet to attract and retain talent at all levels; museums, music venues, galleries and other places where entrepreneurial talent flourishes help bring new residents to Wisconsin communities and keep businesses growing. As Secretary of Administration, I helped get $15 million in live music and entertainment venue grants out the door during COVID, helping save more than 200 venues across the state, along with a dedicated grant program for Wisconsin cultural organizations. I know what it looks like when government actually shows up for this sector instead of treating it as an afterthought. As governor I’d build on that: more state tourism dollars behind our cultural assets, and making sure WEDC treats creative economy jobs as part of our broader economic strategy. Other states – including most of our neighbors in the Upper Midwest – have figured this out. Wisconsin should too.
DAVID CROWLEY
Wisconsin’s arts and culture are not merely “extras” to be considered disposable to our state’s economy, they are clearly economic drivers through tourism, community building and increasing Wisconsin’s appeal for relocation in a global marketplace. From our amazing museums, to local theaters, cultural institutions and live music entertainment, arts support more job creation and growth. They also support small businesses, revitalize downtowns and make our communities more diverse and vibrant, which keep young people and families in our state long-term.
As Governor, I will treat arts and culture as part of the broader economic development and tourism agenda for Wisconsin. This includes increasing support for the Wisconsin Arts Board and local cultural organizations, working to expand grant opportunities for artists and creative nonprofits, supporting the music and event production industries with an eye toward independent venues and producers, not mega-monopolies, and invest in districts and spaces that drive local economic activity. We also must strengthen and invest in arts in our schools to expand access and create stronger pipelines for arts education and creative careers in Wisconsin.
I will also focus on supporting the live events, hospitality, and festival economy that plays such an important role across Wisconsin- we are the home to the largest music festival in the world with Summerfest. Festivals, concerts, fairs, and cultural celebrations generate tourism revenue, support restaurants and hotels, and create opportunities for local artists, vendors, and small businesses. Wisconsin can and is working toward positioning itself as a national destination for arts, music, and cultural tourism.
With this, we need to make sure artists and creative workers can afford to live and work in Wisconsin. That means supporting affordable housing, small business development, workforce grants, and public-private partnerships that help creative communities grow and thrive. Investing in arts and culture is not just about entertainment, it is about economic growth, talent attraction, quality of life, and building stronger, more connected communities across Wisconsin.
FRANCESCA HONG
“The worker must have bread, but she must have roses, too.” A healthy society is one that cultivates art and culture. Despite the clear economic and cultural yield of arts investment, Wisconsin is near-last in state arts funding; our artists have been forced to either make the most from nothing, put their work to the side, or leave the state altogether. If we don’t course correct as soon as possible, the next generation of Wisconsinites will be punished by a cultural and artistic exodus.
While I’m interested in exploring incentive structures that bring artists and art economies to Wisconsin, I’m even more interested in reinforcing existing cultural production within the state. We face a twofold problem: one, not enough art and culture support exists. Two, as a result of that sustained deprivation, many artists are unaware that what support does exist might be available to them. A healthy arts and culture sector supports its existing institutions— the scaffolding upon which regional art scenes are built and communities are nourished—but it prioritizes making room for innovative and emerging artists, too. Whether through direct WAB appropriations or local revenue options, I intend to reconstruct a Wisconsin in which an opera in Madison is supported, but so too is a Hmong woman in Marathon County who practices Paj Ntaub fiber arts and a teenager in North Milwaukee who makes beats in his bedroom for his friends; folks for whom even a little support can be life-changing.
KELDA ROYS
Wisconsin has a vibrant community of artists, despite our paltry bottom-of-the-nation public funding for the arts. We need to invest in arts and arts education at all levels, publicly fund a broad range of artists and creative works with state dollars, and improve funding for local governments so that municipal budgets can support the arts as well. Tourism is a top three industry for Wisconsin’s economy, and every public dollar invested in the arts returns several dollars to our local economies through tourism, hospitality, the service industry, and much more. Investment in the arts doesn’t just help urban centers — rural communities, especially, can see big benefits from investing in the creative economy.
The arts aren’t just about the economy, though – they’re what make us human. Arts enrich our lives, our culture, and our wellbeing. As someone who is a musician and went to college as a theater major, I am eager to see increased public support for the arts in every sense. I will continue to be a champion for the arts and artists as governor, and I will devote increased public funding to the arts in my budget, while championing the arts’ central role in my plans for Wisconsin’s economy, culture, and education.
All of these measures will boost Wisconsin’s economy while enhancing our quality of life and helping us thrive as human beings in community with one another.
Through the Wisconsin Arts Board, Wisconsin ranks 48th in per capita arts and culture funding at $0.20, which is far behind the Midwestern and National averages at ~$2. How will you prioritize increasing the state’s investment?
JOEL BRENNAN
48th out of 50 states tells you everything about where arts funding has sat on the priority list in Madison. That’s backwards. Arts and culture aren’t a luxury — they drive tourism dollars, they’re good for local economies, they’re good for kids; education and they help us to create the problem solvers we need for so many challenges we face. I know how state budgets get built because I helped build them as Secretary of Administration, and I’d push to move our Arts Board funding above the Midwestern average instead of trailing nearly every other state in the country. The huge funding cuts that happened during the Walker Administration have never been restored, and we need to make up for all that lost time to honor the sector and to get the economic boost that is waiting for us with smart investment.
DAVID CROWLEY
As Governor, I would support increasing funding for the Wisconsin Arts Board and building along-term plan to move Wisconsin closer to national and regional funding averages. That includes restoring stability to arts grant programs, expanding support for local arts organizations and cultural institutions, and ensuring smaller and rural communities have equitable access to funding opportunities—not just major metropolitan areas.
FRANCESCA HONG
We see it regularly: when arts and culture investment is left to the remainders of the budget process, it is deprioritized. I believe that direct state appropriations need to be explicitly declared and and structurally protected. Minnesota’s Legacy Amendment directs a portion of sales tax revenue to arts, cultural heritage, and the outdoors; this is a model we should move toward.
I also support robust use of percent-for-art policies on public construction projects (typically 1–2%of capital budgets), which helps artists across the state, not just Milwaukee and Madison. Art and culture need not be split across and urban/rural divide: we see plenty of examples in Wisconsin and across the United States where rural areas become artist enclaves that serve as economic engines — a process we can cultivate by making sure public support of the arts is distributed across the state.
KELDA ROYS
As governor, I will increase direct investment in the Wisconsin Arts Board. Specifically, I support a significant per capita increase in arts funding to help reduce the disparity between Wisconsin and our neighboring states. I will also propose a grant program for Wisconsin’s creative economy, funding the creation, development, and growth of small creative and cultural businesses, products, and services, with a focus on funding projects in areas of the state that have fewer cultural and artistic resources, including rural communities. I will seek to establish a one-time arts endowment that will fund creative endeavors in perpetuity, to reduce the likelihood that future legislatures will cut funding for the arts as a cost-cutting measure.
Increasing shared revenue and school funding will also enhance the resources available to the arts, as schools and local governments are key funders and facilitators of the arts. Finally, I will prioritize funding for arts initiatives within the Department of Tourism, because Wisconsin has incredible cultural and creative amenities in every corner of the state –art galleries, theaters, music and dance companies – that are true destinations, and we need to tell that story to make sure that people can experience all Wisconsin has to offer.
Research shows that students who participate in arts education have higher academic achievement, better attendance, and increased graduation rates—yet access and resources remain inequitable across Wisconsin schools. How will you ensure all Wisconsin students, especially those in underserved communities, have access to high-quality arts education?
JOEL BRENNAN
Kids need more than test scores — they need to be well-rounded, and arts education is a big part of that. Music, theater, visual art — these aren’t extras, they’re part of how kids learn to think, create, and express themselves. My approach to school funding is built around what kids actually need, and that includes arts instruction, not just the subjects that show up on a standardized test. I’d push dedicated funding for arts staff and programming in under served schools so this isn’t only available to kids whose districts can already afford it. Overall, I will scrap the existing school funding formula that doesn’t meet the needs of kids across the state and replace it with one that starts with every kid having value and builds around other needs, including special education, language proficiency, poverty and access to every learning tool and outlet available (including the arts).
DAVID CROWLEY
Every Wisconsin student deserves access to high-quality arts education, no matter their ZIP code, family income, or school district budget. Arts education strengthens our schools and our kids, which is why it should be treated as part of a strong public education system, not an optional add-on.
As Governor, I would increase state investment in and fully fund public schools so districts are not forced to cut music, theater, visual arts, and creative programs when budgets are tight, or go to referendum to provide these programs. I would also support dedicated arts education grants, stronger partnerships with local arts organizations and cultural institutions, and targeted resources for underserved urban, rural, and high-poverty districts.
We should also build arts education into workforce and career pathways by connecting students with creative industries, apprenticeships, technical colleges, and community-based programs. The goal is simple: every student should have the chance to learn, create, perform, and explore their talents as part of a well-rounded education.
FRANCESCA HONG
Art is for everyone. Within each of us is an artist of some sort; drawing her out is a deeply rewarding lifelong process. Fostering artists and developing an appreciation for culture starts in our schools . When arts are treated as optional or underfunded electives, students never develop the relationship with creative practice that sustains a cultural ecosystem. It’s also a question of pipelines: today’s students become tomorrow’s artists, audiences, educators, and curators; even legislators, who understand why arts funding is worth fighting for.
I intend to shape the future alongside the people who compose the engine of artistic and cultural production in Wisconsin. As a legislator, some of my favorite folks to meet with are groups of retired arts educators — but teaching is often treated as a vocation, not a profession, and that gap, alongside a deficit of arts education funding, means staying an arts teacher is an extremely challenging process. Without arts teachers, we have no arts education; we need to make it easier and more stable to become a teacher of any stripe, especially arts educators. I wrote a bill anchoring public school teacher salaries to state legislator salaries and coauthored another that lets public school teachers enroll in the state employee health insurance plan. I also support adding teacher representatives to school boards, establishing paid preparation time for educators, and a grant program encouraging students to pursue teaching as a career.
KELDA ROYS
Ensuring that every Wisconsin child has access to high quality arts education every day, every year, is personal for me. I was a good student and loved learning, but it was the arts that made me who I am and gave me that sense of purpose and belonging that every kid needs – orchestra, theater, choir, and band. Creating things – the arts – are where kids from all walks of life are fully integrated and welcome. That is what public schools are about, and they should be places of learning and creating for every student.
Wisconsin’s schools have been starved of resources for decades. Levy limits, a broken and antiquated school funding formula, the devastating cuts and attacks of the Walker years, and 8 Republican budgets in a row have taken a toll on every school in the state. Often, arts are first on the chopping block, as scarce resources conflict with federal and state mandates. Fully funding public education is a cornerstone of my campaign, and I have committed to put the so-called surplus back into our children’s education, from early childhood through higher ed. We know that arts education increases student engagement, improves academic performance, and boosts critical thinking, creativity, and problem solving skills – the arts are fundamental to a good education. STEM initiatives need to become STEAM initiatives for our kids to realize their full potential.
It takes a special person to spend their life listening to a dozen 9-year-olds trying to play the viola for the first time. Increasing the pipeline of arts educators – like addressing the broader teacher retention crisis – means restoring collective bargaining rights and the professional respect teachers are due, increasing teacher pay, ensuring adequate planning and professional development time, and helping future teachers afford to earn their teaching degrees with grants, paid student teaching positions, and loan forgiveness for educators working in areas of high need.
Our schools are not just about creating the next generation of workers. They’re about giving children the freedom to learn, discover, and thrive, and ultimately to become the best version of themselves, and the best citizens they can be. When I was a child in rural Taylor county and urban Dane county, Wisconsin was the public education state and I had arts education every day, every year – and as governor, I am to make our schools the best in the nation again, including for arts education.
What role do you believe arts and culture play in strengthening Wisconsin’s communities, and how will your administration support local cultural activities and ensure access to the arts for families across the state?
JOEL BRENNAN
Many small towns and neighborhoods struggle because they are known only for what they lack. The arts shift the focus to what is possible. A mural, a theater, a music festival, a public sculpture, or a local gallery can become a point of pride that brings residents together and attracts visitors from elsewhere. The arts create experiences that cannot be replicated online or imported from another place. Lots of Wisconsin communities provide authentic and “homegrown” talent and experiences, and I will both celebrate them and shine a light on them for visitors from outside Wisconsin and our own residents. I ran a museum on Milwaukee’s lakefront for eleven years and later led the Greater Milwaukee Committee, so I’ve seen up close how much arts and culture matter to a community — not just central business districts, but everywhere. As governor I’d back that up with increased Arts Board funding and a statewide tourism strategy that treats our cultural assets – both rural and urban – like the draw they are. Families across Wisconsin should have access to the arts where they live, because Wisconsin is rich with talent, creativity and beauty that can inspire and elevate all of us.
DAVID CROWLEY
Adults, kids, families and visitors in Wisconsin should be able to participate in arts and cultural experiences regardless of income or where they live. This means supporting affordable public programming in arts education, community festivals, creative spaces, and local cultural organizations which serve as anchors in their communities. Investing in arts and culture is an investment in economic growth, tourism, education, and quality of life across Wisconsin.
I also want to ensure smaller communities and underserved neighborhoods have equitable access to funding and programming opportunities, not just large cities or major institutions. Arts and culture are part of what make communities feel connected, vibrant, and alive. They bring people together across backgrounds and generations, ideologies and upbringing. They help shape the character of communities across Wisconsin and I will always amplify their positive contributions to the fabric of our multicultural communities across the state.
FRANCESCA HONG
Our communities are defined by our artists: the architects who design our buildings; the writers, photographers, and painters who document our lives; the poets and musicians who dream of something more. These are the folks by whose power we have survived as a society. In a turbulent time, when many of us look at the world around us and feel uneasy about what comes next, it is through our arts and our culture that we will find the strength to press on until tomorrow; to make better possible.
As a legislator I’ve enjoyed getting to see local culture across the state, whether that looks like a bratwurst festival or a DIY street fair; as governor, I intend to maintain the practice. It will be a sad day in Wisconsin should our traditions of copious summer festivals and winter celebrations dwindle, and through restoring the authority of municipalities to raise revenue in new ways appropriate to local needs I believe we can maintain and preserve the beautiful cultures of Wisconsin — and nurture the new ones waiting in the wings — for all of us to enjoy.
KELDA ROYS
The arts can be a catalyst for economic growth and community revitalization – just look how American Players Theater has transformed Spring Green and southwestern Wisconsin. The arts are also central to our culture and identity in Wisconsin, something that can enhance our “brand” and our understanding of ourselves, if we support institutions that support art and artists, financially and culturally. That’s why I love the idea of a Social Rx for the arts – it brings the idea of the arts into everyday life, and that supporting the arts is something healthy and pro-social that we do for ourselves and our society. Every community deserves creative businesses and institutions, for our economy, and for our quality of life.
Arts are an invitation – to use our imaginations, to take a risk, to make an unexpected connection. Isn’t it what our state needs, as we see an aging population and demographic challenges? People come here to enjoy a show or a festival or a gallery. They spend some time shopping, dining, or taking a bike ride. They imagine themselves raising their families or retiring in Wisconsin because we have so much to offer. And isn’t that what our democracy needs right now? A way to see beyond our own perspective and find community across divisions, to be hopeful and build something new together? I believe we can, and the arts will help us do it.
Create Wisconsin and Imagine MKE also distributed a survey to legislative candidates regarding their perspectives on the arts and Wisconsin’s creative economy, as well as on their personal creative background. Below are the responses we have received to date, and will be updated as additional responses come in. The information does not constitute a comprehensive list of candidates running in every district. Questions that were left blank are excluded.
Here are the questions legislative candidates were asked:
Personal background: 76% of Americans believe the arts are personally important to them. Do you or an immediate family member(s) have experience in the arts?
Community engagement: Have you attended, partnered with, or supported any arts or cultural organizations in your district/state in the past two years? Please describe.
Economic Growth: What policies would you prioritize to support economic growth and small businesses locally and statewide, including sectors such as tourism, hospitality, and arts and cultural organizations that contribute to local economies and quality of life?
Education: What are your top priorities for strengthening education outcomes in your district or state, and what role, if any, should arts education or creative learning opportunities—from pre-K through higher education—play in state education policy?
Workforce: Increasingly, Americans work as freelancers, independent contractors, or in other non-traditional employment arrangements—including artists and creative professionals. What state-level policies would you support to improve economic stability, access to health and retirement benefits, and professional opportunities for these workers?
Personal Background: Music, Theatre, Photography, Media Arts
Community Engagement: Appleton Performing Arts Center
Economic Growth: As a farmer and small business owner, I understand that strong communities are built by the people who invest in them. Economic growth doesn’t happen in isolation—it comes from creating an environment where small businesses, entrepreneurs, agriculture, tourism, hospitality, outdoor recreation, and arts and cultural organizations all support one another.
Visitors rarely come to Wisconsin for just one experience. They may come to hike our state parks, fish our lakes, paddle our rivers, visit a family farm or orchard, attend a concert or festival, explore a museum or art gallery, or enjoy a local restaurant. Along the way, they stay in local lodging, shop at local businesses, purchase fuel, and support countless other employers. Every experience strengthens the next, creating a ripple effect that benefits communities across Wisconsin.
As a state senator, I believe my role is to support policies that encourage entrepreneurship, private investment, local decision-making, and the infrastructure and partnerships that make Wisconsin communities destinations. By supporting the diverse experiences that attract visitors and preserving the unique character of our communities, we strengthen small businesses, create jobs, grow local economies, and improve quality of life for residents and visitors alike.
Education: My top priority is improving educational outcomes by raising academic expectations and ensuring every student develops a strong foundation in reading, writing, mathematics, science, history, and civics, along with critical thinking and problem-solving skills. While the state should establish high standards and accountability, I believe local school districts need the flexibility to meet those standards in ways that best serve their students. Every child learns differently, and educators should have the ability to use a variety of teaching approaches to help students succeed.
Parents should remain active partners in their children’s education, and schools should focus on preparing students for college, skilled trades, the workforce, and lifelong success.
Arts education and other creative learning opportunities are an important part of a well-rounded education. Music, choir, theater, and the visual arts help foster creativity, communication, discipline, and self-expression. They also provide many students with a sense of belonging and a positive outlet that supports confidence and overall well-being. Just as athletics provide valuable opportunities for many students, the arts do the same for others. Schools should strive to offer a variety of opportunities, so every student has the chance to discover their strengths, develop their talents, and become engaged in their school community while complementing a strong academic curriculum
Workforce: Freelancers, independent contractors, artists, and other self-employed professionals are an important part of Wisconsin’s economy. As a state senator, I believe my role is to support policies that help make health coverage more affordable and accessible, including exploring options that allow independent workers and small businesses to pool together to purchase coverage at more competitive group rates where permitted under state and federal law. I also support expanding broadband access, reducing unnecessary regulatory barriers, and creating an environment where entrepreneurs, artists, and other small business owners have the opportunity to grow and succeed. My goal is to expand opportunity, support entrepreneurship, and preserve the flexibility that allows independent workers to thrive
Personal Background: Music, Visual Arts, Dance, Theatre, Photography, Literary Arts, Media Arts
Community Engagement: In my family, we are huge fans of the arts. I am a professional photographer, my husband and I were both musical theater kids, our son is a professional actor and a phenomenal writer (likely an emerging writer-actor-director), and we are often attending and supporting various arts around the area. I love an opportunity to support local theater by photographing the cast or show, we love seeing shows, we love outdoor concerts, and we love supporting student productions to encourage young performers (they’re so brave!).
Economic Growth: The Arts are a major economic engine! We need to talk more about this. I was thrilled we finally included the establishment of a state film office and established a tax credit for film and television production in a state budget (last year). And I’d heard lots of positive feedback on this. Let’s keep building on this!
We also need to fund the arts. FUND THE ARTS! We are tragically behind the nation on this. And again–the arts are a massive economic engine.
Over 99% of Wisconsin businesses are small businesses–Wisconsin is a small business state! I know how difficult it is to start and run a small business centered around the arts. Almost two decades ago, I started a professional photography business that remains vibrant today. It is difficult to run a small business in our industry, which is why I authored the “Go Big for Small Business” bill to create a “one-stop-shop”, for small business creators to start, manage, and grow their businesses and change how they interface with the state. Small business owners wear so many hats, we need to save time, and make it much easier to interface with the state of Wisconsin.
Education: Fund the schools so they can invest in the arts. Let’s start there. I wrote the first bill in state history (that I’m aware of) that funds special education at 90% (my Save Our Schools bill). This will more adequately fund the schools and free up funding for the arts across Wisconsin. Every child in Wisconsin has a constitutional right to an adequately funded public education, and right now, the legislature is failing to uphold that right. The underfunding of public schools the last 15 years has hurt the arts, and I want to see a robust shift toward better funding, upholding that right, and better supporting the arts.
My kids benefited from phenomenal theater programs growing up. They learned to be brave, empathetic, and–brilliant on stage. We are so lucky to have incredible theater programs in the Tosa schools, as well as First Stage in Milwaukee to teach life skills as stage skills. To this day, my adult son teaches at First Stage after growing up there.
When at the Peck School of the Arts, my son saw class after class cut, one of which was required to graduate. I have fought, and will continue to fight, for robust UW system funding. The ROI (23:1) on UW system funding is one of the strongest ROIs in the state budget. We must restore funding to the universities, and stop the cutting of classes in the arts–especially the classes deemed important to take in order to graduate.
Workforce: To support these professionals, I authored the bill to establish a Badgercare public option. A public option would allow freelancers, independent contractors, and those in non-traditional employment arrangements to access affordable health insurance that is not tied to their employer.
Personal Background: Music, Theatre, Photography, Costume design
Community Engagement: South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center
Economic Growth: Wisconsin’s 7th District is a destination for visitors from around the country and around the world. From Mitchell International Airport to cruise ships at the Port of Milwaukee, from festivals at Henry Maier Festival Park to museums and performing arts centers, tourism is a powerful economic driver—supporting jobs, small businesses, and generating more than $4.3 billion in economic impact. I understand that a strong tourism industry means a strong local economy. I will be a leader who proudly promotes the communities of the 7th District, highlight what makes them special, and work to grow tourism so it continues to create jobs and opportunities for local families.
Education: I believe education should prepare students for the real world. With parents as partners, schools should focus on skills that lead to opportunity and independence. As both an employer and a member of local school committees, I have worked directly with high schools to help students graduate job-ready, with the skills employers actually need.
Workforce: To support Wisconsin’s growing independent and freelance workforce, I advocate for free-market solutions that preserve worker autonomy while expanding access to voluntary benefits. Key state-level policies that would include fostering a robust portable benefits marketplace, reducing regulatory burdens, and passing legislation that explicitly classifies gig workers as independent contractors.
Personal Background: Music, Visual Arts, Dance, Theatre, Photography
Community Engagement: Have a Milwaukee Rep subscription for the last 4 years. Attended American Players Theatre for the last 30 years. Participate in the Lake Geneva Country Gentleman Singers, While working as a teacher I directed school musicals. Participated as a Walworth County resident the summer Phoenix Bandshell Program
Economic Growth: I would support state programs and grants to fund activities that support the arts, tourism, and arts and cultural organizations. Funding our state park system to host theatre production and nature centers art programs.
Education: Increase funding for public school and universities that would increase student participation in the arts. I would support limiting public funds for private schools and limiting school choice. Both of these programs increase funding uncertainty which effects electives such as band, art, and other creative courses.
Workforce: I support universal health care, community health care centers in rural and underserved areas. Expand and fund social security. I would research artist and creative professional employment arrangements and support legislation that would would provide this population of workers a living wage.
Personal Background: Visual Arts
Community Engagement: Yes. I regularly attend art walks and art festivals in my district, such as the Evansville Art Crawl, the Tallman Arts Festival, Edgerton Pottery Festival, Beloit Art Walk, First Fridays at the Beloit Art Center, and more. I have also attended plays and shows at the Beloit Civic Theatre and Janesville Performing Arts Center. I enjoy concerts from the Beloit Janesville Symphony Orchestra and local bands. On a statewide basis, I enjoy seeing plays and concerts at American Players Theatre, Northern Sky Theater, Stoughton Opera House, Atwood Music Hall, and more.
Economic Growth: I support additional direct funding for the arts, such as through the Wisconsin Arts Board. I also support tourism promotion through maintaining support of our destination marketing organizations and adding the ability to establish Tourism Promotion Improvement Districts. I support housing policies that encourage reinvestment in our downtowns through upper-floor housing. I also support funding for state parks, bike paths, and other outdoor recreation opportunities that attract people to communities and improve quality of life. Finally, I have strongly supported the Grants for Local Projects program in the last two state budgets, which has provided capital funding for numerous nonprofits, including many associated with the arts and culture.
Education: I support more state funding for public schools so they can meet the needs of all students and have adequate budgets for art education and creative learning opportunities. These are often the first opportunities to be cut when budgets get tight. This funding should take the form of increased revenue limits that keep up with inflation and avoid the need for referendums, general school aids from the state to avoid increasing property tax burdens on local communities, special education reimbursement so schools can provide these needed services, healthy breakfast and lunch for all students who want it, and funding for additional interventions for students who need them. I also believe that education starts before kindergarten, and I support funding early childhood education through community-based providers and school district partnerships.
Workforce: I support policies to make it easier for small businesses and self-employed people to access health insurance and retirement savings opportunities, such as a public option health plan through the state, or a state retirement program similar to the Wisconsin Retirement System that private-sector employees or freelancers can easily opt into. I also support clear policies with strong enforcement to ensure that employees can choose to be actual freelancers and independent contractors, but that employers cannot misclassify employees as such simply to avoid paying for benefits such as healthcare, unemployment insurance, and worker’s compensation.
Personal Background: Music, Dance, Theatre, Photography
Community Engagement: My company has donated supplies to a local theatre group where my daughter-in-law is the director of various community performances.
Economic Growth: Economic growth starts with investing in people and the communities where they live and work. As a small business owner, I understand the challenges entrepreneurs face and support policies that reduce unnecessary barriers, expand access to capital, strengthen infrastructure, and invest in workforce development.
I also believe the arts, tourism, hospitality, and cultural organizations are powerful economic engines. Raised in a family of teachers dedicated to music and community bands, I experienced firsthand how arts education develops creativity, critical thinking, confidence, and collaboration. Those experiences shaped my life educationally, professionally, and socially.
Supporting arts education and ensuring access to cultural opportunities for every child and community not only enriches lives but also strengthens local economies by attracting visitors, supporting small businesses, and creating vibrant places where people want to live, work, and invest.
Education: My top education priority is ensuring that our schools are adequately and sustainably funded. Without strong funding, schools are forced to make difficult choices that undermine both academic excellence and student opportunity.
Every child deserves a high-quality education that includes strong core academics as well as access to the arts and other extracurricular programs. Music, theater, visual arts, and creative learning develop critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, and collaboration—skills that prepare students for success in college, careers, and life. Extracurricular activities also keep students engaged, improve school connectedness, and support mental well-being.
As a legislator, I will work to ensure schools have the resources they need so that both academics and the arts are fully accessible to every student, regardless of their ZIP code. Investing in education is one of the smartest investments we can make in Wisconsin’s future.
Workforce: The workforce is changing, and our public policies need to evolve with it. Freelancers, independent contractors, artists, and other self-employed professionals deserve access to affordable healthcare, retirement savings options, and the flexibility to build sustainable careers.
My highest priorities are expanding access to universal healthcare and affordable childcare. These two investments would provide the greatest economic stability for independent workers, allowing them to pursue opportunities, grow small businesses, and contribute to our economy without risking their family’s well-being. I also support creating more portable retirement savings options and reducing unnecessary barriers that make it harder for self-employed workers to succeed.
When we support all forms of work—not just traditional employment—we strengthen Wisconsin’s economy, encourage innovation, and create opportunities for people to thrive.
Personal Background: Music, Visual Arts, Theatre, Photography
Community Engagement: I have attended multiple art fairs and music concerts throughout the district. Creativity flourishes in so many ways around our district and state and it is always incredible to witness.
Economic Growth: I see supporting our rural communities as critical to the economic growth and success of Wisconsin. That includes nurturing the arts which is a wonderful way to encourage people to visit new communities, investing in our natural resources which are a huge driver of our tourism economy, and creating an environment where Wisconsinites feel supported to start a business. We can do that by making sure everyone has access to housing; healthcare; mental health, vision, and dental care; and an education that is affordable.
Education: In the State Assembly I have consistently advocated for increased funding for our k-12 public schools, early childhood education, and post-secondary education. Part of that funding is to make sure that every child has the opportunity to learn the arts as a critical component to their public education. I will continue to advocate for that in the State Senate.
Workforce: In the State Assembly I supported a Badgercare public option, paid family and medical leave, healthy school meals for all public school kiddos, and expansion of rural broadband grants. These policies would give more freedom of choice to Wisconsinites around our state. Because economic stability should not just be limited to a few people, but should be available to every Wisconsinite, no matter who you are or where you live.
Personal Background: Music
Community Engagement: Yes. Northern WI has a rich tradition of promoting the arts. From attending concerts at Big Top Chautauqua to meeting with the Shell Lake Arts Center when they were developing a plan for their remodel and expansion, I have supported arts throughout the district in many ways.
Economic Growth: I was the senate author of the Rural Creative Economy bill that would have provided grants to support arts based businesses. This would have directly impacted small businesses and provided a boost to our tourism, hospitality, and arts/culture organizations. I was also a proponent on increasing the Tourism department budget during the last biennium.
Education: I have always believed in targeting funding to make sure schools can compete on an even playing field. Sparsity aid, high cost transportation aid, special education aid, etc all solve specific challenges. I leave general funding and programing for locals to decide. I’ve always gotten requests for money to fund only certain programing (school nurses, school psychologists, music progams, etc), but I would rather fund schools on a higher level and leave those decisions up to local communities to decide.
Workforce: We need to make sure that the government does not try to force free lance workers into some sort of box/category like W-2 employees. I also voted for the benefits portability bill that would have created more options and access to benefits for these non-traditional workers.
Personal Background: Fiber Arts
Community Engagement: Farmer to Farmer (Glenwood City, WI): I donate to its education scholarship program for children of Guatemalan and Honduran coffee growers and cultural expression through traditional textile cottage industry. Travel to Guatemala in 2025. I donate to First Nations Development Institute, National Parks Conservation Association, Habitat for Humanity –
Wild Rivers Chapter (WI). My campaign partners with a media professional and a graphic Design professional.
Economic Growth: I would support grants to individuals and groups to initiate creative ventures and events designed to have a lasting impact on a community.
Education: My top priority is fully funding public education. That includes early childhood education. I support experiential learning through exposure to nature, the arts and cultural history.
Workforce: I would support an expansion of BadgerCare. I would support unemployment compensation.
I would support a state-backed loan program for career advancement.
Personal Background: Music, Visual Arts, Theatre, Media Arts
Community Engagement: No
Economic Growth: I support small business small business owners by supporting policy that provides grants and low interest loans for small business owners as well as affordable healthcare access for small businesses.
Education: I support full funding of public education, including special education, general, education, music, and arts programs and athletic programs. I strongly feel that K through 12 public education should offer a wide variety of opportunities for a wide variety of students.
Workforce: As mentioned above, I support affordable healthcare access. I believe this can be done through the expansion of bad care and also through the creation of a public option that would benefit these workers. In addition, I would love to see a state program for retirement benefits.
Personal Background: Music, Theatre
Community Engagement: Not since I have held office but I was active in several choirs as a performer and board member in the past.
Economic Growth: Wisconsin invests far too little to arts. We must re-evaluate our priorities and at least invest as much as our surrounding states.
Education: Our formula for supporting our public schools has been broken for decades and our school districts should not have to rely on referendums to operate. Fix the formula and stop pouring public dollars into private schools. Our university system was the envy of the nation until the past 15 years when our Republican led legislature forced cuts and changes that have weakened our system.
Workforce: First of all, the term Independent Contractors has been abused by businesses to avoid paying the benefits and pay workers rightfully earn. We need to define what that means and also raise the pitiful minimum wage to a living wage.
Personal Background: Visual Arts, Theatre, Media Arts
Community Engagement: No, I’m not aware of many arts or cultural organizations operating within AD-2 itself, but I’d welcome the chance to connect with any that are out there.
Economic Growth: I’d focus on cutting the red tape and fees that hit small businesses hardest, and making sure tax relief actually goes to local Main Street businesses instead of large corporations. I’d also tie any state business incentives to local hiring and fair pay. For tourism and hospitality specifically, I support expanding passenger rail along I-41, which would make it easier for people to visit and travel between communities without relying on cars. I don’t have a specific proposal for arts and cultural organizations, but I’d want them treated fairly under the same small business protections.
Education: My top priority for strengthening education outcomes is fixing how we fund public schools, including addressing the impact Act 10 has had on teacher pay, which has been stagnant for years. Strong public schools are the foundation for everything else, including economic growth in the district.
On arts education, I think it deserves real, protected support at every level, not just as an extra. My kids went through the Kimberly school district, one benefited from the art program, and my oldest did theater and choir, so I’ve seen directly what those programs do for kids. Creative learning teaches problem-solving and gives students another way to succeed that isn’t just measured by a standardized test. At the state level, that means funding arts programs consistently so they’re not the first thing cut when budgets get tight, from pre-K on up through the UW system and technical colleges.
Workforce: Gig work is only becoming more common, including for artists and creative professionals, and state law hasn’t caught up. I’d support finding real ways for freelancers and independent contractors to access health coverage and retirement savings that aren’t tied to a single employer, without stripping away basic worker protections to get there. Last session’s gig worker bill got that trade-off backwards: it would have locked app-based drivers into independent contractor status, cutting them off from unemployment insurance, workers’ comp, and minimum wage protections, in exchange for benefits companies weren’t even required to provide. It was heavily pushed by companies like DoorDash, and Governor Evers was right to veto it. Any solution needs to expand access to benefits and stability without asking workers to give up protections to get it.
Personal Background: Visual Arts, Theatre, Literary Arts, Fiber Arts
Community Engagement: As a fiber artist, I have taught knitting and hand-spinning classes at the local fiber arts store where I work, helping people develop new skills while building connections through a shared creative tradition. I have also organized community fiber arts gatherings that provided a space for people to grieve, heal, and support one another while creating “Melt the ICE” hats.
I use my undergraduate degree in Arts Management to serve as Treasurer of the Board of Directors for The Art Garage in Green Bay. In that role, I oversee budgets, work with accountants, and help ensure the organization’s long-term financial sustainability. The Art Garage’s mission is to encourage an appreciation for and participation in the visual, performing, and literary arts. Its vision recognizes the arts as essential to vibrant community growth and prosperity by providing meaningful, accessible opportunities through exhibitions, workshops, performances, and community programming. Supporting organizations like The Art Garage reflects my belief that public investment in the arts strengthens communities, expands educational opportunities, supports local artists and creative entrepreneurs, and enriches the quality of life in the community we share.
Economic Growth: Strong local economies are built by investing in the people and places that make Wisconsin unique. I support policies that help small businesses, strengthen Main Streets, expand tourism, and recognize the arts as an economic driver rather than an afterthought. We should increase access to affordable capital for small businesses, invest in downtown revitalization, support local festivals and cultural events, and ensure workers earn wages that allow them to participate in their local economies. I would also restore Wisconsin’s Percent for Art program, which was eliminated during the Walker administration. By dedicating 0.5% of the construction budget for state-funded public building projects to commission Wisconsin artists, we can create jobs for local artists, support creative businesses, and make public spaces more welcoming and reflective of our communities. Public art attracts visitors, enhances quality of life, and creates a lasting return on public investment while celebrating Wisconsin’s diverse history and culture.
Education: I support modernizing Wisconsin’s school funding formula to ensure every student has access to a high-quality education, regardless of ZIP code. Our current system does not adequately account for the needs of low-income students, rural districts, students with disabilities, or multilingual learners. I support fully funding special education, strengthening support for bilingual and multilingual education programs, adjusting aid levels for inflation, and providing additional resources to districts facing unique economic and geographic challenges. Every child deserves access to the resources and opportunities they need to succeed, and our funding system should reflect that commitment. In an increasingly standardized education system, the arts in all their forms allow students a way to share ideas in a way that may not fit in to other types of school work. Companies have continually shown that they are looking for creative thinkers who can problem solve, and those skills are developed over a lifetime of creative expression. By prioritizing that kind of thought, we can make the Wisconsin workforce attractive to businesses.
Workforce: Freelancers, independent contractors, artists, and other creative professionals are an important part of Wisconsin’s economy and deserve the same economic security as traditional employees. I support expanding BadgerCare, creating a public health insurance option, and lowering the Medicare eligibility age so affordable healthcare isn’t tied to a traditional employer or full-time job. I also support the Wisconsin Private Secure Retirement Act to give private-sector and self-employed workers an accessible way to save for retirement. In addition, we should invest in public arts programs, strengthen local arts organizations, expand grants for artists and cultural nonprofits, and ensure state economic development programs recognize the arts as a vital industry.
Personal Background: Music, Visual Arts, Photography
Community Engagement: I support Menominee and all tribal nations. I like going to Mielke theater/their arts/craft show and enjoy event’s at Weidner center. Being we are a small rural community we don’t have to many organizations but those we do I support and enjoy. Our high school has a wonderful Jazz band
Economic Growth: I live in Shawano county, adjacent to me is Menominee Reservation. I have several Menominee friends who I love sharing in their culture with. From Pow Wow to bead work, learning how to make fry bread, listening and learning tribal history. And their art is amazing! I will be attending their Pow Wow that is visited by hundreds from across the US. It’s an opportunity for old friends to connect and to make new ones. This event is huge for our area too. Not only friends and family but it draws a lot of tourist too. I support tourism in my area of this kind. But unfortunately we, like so many other communities with lakes and river are being inundated by it making it difficult for locals to just go about our daily lives. I’m active in my community, working with the city council trying to find better ways to manage tourism not get over run by it.
Education: I’m no fan of voucher schools because they draw off funding from public schools, to the extent many programs have been abandoned, like music. Voucher program doesn’t just end programs like music and some art classes it makes it harder to hire teachers for those classes Even special needs classes where art is a learning tool. I know this because I was a aid to special needs kids.
If elected I would like to see some of the state surplus go back into the public school system, while limiting or ending the voucher program which then would put taxpayers monies back into the public school system alleviating the need for surplus monies that then could be spent on other programs.
Workforce: These Americans are like a independent business owner. There are laws already in place that address their needs. And there is some funding available thru the Better Business Bureau for those who open a store to sell their works. But when it comes to health care today it’s not just independent business people hurting it’s everyone. I would work on expanding Badger care for the lower income businesses. Right now there’s little federal funding coming into the state to depend on. Another important issue is our rural hospitals are at risk of closure, which I believe some of the state surplus should be spent on. As to retirement it’s not a easy thing to offer a solution on because it’s more of an individual commitment- which has been made difficult by the increased cost of things (such as art supplies)making it harder for people to save for. I will try to get the costs lowered, it’s affecting me also. What we are living now is not sustainable.
In closing:
WE need the arts in our lives today. We are over stressed, over worked and over social media’d. The arts offer a reprieve from the chaos. But most importantly it’s a way to express the self, be an individual, create! One thing I will absolutely do- is fight against any excessive Data centers and the unmitigated injection of AI into our society. And having the opportunity to travel, to take in local sights and culture like that our Native neighbors offer should be available to everyone.
Thankyou for this opportunity.
Personal Background: Music, Dance, Literary Arts
Community Engagement: Yes. Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Milwaukee Public Museum, National Great Blacks in Wax Museum and National Museum of African American History and Culture
Economic Growth: Wisconsin’s economy is strongest when local businesses, entrepreneurs, tourism, hospitality, and arts and cultural organizations all have the opportunity to succeed. I believe state government should focus on creating an environment where businesses can grow by reducing unnecessary regulatory barriers, improving access to capital, investing in workforce development, and maintaining modern infrastructure, including broadband, transportation, and utilities. We should also strengthen our downtowns and neighborhood business districts, which are often the heart of local economies. Tourism, hospitality, and the arts are more than amenities—they are economic drivers that create jobs, attract visitors, support local businesses, and enhance our quality of life. Wisconsin should continue promoting our parks, festivals, cultural institutions, and recreational opportunities while supporting restaurants, hotels, entertainment venues, and community events that bring people together. Public investments should be transparent, fiscally responsible, and focused on measurable results that benefit communities across the state. By fostering innovation, encouraging entrepreneurship, supporting workforce development, and partnering with local governments, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector, we can build an economy that creates opportunity for families, strengthens local communities, and positions Wisconsin for long-term growth and prosperity.
Education: Every child deserves access to a high-quality education that prepares them for success in college, careers, military service, or the skilled trades. My top priorities are improving reading and mathematics proficiency, strengthening career and technical education, recruiting and retaining excellent teachers, supporting safe and orderly learning environments, and ensuring schools have the flexibility to meet the unique needs of their students and communities. I also believe we must strengthen partnerships among families, schools, businesses, higher education, and community organizations to help students succeed both inside and outside the classroom.
As part of my Bill of Rights for Students, I believe every student, regardless of ZIP code, deserves access to a well-rounded education. Every student shall receive instruction in art, music, physical education, library media, and computer science, because these subjects foster creativity, critical thinking, digital literacy, physical well-being, and lifelong learning. In addition, every student should complete at least one meaningful internship, apprenticeship, or career-based learning experience that allows them to explore their interests, connect classroom learning to real-world opportunities, and make informed decisions about their future. https://youtu.be/nZwzFikmPt4?si=VT_nTGW9UoVRMhWS
Arts education and creative learning opportunities are not extras—they are essential components of a comprehensive education. Participation in music, visual arts, theater, dance, and other creative disciplines helps students develop communication, collaboration, innovation, and problem-solving skills that employers increasingly value. The arts also enrich our communities, preserve Wisconsin’s cultural heritage, support tourism and our creative economy, and improve quality of life. By ensuring every student has access to these opportunities, we prepare graduates who are not only academically proficient but also creative, engaged, adaptable, and ready to contribute to Wisconsin’s future.
Workforce: Freelancers, independent contractors, artists, and other self-employed professionals contribute significantly to Wisconsin’s economy, yet many do not have access to the health insurance, retirement plans, paid leave, and workforce-development opportunities. I support policies that preserve the independence and flexibility many freelancers/contractors value while providing greater access to benefits, financial security, and professional opportunities. Wisconsin considered portable-benefit legislation in 2025, although that proposal was ultimately vetoed, so the issue remains open for further bipartisan work.
Personal Background: Music, Visual Arts, Dance, Theatre, Photography, Literary Arts, Media Arts
Community Engagement: As a State Representative, recording artist, songwriter, producer, and filmmaker, I have been actively involved in Wisconsin’s arts community. I have supported local artists, musicians, filmmakers, churches, and community organizations through performances, productions, and community events. I also supported legislation and budget initiatives that strengthen Wisconsin’s creative economy and expand opportunities for artists and cultural organizations across our state.
Economic Growth: I believe the arts are an economic driver, not simply entertainment. I supported creating Wisconsin’s film production tax credit and state film office because they help attract productions, create good-paying jobs, support small businesses, and generate economic activity for hotels, restaurants, retailers, construction trades, and creative professionals. I also support reducing unnecessary barriers for entrepreneurs, expanding access to capital for small businesses, investing in tourism, and encouraging public-private partnerships that strengthen our local economies while improving quality of life.
Education: My priorities are ensuring every child has access to a quality education, supporting teachers, improving student achievement, expanding career and technical education, and preparing students for college, the workforce, and entrepreneurship.
Arts education should remain an important part of a well-rounded education. Music, theater, visual arts, media arts, and other creative programs help students develop critical thinking, creativity, communication, and teamwork while exposing them to careers in Wisconsin’s growing creative economy. I support giving schools the flexibility to provide strong arts education alongside core academic subjects. If it wasn’t for the arts, I don’t know if I would be where I am today.
Workforce: As someone who has worked as an artist, producer, filmmaker, and small business owner, I understand the challenges independent contractors and creative professionals face.
I support policies that:
Personal Background: Music, Dance, Theatre
Community Engagement: Yes
Economic Growth: I’d prioritize lowering barriers for small businesses by expanding access to affordable capital, streamlining regulations, investing in workforce development, and strengthening Main Street business districts. I’ll also support investments in tourism, hospitality, arts, and cultural organizations because they create jobs, attract visitors, strengthen local economies, and improve quality of life. Economic growth should be driven by supporting local entrepreneurs, expanding opportunity, and ensuring every community can thrive.
Education: My top education priority is ensuring every child has access to a high-quality education that prepares them for success. That starts with modernizing Wisconsin’s outdated school funding formula, increasing support for special education and student mental health, expanding early childhood education, strengthening literacy and career pathways, and ensuring schools have the resources to improve student outcomes.
Arts education should be a core part of that strategy. Music, visual arts, theater, and other creative learning opportunities help students develop critical thinking, creativity, communication, and problem-solving skills while improving engagement and academic achievement. I support ensuring students from pre-K through higher education have access to high-quality arts education as part of a well-rounded education that prepares them for both careers and lifelong success.
Workforce: I would support portable benefits that allow freelancers and independent contractors to access affordable health coverage, retirement savings, paid leave, and workers’ compensation regardless of who hires them. I would also strengthen protections against wage theft, late payment, misclassification, and unfair contract terms while preserving the flexibility many independent workers value.
Wisconsin should expand access to affordable insurance through BadgerCare and marketplace options, create state-supported retirement savings opportunities, and make small-business grants, training, legal assistance, and low-cost capital available to self-employed workers. For artists and creative professionals, I would support public arts funding, creative-business incubators, affordable workspaces, and fair compensation in state-funded projects. Non-traditional workers contribute greatly to our economy and culture, and state policy should provide them with stability, opportunity, and basic economic security.
Personal Background: Music, Theatre, Photography, Media Arts, Fiber arts
Community Engagement: I’ve attended numerous local theater performances and events to support local arts organizations. In the last two years, predominately local groups – Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts, Sunset Playhouse in Elm Grove, and local elementary & high school stage productions.
Economic Growth: I believe economic growth starts with making Wisconsin a place where people want to live, work, start a business, and raise a family. That means keeping housing, childcare, healthcare, and transportation affordable; supporting small businesses with less red tape and more predictable rules; and investing in the community assets that help local economies thrive, including parks, libraries, downtowns, tourism, arts, and cultural organizations.
My priorities include making the Child Care Counts program permanent, expanding workforce housing through “missing middle” development, modernizing Wisconsin’s shared revenue system so communities can invest in the infrastructure businesses rely on, and ensuring state economic development incentives deliver measurable public benefits. I also support investing in passenger rail, broadband, and clean water infrastructure to connect communities, attract employers, and strengthen Wisconsin’s tourism economy. As a small business owner and project manager, I understand that employers need a skilled workforce, reliable infrastructure, and vibrant communities to compete and grow.
Education: My top priorities are fully funding public schools, increasing the state’s special education reimbursement rate, and creating a funding formula that keeps pace with inflation so districts can plan responsibly instead of relying on repeated referendums. I also support providing teachers with paid preparation and grading time, expanding school-based mental health services, and strengthening career and technical education, youth apprenticeships, and partnerships with technical colleges and employers.
Arts education and creative learning should be part of that vision. Music, theater, visual arts, and design build creativity, communication, and critical thinking—the same skills employers consistently seek. As the co-owner of a business that develops STEM education materials for schools, I’ve seen firsthand that hands-on learning and creativity help students develop confidence, curiosity, and problem-solving skills that prepare them for success in college, careers, and life.
Workforce: Wisconsin’s workforce policies need to reflect how people actually work today. That includes freelancers, independent contractors, artists, caregivers, and small business owners whose careers don’t fit a traditional employment model. I support expanding access to affordable healthcare through a BadgerCare public option, creating portable retirement savings options that workers can carry from job to job, and investing in workforce training, apprenticeships, and continuing education so people can keep pace with a changing economy.
I also support paid family and medical leave, stronger enforcement against worker misclassification, and expanding technical assistance and access to capital for entrepreneurs and creative professionals. Wisconsin’s artists, musicians, designers, writers, and other creative workers are small business owners and economic drivers in their own right. By supporting the creative economy alongside manufacturing, healthcare, technology, and the skilled trades, we strengthen both our workforce and our communities.
Personal Background: Music
Community Engagement: Nothing other than Milwaukee Symphony tickets.
Economic Growth:The best thing we could do for small business is to raise the minimum wage to $20/hour. Many in the hospitality and tourism industry would like to pay workers a living wage, but cannot do it without creating a competitive disadvantage for themselves. A universal hike in minimum wage would create minimal inflation, but would make it much better for workers in those industries. Artists (other than a lucky and very talented few) seem to be in the same category as care workers, hospitality workers and others who are treated as if they don’t really need to earn a living wage for the service they provide. That must change.
Education: We need full funding for our public schools, including a 90% reimbursement for Special Education. The easing of the financial crisis in schools will once again make it possible to have full arts curricula. The arts are important in school for many reasons: it is part of helping to form well-rounded people; it is a chance for some students to flourish whose particular gifts are artistic. And, we just need more beauty and joy in the world.
Full funding for schools, by the way, cannot happen if we do not raise taxes on the wealthiest people and on corporations. The extra money must come from the state, not local property taxes.
Workforce: First would be a Badger Care public option which could help a lot of people in the gig economy to get affordable, decent health insurance.
I like the idea of universal paid family leave, which could be funded much like we fund Workers’ Comp.
Finally, subsidized childcare would help a lot of people very much.
Personal Background: Music
Community Engagement: Yes. My husband and I have been Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra subscribers and supporters for many years.
Economic Growth: To strengthen economic growth and support small businesses across Wisconsin, I would prioritize policies that expand access to capital, reduce regulatory barriers, and invest in sectors like tourism, hospitality, and arts and cultural organizations that anchor our local economies. We should strengthen small business by expanding state-backed microloans and grants for start-ups. We should also invest in arts, culture, and creative industries by increasing stable, predictable state funding for these areas. To grow tourism and hospitality, I support expanding statewide tourism marketing, investing in infrastructure that supports tourism, and increasing paths to hospitality jobs through training programs and partnerships with local employers. As a longtime instructor at Waukesha County Technical College, I see firsthand how effective these training programs are.
Education: My top priorities for strengthening education outcomes center on expanding access, improving quality, and ensuring every learner, from early childhood through higher education, has opportunities to thrive academically, socially, and creatively. Arts education and creative learning are essential components of that vision. We must expand access to affordable, high-quality pre-K and Early Childhood Education. We must also make school funding more equitable so all students, regardless of geography have access to high-quality education. I will advocate for arts education in all school districts and support funding for theater, music, visual and digital arts. The orchestra program in my district had a profoundly positive effect on my sons and programming like this should be available for all kids. As an educator in the Wisconsin Technical College System, I will also prioritize strengthening access to a variety of post-secondary credential pathways like apprenticeships and early college opportunities for high school students because I witness the success of these programs every day.
Workforce: As more Wisconsinites earn their living through these types of positions, we need state policies that recognize and support this modern workforce. My priorities focus on improving economic stability, expanding access to benefits, and strengthening professional opportunities. I support expanding access to benefits by creating a public healthcare option, expanding BadgerCare, and offering options for state retirement programs that allow independent workers and small businesses to join. To improve economic stability, I support protections for freelance workers and expanding access to small business grants and microloans for independent contractors and creative professionals.
Personal Background: Music, Theatre, Media Arts
Community Engagement: My daughter was very active in choir and theater in high school and is studying theater management at Emerson College. I am a season subscriber to the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and a member of the Milwaukee Art Museum.
Economic Growth: As a member of the Joint Finance Committee I supported Governor Evers’ proposals to bring Wisconsin out of the very bottom of state investment in the arts!
Education: I am working on policies that will increase state investments in public education so that schools don’t have to choose between math and music, art and after-school tutoring. With increasing use of AI the arts have never been more important. As a former elementary school teacher and as a parent lucky enough to send kids to schools that value the arts, I am a strong supporter in the arts for ALL ages.
Workforce: I support a BadgerCare public option so that health care is not tied to employment, increasing the minimum wage, repealing Act 10, and strengthening collective bargaining.
Personal Background: Music, Visual Arts, Dance, Theatre, Photography, Literary Arts, Media Arts
Community Engagement: I am on the Board for the Rahr-West Art Museum
Economic Growth: The State has had a fairly active tourism bureau that I think could be well used to support intra-state tourism as well. I know it is difficult to measure the ROI on Public Funds spent in support of tourism and arts, but it does matter
Education: Strong support of all the Arts is vital throughput education. Here in Manitowoc, I have been an advocate for a broader view of Student Art Month to include the performing and the mechanical arts.
Workforce: I am an advocate for opening up our state run healthcare and pension system to anyone who wants to buy in. These folks should also be welcome.
Personal Background: Dance
Community Engagement: Yes! Our community hosts a regular Levitt Music Series at City Green that I often attend. I also regularly attend many Sheboygan Area School District plays and concerts. I have an annual membership to the Sheboygan Theater Company as well, and love getting to see their productions.
Economic Growth: We in Sheboygan county are blessed with a strong Sheboygan county economic development corporation. They are constantly being tapped into to assist in supporting existing small businesses and foster the growth of new ones. Economic development is critical, and must be planned for through cooperation between state and local governments and businesses. I will be a partner with local governments to craft legislation that they see fit to help benefit small business growth.
Education: My top priority in the Assembly will be fully funding public education in the state. When we were facing large budget cuts at the Sheboygan Area School District while I was superintendent, we made a point to preserve strong programs in the arts. Different students learn differently, and the arts are one way many people thrive. We need to make sure our students have access to the arts and pass legislation to support these opportunities in our schools.
Workforce: I support badgercare expansion to make sure everyone in the state has access to affordable healthcare.
Personal Background: Music, Theatre
Community Engagement: My wife and I often attend performances at the Phipps Center For the Arts in Hudson WI. My son Ben was very involved in the Children’s Theater as he was growing up. This organization is a gem for Hudson. It showcases amazing local talent in all types of art forms.
Economic Growth: Local artisans and cultural sites are a critical part of economic development in the state. Its tourism draw is undeniable. Just from a purely economic perspective the arts are a win for Wisconsin and should be supported by the state in forms of grants. Of equal importance is what art adds to our quality of life. Art reminds us of what unites us. I think we can all agree that coming together as a community and enjoying and celebrating the arts is good for the community.
Education: As a recently retired public educator I can say with certainty that education in the arts plays an essential role in providing our students with a diverse set opportunities. Our economy needs workers with a wide variety of skill sets.
Workforce: In the 23-24 legislative session a bill was proposed for a state run retirement plan market place for small business owners and individuals. This cost saving method would have increased access to these retirement accounts. This bill needs to be reintroduced. A state level public option for healthcare is another needed step to bring more affordable healthcare to every Wisconsin citizen.
Personal Background: Music, Theatre
Community Engagement: Regularly attend plays at Nicolet College theatre
Economic Growth: I think one of the best ways we can help small businesses, and the smaller cultural organizations we find in the Northwoods, is by a making a viable, affordable public option for Health Insurance available to their employees.
Education: End the Voucher system. At the very least increase funding for Special Education. Ideally we will revamp the current funding formula across the state.
Workforce: At the state level we can provide a public option for Health Insurance. Especially in rural areas this will help when we have little to no competition for Health Insurance. At the national level I would like to see Universal Healthcare and we need to fix Social Security now!
Personal Background: Music, Theatre, Literary Arts
Community Engagement: local concert association
Economic Growth: Policies that make it easier for small businesses to spread out their tax obligations over time would take some pressure off of the type of economic activity that can take years to show a positive return.
Education: Currently, art programs are among the first to be cut from school when budgets are tight. I would favor DPI requiring schools to offer art programs K-12 in order to maintain accreditation.
Workforce: BadgerCare expansion would create an environment in which artists could focus on their work rather than have their work be avocations that come after they have worked for someone else all day just to get health insurance.
Personal Background: No background in the arts
Community Engagement: Yes, local live music in many different venues.
Economic Growth: Knowles Nelson DNR Grants. Live music venue support, and small business and entrepreneurship stimulation.
Education: Encourage foreign language study and acquisition, arts, and culture to strengthen communities.
Workforce: Extend state healthcare options to all Wisconsinites to opt in.
Personal Background: Music, Theatre
Community Engagement: American Players Theater – attend yearly performances, yearly tour
Circus World – attend yearly, past performer
Ov erature center – yearly performance membership
ALL theaters and Theater Guilds in my district – Zona Gale, Baraboo Theater Guild, UW Baraboo Theater, Sauk Prairie Arts Center
All Madison Theaters and performances involving art exhibits, plays, musicals, orchestra
Opera in the Park – patron and sponsor
Ringling Bros & Barnum and Bailey Circus performer/director 30+ years
Economic Growth: There are several policies that I would prioritize to help support economic growth and small businesses. Specifically, we need to renew programs like the Main Street Bounceback program, invest in arts funding, and enable municipalities to reap the benefits of tourism through the increased regulation of short-term rentals.
First, I believe that we need to invest in programs like the Main Street Bounceback program and other grants programs that stimulate small businesses. Small businesses have an outsized impact on their communities and are the backbone of rural Wisconsin. Many have not fully recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic and need support to sustain their operations or expand.
In addition to small business-specific grant programs, we need to increase arts funding generally in the state of Wisconsin. Wisconsin is far behind neighboring states in arts funding despite the incredible economic impact arts and culture programs have. Investing in the arts is an investment in our communities’ economy, education, and health.
Other policy priorities that could help municipalities benefit more from tourism would be the increased regulation of short-term rentals. A growing issue is single-family houses and affordable residences being bought up by hedge funds or converted into short-term rentals for platforms like Air BnB. When properties are bought for investment purposes, they often sit empty for the majority of the time. Additionally, when residential properties are converted into short-term rentals, they place upward pressure on home prices and rents which prices people out of their communities. Municipalities also lose out on revenue from a loss of “room tax”. I have heard from constituents across the 40th District that because of these short-term rentals they aren’t able to accurately estimate the amount of vacation housing that is available.
Education: My top priority in strengthening education outcomes is increasing general and categorical aid to school districts. It is crucial that we prioritize public schools in a number of impactful ways. School funding needs to be addressed by increasing general school aid and other categorical aids like transportation aid and the special education reimbursement rate. An increase in general school aid is essential in supporting our students and educators by decreasing class sizes and increasing educational opportunities and offerings. General school aid is also where most arts education comes from, and increasing that funding would allow districts to expand art and music opportunities. An increase in transportation aid would be meaningful for school district budgets, especially rural districts. An increase in the special education aid to a reimbursement rate of 90% would also have a positive impact on district budgets and improve outcomes for students with disabilities. The State of Wisconsin also needs to invest in our educators through things like Grow Your Own teacher programs and other scholarship programs. When higher education and professional development for educators is more accessible, districts and students benefit.
For the pre-K level, it is crucial that we fund childcare programs. Childcare is fundamental to early childhood development and education, but Wisconsin’s childcare industry is struggling with operational costs rising faster than families can afford. With the reauthorization of programs like Childcare Counts, we could help re-stabilize the industry by providing essential relief to early childhood education providers.
Workforce: I would support measures that strengthen protections for workers in non-traditional employment arrangements and seek to create opportunities for them to opt-in to benefits.
To strengthen protections, Wisconsin could take inspiration from legislation such as California’s Freelance Worker Protection Act (FWPA). Some of the important protections in that legislation include the requirement of timely payment and written contracts prior to rendering services. In addition to these requirements, the act also prohibits discrimination, retaliation, and the changing of terms as a condition of timely payment.
It is also important to allow those with non-traditional employment arrangements to be able to opt-into family and medical paid leave. When workers are allowed to opt-in to these benefits, they are able to have the security and protection of supplemental income when they are unable to work. This is crucial to the wellbeing of the worker and improves long-term financial stability.
Personal Background: Music, Visual Arts, Dance, Theatre, Photography, Literary Arts
Community Engagement: I am a contributor to WPR and a member of my city’s Whitewater Arts Alliance. While on city council, I created an arts board so that we could fund local art projects around the city. I drive into Madison, Milwaukee, and Spring Green regularly to attend and support arts events.
Economic Growth: I would prioritize projects that help cities create more third spaces and a walkable environment to enjoy public art. Local cultural organizations are often the cultural soul of a city, and need more support for their projects. I would like to see small businesses rewarded for creating pleasing events and spaces for people to participate and lounge. My master’s work was in the built environment and public health. I deeply understand the need to make our urban environments more walkable, and more interesting and beautiful, creating healthy habits and more eyes on the street. I created a souped up farmers market in our little town where people can listen to music, bring their children and pets, have a refreshing drink. I also think there should be more public funding for fun parks, park benches, murals, artistic concrete work, great sidewalks, sculptures, skate parks, gathering spaces, bandstands, mosaics, and other things that give cities charm and bring people pride and whimsy.
Education: We should be prioritizing language and the arts. All other education actually stems from there. Beauty not only keeps us sane, the effort to create that beauty is often what helps encourage people to learn the hard skills and diligence it takes to create that beauty. It sickens me that when schools lose funding, the first thing they cut is music, art, and language. My caucus has a plan to restore special education funding for schools in a sustainable way that doesn’t force schools to cut the most important subjects. In fact, we have a plan to do it that will not raise property taxes. Farther down the road, I think we need to revamp our education degrees in college, make them more difficult and harder to get into, pay our teachers a lot more, and make education a career that everyone respects.
Workforce: I will work toward making sure that healthcare is accessible and affordable so that entrepreneurs can start a business with the knowledge that they can afford their healthcare. This may be making it possible to buy into Badgercare, but I would like to move toward single payer healthcare or something very similar. My caucus has also discussed opening up the Wisconsin retirement system, which is well-managed, so that entrepreneurs can save for their retirement.
Personal Background: Visual Arts
Personal Background: Music, Visual Arts, Dance, Theatre, Photography, Literary Arts, Media Arts
Community Engagement: Yes. I play in a band with my fiance and we also both act in local theatre. She has been active all her life in theatre. Mostly, but not limited to working with the Monroe Theatre Guild.
Economic Growth: Real economic growth comes from the bottom up. This means making sure people actually have money to spend after paying the bills they need to survive. I would start with fighting to raise the minimum wage to at least $25 or $26 to get back to where it was when first implemented and permanently chain it to inflation, cost of living and increases in worker productivity so we don’t get left behind again. Small and local business relies heavily on people having disposable income.
We also need public banking as well as anti-monopoly laws to make it easier for small businesses to start up, thrive and survive.
We need to make it easier for employees in these industries (and all, really) to unionize.
We need a single payer healthcare option so employees have the freedom to explore other opportunities without putting their livelihood at risk.
I would also author or sponsor bills to increase funding for arts programs, both in schools as well as in the community. Art is the signature byproduct of a free and prosperous people. Other nations and states do this and are leaving us in the dust. We used to be the cultural Capitol of the world. It was no accident.
Education: I plan to support AB1209 and tax the wealthiest to pay their fair share and end the zip-code-based apartheid education funding in Wisconsin for good as well as ending the school voucher program once and for all. Your chance to succeed in life should not be decided by where you live or by how rich your family is. I also want to massively increase funding in arts education at all levels of education. Studies have shown that these things rewire the brain in a way that increases neuro-connectivity and prefrontal cortex development, increasing overall brain function and intelligence. We also need to pay teachers way more than they are being paid now so it can be a rewarding career instead of being punished and demonized.
Workforce: The gig economy is nothing more than a work-around for corporations to get out of following labor laws, and providing benefits. Jobs are jobs and the ones providing those jobs are employers and should be treated and regulated as such. We need to close that “contractor” loophole. They should also be able to unionize and have collective bargaining rights. A select few are getting obscenely wealthy by stealing the fruits of our labor and doing little to no work themselves. All of this while not even holding up their end of the bargain as employers.
Personal Background: Music
Community Engagement: Yes. Often. I attend Fox Valley Symphony concerts a couple of times a season, see a few shows at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center and the wonderful free concerts at Lawrence University where my sister is an alum and my niece is a student in choir. I also attend Mile of Music Concerts. I am also a member of the Trout Museum of Art and attend openings.
Economic Growth: I think Wisconsin needs to raise its per capita arts spending significantly. I think this can be done thorugh supported grands via WEDC that encourage the creation of art and music.
Education: The state should fund special education reimbursement to 60%+ and increase it’s investment in the general fund to start. When we fully fund public schools, we know that programs like music and the arts are supported. They are often the first cut during deficit and budget crisis as the general public see them as optional and not core curriculum.
Workforce: We need a public healthcare option not tied to employment so that freelancers and others can buy into Badgercare at an affordable rate for quality care. We need paid family leave for all and we need to accept the federal Medicaid expansion. I think it is also work looking into reduced rate housing for artists and creators.
Personal Background: Music, Theater
Community Engagement: We have gone to all the museums locally that I know of. Also some high school plays
Economic Growth: Lowering property taxes to start. Which would allow people to have more to spend on participating in the arts. Would love to find a way to increase tourism, which again would help increase spending in the arts community.
Education: Arts should be a part of any school. My daughters were all very talented in that area.
I think we need to find a way to improve education outcomes for kids, not just throw money at the issue without seeing good results. Arts are very important for younger students and should be available as kids progress through the grades.
Workforce: I have owned my own businesses for 30 years, so I know the struggles of affording healthcare. I know this can be improved. When people are just starting out there should be affordable options for them to have a health plan whether single or a young family. Insurance companies need to work with the state on this.
Personal Background: No background in the arts
Community Engagement: Live music at local bars and fairs
Economic Growth: Wisconsin’s arts, tourism, hospitality, and cultural organizations contribute to local economies by attracting visitors, supporting small businesses, and creating jobs. My priority is creating an environment where all businesses can succeed by reducing unnecessary regulations, supporting workforce development, and investing in safe communities and reliable infrastructure. Government should create opportunity—not pick winners and losers—and I appreciate the role local arts and cultural organizations play in strengthening our communities and economy.
Education: My priority is ensuring every student receives a strong foundation in reading, writing, math, science, civics, and career readiness. I believe parents, teachers, and local school districts are best positioned to meet the needs of their communities while maintaining high academic standards. Arts education can play a valuable role in developing creativity, communication, and critical thinking, but it should complement—not replace—a strong focus on core academics and preparing students for college, technical careers, military service, or the workforce.
Workforce: Wisconsin should make it easier for independent contractors, freelancers, artists, and other self-employed professionals to succeed by reducing unnecessary regulations, lowering taxes where possible, and expanding access to affordable health insurance options. I also support policies that encourage entrepreneurship, protect the flexibility that independent work provides, and create an economic environment where small businesses and self-employed individuals can grow and prosper.
Personal Background: Music, Dance
Community Engagement: Plays and galleries in Milwaukee. Plays, Peninsula Players in Door County, Birch Creek youth camp all instruments performances
Economic Growth: Legislation to support and monies to advertise and support all sectors of our way of life. To invest in human capital funding thru education and training. I support state wide Arts and tourism grants.. I support the small business development grant programs. I support institutional partnerships. I support film and production incentives.
I what small businesses to be protected from being squeezed out by corporate chains .
Education: I support our public schools who do not get the funding needed. I support a 66% funding level and a 100% level for special ed. I do not support voucher school that take away funding from our public schools. Many school in our stat are facing referendums because of not being funded. This causes public schools to cut back or eliminate programs and teachers in the specials such as art and music. This is not fair and I would seek legislation to tackle this problem
Workforce: The gig economy faces complex issues. They deserve respect. They must feel supported. We need to classify workers to avoid legal and financial problems. We need to pay attention to the culture and the community. Support and embrace flexibility in the work life balance. Establish a recruiting strategy for hiring. Be fair about compensation for services provided. Pass legislation to support Gig and all workers.
Personal Background: Music, Visual Arts, Dance, Theatre, Literary Arts
Community Engagement: I have sung with South Shore Chorale, the largest volunteer choir in the Fond du Lac area. My children and husband have been very active in Fond du Lac Community Theatre, and I support them in all of their productions. Two of my children also sing in the Fond du Lac Area Children’s Chorale, and all three of them take dance classes, so I support them and attend all of their performances. I attend visual art exhibits and concerts in the Fond du Lac area as I am able to, as well. We are so fortunate in my district to have a thriving arts community!
Economic Growth: We saw a great deal of success with the Main Street Bounceback Program, which supported small businesses and nonprofits with grant funds to get them into vacant spaces in their communities. In my work on the Fond du Lac City Council, we worked to mirror this program by allocating funds to the Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership to create grant programs for new businesses and experience generators. I would support a statewide program to provide this type of funding to help create and enhance small businesses and nonprofits, especially those that focus on arts and culture. I see a great deal of value in supporting the arts, as this increases tourism and brings dollars into our local economies.
Education: One of the main reasons I am running for State Assembly is to address our state’s broken education funding system. We need a more equitable and sustainable funding system in Wisconsin. Currently we rely on a system which has required many school districts to go to referendum to address budget deficits. For the districts that are unable to pass referendums, we are seeing them cutting staff and programs, leaving those students with less access to educational opportunities that their peers might get in better-funded districts. I will prioritize working to fix education funding—including special education funding—to ensure all students have access to a quality public education, which would absolutely include access to arts education and creative learning opportunities. I see the tremendous value of arts education from my own experience and my children’s experiences, and all of Wisconsin’s kids should have opportunities to participate in art, music, and other creative outlets in their schools.
Workforce: As we see more workers participating in the “gig economy,” we need to start by expanding healthcare access and ensuring healthcare is more affordable. We could start by expanding Medicaid access in Wisconsin. We need to look at ways to ensure all workers have access to retirement accounts. As someone who would be in my first term in state office if elected to the Assembly, I would be willing to work with fellow legislators to find solutions. Above all, I support workers’ rights and will be committed to finding ways to support hardworking Wisconsinites, who shouldn’t have to worry about how they are going to afford healthcare or retirement.
Personal Background: Music, Photography, Media Arts
Community Engagement: Yes, I have attended multiple high school plays, musicals, band and orchestra concerts, and music competitions at Greendale High School and the surrounding community, as well as several Milwaukee area community theatre productions. Until recently, my family also maintained membership at the Milwaukee Art Museum.
Economic Growth: I support policies that strengthen small businesses, tourism, hospitality, and arts organizations as economic engines contributing to local quality of life. I would look to expand Wisconsin Fast Forward grants for workforce training, reduce regulatory burdens for startups, and improve capital access through CDFIs serving underserved communities. Simplify procurement processes so small businesses can compete for state and local contracts.
I would work to increase Wisconsin Department of Tourism funding to promote cultural tourism, leveraging findings that arts and culture grew at twice the U.S. economy’s rate, adding $1.2 trillion in 2023. Support local breweries, restaurants, and hotels through targeted marketing and infrastructure improvements.
Protect Wisconsin Arts Board funding, recognizing nonprofit arts generated $166.3 billion nationally, supporting 4.6 million jobs and $27.5 billion in government revenue. Arts events drive an average of $31.47 per attendee in ancillary spending (dining, parking, retail)—economic multipliers benefiting Main Street businesses. As a former Milwaukee Art Museum member and current Greendale HS arts supporter, I’ve seen how arts attract talent and retain residents. Communities without cultural offerings lose discretionary spending to other regions.
Small businesses comprise a sizable portion of Wisconsin’s economic backbone. Arts organizations employ locally, purchase goods locally, and are Chamber of Commerce members—true community partners.
Education: My top priorities for strengthening education outcomes are equitable school funding, STEM expansion, and preserving arts education as essential to well-rounded learning. Restore state commitment to cover two-thirds of school costs, reversing 600+ school closures and 7% enrollment decline. As Greendale School Board treasurer, I worked to maintain arts opportunities despite budget and curriculum pressures.
Arts education should be fully funded from pre-K through higher education, not treated as expendable extras. Research shows arts learning improves empathy, school engagement, student discipline, and writing achievement. Work to partner schools with cultural and community organizations to expand opportunities and access to the arts.
I will advocate for both robotics teams and theater programs as fully funded extracurriculars—my attendance at HS performances shows I value both equally. Arts course completion links to greater academic achievement, high school graduation, and post-graduation success. OECD recognizes creative thinking among top skills employers value. My pharmacy career requires creativity and empathy—skills arts cultivate. Well-rounded education produces innovative problem-solvers, not just test-takers.
Workforce: As the individual contractor economy grows, Wisconsin must update policies to protect freelancers, independent contractors, and creative professionals who lack traditional employment benefits.
I would support BadgerCare Public Option legislation allowing all Wisconsinites to purchase coverage regardless of income, creating competition and leveraging state negotiating power for lower drug and hospital prices. Expand Medicaid eligibility to close coverage gaps for low-income workers. Enable individual participation in the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS), currently limited to public employees. Freelancers and small business owners should access the same low-cost, professionally managed retirement plans as state workers.
Create portable benefits systems unattached to single employers, allowing freelancers to accumulate health, retirement, and paid leave benefits across multiple contracts/jobs. Establish a state-based healthcare exchange for better consumer protections and enrollment support. Work to expand Wisconsin Fast Forward grants for freelance skill development, particularly in creative sectors. Partner with arts organizations and colleges to provide business training for creative entrepreneurs.
As a healthcare professional managing behavioral health patients, I’ve seen how insurance gaps harm families. Freelancers deserve economic security without sacrificing flexibility. My school board experience shows public systems can efficiently serve diverse populations.
Personal Background: Music, Theatre, Literary Arts
Community Engagement: Growing up in Wisconsin, my family were patrons of the American Players Theatre and Overture Center in Madison, and I regularly attended shows and plays, becoming acquainted with the arts scene in our state’s capital.
Since moving back to the state, I have been looking to explore the vibrant arts scene in Milwaukee and the surrounding areas, including the Milwaukee Art Museum, Skylight Theatre, and Pabst Theater. I am also looking to become a member of the Milwaukee Public Museum . I regularly attend the Greendale Farmer’s Market to support local artists directly and am impressed by their continued dedication to the arts despite the lack of existing state support.
Economic Growth: Small businesses are the backbone of our communities, and the arts community in Wisconsin depends on them, from local galleries and music venues to the coffee shops that host open mic nights. Right now, it’s harder than ever to start and sustain a small business in our state. That’s why my affordability agenda includes small businesses, not just households.
First, we need to make it more affordable for small businesses to provide healthcare to their employees. The rising cost of insurance is one of the biggest burdens small business owners face, and I support expanding state tax credits to help them offer coverage without cutting into wages or forcing impossible tradeoffs.
Second, we need commonsense regulatory reform. Small business owners shouldn’t need a compliance department to navigate state requirements. I’ll work to streamline licensing and permitting so entrepreneurs, including working artists and creative businesses, can spend less time on paperwork and more time serving their communities.
Third, we need to reform our corporate tax structure so a five-person shop isn’t paying the same effective rate as a massive corporation. Our tax code should reflect the difference between a Main Street business and a multinational company.
When small businesses thrive, local arts thrive alongside them. I would also support increased funding for cultural organizations through the Wisconsin Arts Board and pursue public-private partnerships that give local artists more opportunities to showcase their work in their own communities.
Education: I understand the critical role that education plays in improving the outcomes for our next generations. The state currently is not fully funding our public schools, which creates critical gaps in support for our children. I support using existing state funds to fully fund public schools, which will also lower property taxes for individuals, improving affordability and giving Wisconsinites more funds to live comfortably. Once our schools are funded, I also support increasing the role of arts education in our curricula, as I’ve seen the benefits that the arts have played in my own upbringing and broadening my perspectives on the world around me. Kids should be exposed to a variety of different perspectives, and using the arts to do so benefits everyone. I believe that arts education makes better citizens and better people.
Workforce: As our economy continues to change, it is important that we don’t leave everyday people fending for themselves. That’s why I support improving healthcare access for all citizens through a public option at the state level. This would improve access by giving a low cost alternative to the rising healthcare premiums, especially for freelance and contract workers, lower costs across the board through competition, and allow these creatives to not worry about how they are going to pay for healthcare. I also support lowering property taxes to lessen the economic burden that they play in the lives of working class Wisconsin residents. I understand how hard it is to get by in this state right now, and I will fight for any measures that will lower costs and put more money in your pocket.
Personal Background: Music, Dance, Photography, Media Arts
Community Engagement: Yes. Over the past two years, I have attended and supported events through the United Performing Arts Fund (UPAF), including making a financial contribution at a recent fundraiser. I also attend performances to support friends involved in spoken word and the performing arts. As a licensed mental health professional, I understand the therapeutic value of creative expression and regularly incorporate art-based approaches into my work with clients. Supporting arts and cultural organizations reflects my belief that the arts are an essential part of individual well-being, community connection, and healing.
Economic Growth: I would support expanding access to grants, low-interest loans, and technical assistance programs for small business owners. I also believe we should reduce unnecessary barriers and ensure economic development resources are distributed fairly and equitably.
Education: I support modernizing Wisconsin’s school funding formula to ensure resources are directed where they are needed most. That includes increasing support for students from low-income families, fully funding special education so costs are not shifted onto local property taxpayers, strengthening support for bilingual and multilingual learners, and ensuring school funding keeps pace with inflation.
I also support providing additional assistance to rural districts that face unique challenges in delivering educational services. Every child deserves access to a high quality education, and our funding system should reflect student needs while reducing the reliance on recurring school referendums to maintain basic services.
Arts education should be a core part of that investment. Creative learning opportunities help students develop critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and collaboration skills while supporting academic achievement and student engagement. Every student, from pre-K through higher education, should have access to a well rounded education that includes the arts.
Workforce: As the workforce continues to evolve, our policies should evolve with it. Freelancers, independent contractors, artists, and other self-employed workers deserve access to affordable healthcare, retirement savings opportunities, and other benefits that provide long-term economic security. I support exploring state policies that make these benefits more accessible and portable so workers are not penalized for choosing nontraditional career paths. Every worker, regardless of how they earn a living, deserves the opportunity to build financial stability and plan for the future.
Personal Background: Music, Literary Arts
Community Engagement: We own a local business that partners with the Lemon Street Art Gallery, which puts on a monthly art market in the summer months. We also sponsor several music festivals in Kenosha: The Kenosha Pops, Tuesdays at the Shell, the Peacetime Music Festival, and Midwest Mix Fest. We also book live music at our establishment Wednesday – Sunday.
Economic Growth: As a local business owner that books live music and arts and crafts shows every week we understand the connection between the economy and the arts. Kenosha is a tourist economy. I sing with a local German choir that performs regularly and own a business that books live music five days a week, including open mics and jams. Our business is also part of the Union Park Arts District in Kenosha.
Education: I am a former colleges professor and have served as a trustee of Gateway Technical College. Education is essential to developing critical and adaptive thinking skills. I believe that we should dramatically increase the budget of the Wisconsin Arts Board and prioritize music education in our schools.
Workforce: We need to expand BadgerCare and offer a pubic option. We also need to offer a public option for people to buy into the Wisconsin Retirement System.
Personal Background: Music, Theatre, Photography, Literary Arts
Community Engagement: In the past two years I’ve attended over a dozen events at the Pablo Center and the Eau Claire Children’s Theatre. As an author, I’ve done presentations about my books, including a public presentation in Black River Falls last year, and I attend other author events.
Economic Growth: Wisconsin spends about 20 cents per capita on arts funding which seems pathetic next to Minnesota’s $10.07. Their Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund receives about $70 million annually due to their Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment, of which 47% is allocated to the state arts board. Wisconsin needs to increase investment in the Wisconsin Arts Board. This would allow for broader grant distribution, such as the Creative Communities program. And we could offer substantial grants to individual artists like Minnesota does. But we also need to acknowledge that a larger investment would make arts and cultural opportunities accessible to Wisconsinites. I fully support the program for Rural Creative Economy Development.
Education: First, keep public dollars in public schools. Put transparency in our property tax statements so we know where money for our local public schools is being siphoned. Fully fund public schools. Wisconsin ranks 48th in per capita arts funding. Pre-K -12 arts education and creative learning opportunities are an absolute necessity if Wisconsin is going to be considered a place where arts and culture thrive. Public schools need to teach the arts right alongside STEM.
Workforce: As a freelance writer, I am one of these workers. Fortunately, my husband’s job provided health insurance. But most of us are left hanging with no retirement other than what we manage to set aside. Wisconsin’s motto is Forward and we need to embrace that by building an industry around arts and culture within which former freelancers can thrive with consistent income that includes benefits. There should be tax incentives as well as advocacy that stresses the importance of the arts to communities, the economy, and the culture of our state. Creativity could exist inside of the economy as a permanent workforce, not just a part-time gig.
Personal Background: Music, Visual Arts, Dance, Theatre, Photography, Literary Arts
Community Engagement: Yes, CREATE Portage County, Central Wisconsin ACT, Overture Center for the Arts, Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, etc, etc.
Economic Growth: Creating a Minnesota style funding model for the creative economy.
Education: Fully funding our public schools, including the arts and music, so that our children have ample opportunities to creatively express themselves and maximize their learning potential.
Workforce: Wisconsin has been left in the dark regarding program creation and funding for our creative economy. We need to seriously consider a per capita increase to our creative economy funding formula so that communities have the opportunity to apply for grants for placemaking and increased tourism.
Additionally, significant health benefits could be attained through the BadgerCare Public Option bill we proposed, which would allow individuals and small businesses to opt in to insure themselves and their employees.
Personal Background: Music, Theatre
Community Engagement: Long before I became a candidate, I regularly attended community festivals, cultural events, local performances, museums, and historic celebrations throughout central Wisconsin because I enjoy learning about the communities that make our state unique. Since beginning my campaign, I have continued to make these events a priority, recognizing that the arts and cultural organizations are essential to preserving our history, supporting local economies, attracting tourism, and bringing people together. As someone who is also pursuing creative projects of my own centered on Wisconsin’s landscapes and stories, I have an even greater appreciation for the work of artists, musicians, writers, and cultural organizations. If elected, I look forward to continuing those relationships and ensuring the arts have a seat at the table in conversations about education, economic development, and community investment.
Economic Growth: Wisconsin’s economy is strongest when our small businesses and communities succeed together. I would prioritize policies that reduce unnecessary barriers for entrepreneurs, invest in workforce development, expand reliable broadband, and support the infrastructure that allows businesses to grow in both rural and urban communities.
My career in hospitality has shown me firsthand how tourism creates a ripple effect that benefits restaurants, hotels, retail shops, local attractions, artists, and cultural organizations. Visitors don’t just spend money at one location—they support entire communities. That’s why investing in tourism, preserving our historic and cultural assets, and promoting local events are smart economic investments.
I also believe we should continue supporting the arts because they are both an economic driver and an important part of our quality of life. Strong communities attract businesses and families when they offer vibrant downtowns, cultural experiences, public spaces, and opportunities for creativity.
Economic growth isn’t about picking winners and losers. It’s about creating an environment where small businesses, family farms, manufacturers, nonprofits, artists, and entrepreneurs all have the opportunity to succeed. Government should be a partner that helps communities thrive, not an obstacle they have to overcome.
Education: Some of my favorite memories from grade school were in art class. Looking back as an adult, I have an even greater appreciation for my teacher. Art wasn’t even her primary subject—language arts was—but she made sure we experienced the joy of creating. She taught us that art wasn’t about being perfect; it was about expressing ourselves, trying new things, and seeing the world a little differently. I don’t think I appreciated what she was doing at the time, but I certainly do now.
Those experiences helped shape my belief that arts education is an essential part of a well-rounded education, not an extracurricular luxury. Every child deserves access to music, visual arts, theater, and creative writing because those experiences foster creativity, confidence, critical thinking, and curiosity.
My priorities for education are ensuring our public schools are adequately funded, supporting and retaining great teachers, expanding career and technical education, and giving every student the opportunity to succeed. As technology continues to reshape our world, creativity will become just as valuable as technical skills. We should encourage opportunities that allow students to combine the arts with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics so they are prepared for the future.
Strong public schools build strong communities, and that means investing in both academic excellence and the creative opportunities that help students discover who they are.
Workforce: My career has allowed me to experience the workforce from several perspectives—as an employee, a manager, a consultant, and now as someone building a small creative business. Each role has taught me that independent workers, freelancers, artists, and entrepreneurs make important contributions to Wisconsin’s economy, but they often face unique challenges when it comes to affordable health insurance, retirement savings, and financial stability.
I support policies that expand access to affordable healthcare, encourage portable retirement savings options, and provide practical resources that help independent workers start and grow successful businesses. We should also continue investing in workforce development, broadband access, and small business programs that help creative professionals reach new markets and customers.
Wisconsin has a long tradition of innovation, craftsmanship, and entrepreneurship. Whether someone is an artist, musician, writer, software developer, tradesperson, or consultant, they deserve the opportunity to build a sustainable career without unnecessary barriers. Government’s role should be to create an environment where people have the tools and opportunities to succeed while allowing them the freedom to pursue their own path.
As I’ve worked to build my own creative business, I’ve gained a new appreciation for the courage it takes to turn an idea into a livelihood. It’s exciting, but it’s also challenging. That experience has reinforced my belief that Wisconsin should be a place where innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship are encouraged and supported.
Personal Background: Music, Photography, Literary Arts
Community Engagement: Community theatre has a big presence in my district, and I regularly attend shows. I’m also a huge fan of live music and attend local shows regularly, be they large acts that visit our seasonal venue in Bayfield or smaller, homegrown bands. In my first term in the legislature, I was a strong supporter of the film tax credit that was passed and signed into law.
Economic Growth: We need to fund arts and culture as an economic development strategy. There is a well-developed body of research that makes clear that investments in the arts is a smart use of money. This is why I have advocated for an increase in funding that could go to statewide arts grants. We also need to address the cost of housing as a foundational requirement for any tourism / arts economy. There are many artists in my district who figure out how to get by financially so that they can commit as much time as possible to their craft, but that is made much, much harder when housing becomes too expensive. My district is also a major tourism hub, and we have a large number of employees who come to the region for seasonal work. They all need housing!
Education: My top educational priorities include: increasing funding at the k-12 and higher-ed levels; advocating for holistic education grounded in the liberal arts; and strengthening the teaching profession by ensuring that educators are able to have dignified careers. I whole-heartedly believe that the arts have a critical role to play in education. Education should be focused on helping people to become whoever they are, and it plays a key role in helping us learn how to create a flourishing life. I was a professor of sociology at a small liberal arts college for 12 years, and in that time, I became evermore convinced that to help people discover their purpose and meaning, we have to provide them with a wide array of intellectual and creative opportunities. Education is not first and foremost getting a job; it is the path we walk as we figure out what we can contribute to the world, and we need to craft policies that value education at this deeper, more human level.
Workforce: We need a universal healthcare system that is not tied to employment for many reasons, not least because it would allow people more freedom to pursue their passions rather than being tied to a job simply for healthcare. While this would have to be a federal initiative, I support expanding Badgercare access and creating a state public option as a step in that direction. Retirement is a tougher nut to crack at the state level, though I am open to looking at any policy idea.
Personal Background: Music, Theatre, Photography
Community Engagement: I have attended many concerts at the Indianhead Harts Center in Shel Lake, WI. Amazing talent from all around the world.
Economic Growth: I’m prepared to ask that the art center be given a grant to expand their season into the winter bringing in Shakespeare.
Education: Our schools seem to threaten dropping the arts as funding is reduced. We need to enpower students and staff to resist and support our schools.
Workforce: Healthcare should be a right, all deserve no matter the income.
Personal Background: Music, Visual Arts, Theatre, Literary Arts, Media Arts
Community Engagement: As an artist myself, I’m constantly creating art. From performing as a comedian, writer, and actor, I support the arts by engaging with other artists and attending performances in our community. As an alder on the Madison Common Council, I’ve also served on our city’s Arts Commission. My small business, Lady Laughs Comedy, has produced comedy shows and podcasts and has trained artists in stand up, camera acting, sketch comedy, script writing, as well as the business of the arts.
Art is a powerful tool of resistance and community building. It brings us together. At a time when the humanities are under attack and our freedom of expression is being undermined, we can’t lose sight of the value of the arts and the role they play in our society. I’m fiercely committed to that.
Economic Growth: As a small business owner, I know that when our small businesses do well, our economy does well. That includes the artists, performers, and cultural organizations that bring people into our downtowns and Main Streets and give visitors a reason to stay.
In the Assembly, I will fight to expand access to low interest loans and targeted forgiveness programs so that creative entrepreneurs and small business owners are not locked out of getting started. I will work to create a one-stop-shop licensing system that standardizes timelines across the state to thirty days or less, because red tape should never be the reason a business can’t open its doors. I will support Community Development Financial Institutions that serve small businesses often overlooked by traditional lenders, and I will push for Main Street revitalization grants that help communities fill vacant storefronts with the kind of local shops, galleries, and venues that strengthen a community and give it a sense of meaning, unity, and character.
Tourism, hospitality, and the arts are not separate from our economy and cannot be seen as such. They are part of what makes people want to live, work, visit, and build a life here. As someone who has worked in the arts and entertainment industry for most of my life, I know that firsthand.
Education: Wisconsin has a constitutional obligation to fund public education, and it’s time we finally meet it. My top priority is fully funding our public schools so districts are not forced to rely on referendums just to keep the lights on. That means raising the special education reimbursement rate to at least ninety percent, increasing general aid, giving teachers a raise, stopping the voucher school program that siphons taxpayer dollars from public school classrooms, and making sure every child has access to free healthy meals and real mental health support at school. We can do all of these things, and fixing our broken school funding formula is the first step.
Education also doesn’t stop at high school. I’ll fight for more affordable tuition at our public colleges and universities and work to offer free community college to all Wisconsin residents. When we invest in education, we are investing in our future. And I will always invest in our future first.
A well-rounded education gives our kids more than one way to find their voice, and for a lot of students, music, theatre, and visual arts are where they first find their confidence and sense of self. When schools are forced to cut budgets, arts programs are all too often the first to go. That couldn’t be more backwards. I will fight to make sure our schools are fully funded so that artistic and creative learning are not treated as expendable.
Workforce: For most of my career, I’ve worked in the service industry for $2.33 an hour plus tips. I built a small creative business of my own and pieced together gig work to barely make ends meet. I know what it’s like to live without the benefits and safety net that comes with a traditional job, and I know that I’m not alone. That is exactly how so many of our artists, musicians, and performers get by in this economy.
As a State Representative, I will raise the minimum wage and tie future increases to inflation. I’ll invest in truly affordable housing, fully funded public schools, and universal childcare to make life more affordable for working families. I’ll fight for healthcare as a human right, including a BadgerCare public option with lower premiums and greater coverage, so that freelancers and independent workers are not one medical emergency away from bankruptcy simply because they don’t have a traditional employer. I will pass paid family and medical leave for all workers, not just those with a W-2. And I will support portable benefits models that allow creative and gig workers to build toward retirement and access health coverage that follows them from job to job, because your economic stability and dignity should not depend on what kind of paycheck you get.
Personal Background: Culinary Arts
Community Engagement: From hiring BIPOC queer and trans artists for events to supporting local artists and musicians, Juliana finds ways to support community art both personally and professionally. She also enjoys visiting local art vendors at Madison events such as the Farmers’ Market, Art on the Square, and mini pop up fairs. Her favorite event is the annual Black Arts Matter Festival at UW-Madison. She enjoys supporting live local music, including our campaign manager’s band, Hospitality Suite. Our campaign also partnered with two young Black artists to paint large signs, documenting their stories, and highlighting our lack of funding for the arts compared to other states.
Economic Growth: Juliana believes that we can have more public projects that include and pay local artists. Wisconsin has a rich art history and an equally unique community whose skills we can showcase through inclusion in local construction and renovation projects. Unfortunately, Wisconsin has one of the lowest investments into the arts in the country. The rising cost of living has lessened the communities’ ability to participate in art, and rising property costs makes renting studio spaces even more difficult. Juliana supports the Wisconsin Art Board’s community grants to encourage arts education, cultural understanding, and community arts development through the Creative Communities program. Additionally, investment into local art is what makes Wisconsin unique and helps boost local economies through tourism. So, the state can support artists through public projects so that the art community does not have to rely on private projects and donors.
Education: How is it, in 2026, that public education is still being actively defunded? For over a decade, Republicans have played petty partisan politics with our kids and their future. This past budget cycle was no different. The GOP-led budget discontinued the Child Care Counts program and included a $0 increase for general school aid. This historic lack of funding all but guarantees the closure of child care centers and increased property taxes. Wisconsin’s kids deserve the best start in life, and that means investing in child care and fully funding our public schools. Families shouldn’t have to choose between paying the bills and paying for care, and teachers shouldn’t be forced to shoulder the costs of broken budgets. Additionally, school should be a place where children have the ability to explore art and other creative opportunities to their full potential. School should be more than preparing children to join the workforce– art education should be valued as a creative outlet and an indispensable part of community history. Juliana will fight to make child care and education from kindergarten to college affordable, accessible, and high-quality for every child so that our children can dream for more than labor.
Workforce: An organized workforce is essential to realizing our vision of a Wisconsin where everyone has a home, healthcare, a good job, and good schools. Working as an artist typically means having a non-traditional employment with limited access to healthcare or retirement benefits. Juliana believes that healthcare should be high quality and free for all and that everyone has the right to retirement security. In the absence of action on universal healthcare at the federal level, we can take action in Wisconsin to increase access. Juliana will work to make the transition to universal healthcare access within financial-reach for our state through market regulations on the healthcare industry, including caps to hospital prices based on a percentage of Medicare costs, expanding BadgerCare eligibility, and establishing upper payment limits for medications across the supply chain. Juliana also supports creating a universal paid family and medical leave program in Wisconsin.
Personal Background: Music, Photography, Media Arts
Community Engagement: As a Board Member of the SASY Neighborhood Association I am proud to say that our organization raises money and gives out grants to a variety of community causes, including and especially artists and musicians in our district.
Economic Growth: We need direct funding for the arts, and utilizing tax credits to support art in our building projects. I would support using $.01 of every dollar after $1 million to fund art in all public buildings. Wisconsin needs to build more hospitals, schools and transportation infrastructure, at least a portion of that money should be used to support local Wisconsin artists, like it was before Governor Walker.
Education: We need to change our school funding formula to support our teachers, create equitable funding across our state, and rely less on property taxes. Too many schools are having to choose between offering arts or other vital education needs. No school district should ever be put in that situation. By investing in public education, and by closing the voucher school program, we can make sure our schools are fully equipped to offer a wholistic education that includes the arts.
Workforce: We need to create a Badgercare Public Option so that every individual, no matter their employment, can access a quality health insurance plan. In addition, we need to create a WRS for all system that would allow private employees and independent contractors to enjoy the kind of retirement security that public employees have been able to enjoy.
Personal Background: Music, Literary Arts
Community Engagement: During my tenure on the Dane County Board of Supervisors, I was proud to initiate public investments into the Black Business Hub and the Center for Black Excellence and Culture in South Madison, which continue to provide state-of-the-art spaces for visual and performance arts, as well as cultural events and small business development within the community.
Additionally, I actively participate in annual events, including the Madison Juneteenth Celebration and AfricaFest, which, in addition to being important cultural celebrations, also showcase and highlight the talents of local visual artists, performers, musicians, artisans, and chefs.
I have also previously served as a member of the Greater Madison Convention & Visitors Bureau Board of Directors, the Alliant Energy Center Redevelopment Committee, and the Monona Terrace Board of Directors, giving me an active role in shaping my district and county’s strategy for attracting, retaining, and developing tourist and cultural events.
Economic Growth: As a former member of the Assembly Committee on Tourism and the Governor’s Council on Tourism, I understand the magnitude to which tourism, hospitality, and local arts and cultural organizations not only fuel economies, but also help build stronger, healthier, happier communities.
I have been a strong supporter of the Main Street Bounceback Program, which was administered by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation and helped many small businesses recover after closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I will continue to support state investment to reactivate this program, which was originally funded with American Rescue Plan Act dollars, so that it can once again support small businesses across our state.
This session, I was also proud to cosponsor 2025 Wisconsin Act 175, which seeks to improve the effectiveness of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation’s Opportunity Attraction and Promotion Program. I additionally cosponsored Assembly Bill 1009, which would authorize counties and municipalities to establish tourism promotion improvement districts.
I will continue to introduce and support legislation that creates economic opportunities for small businesses and local municipalities through tourism, hospitality, and the arts.
Education: We cannot strengthen educational outcomes without strengthening investment in our schools. As a former Special Education teacher, I have consistently advocated for 100% reimbursement of special education for every district in our state since I was first elected to the Legislature in 2018.
Our current school funding formula deprives our schools of the funding they require to ensure that every child has access to a quality free public education, while at the same time raising property taxes and putting intense economic pressure on homeowners. I will continue to advocate for comprehensive school funding that makes sufficient and proactive public investments in our education system while alleviating costs for taxpayers.
I believe that arts education and creative learning opportunities are critical for empowering students’ self-expression and helping them grow into well-rounded members of our community. This session, I cosponsored Assembly Bill 1114, which would establish a fine arts teacher mentorship program for beginning music, art and performance art instructors. I will continue to support and prioritize funding for the arts and arts education.
Workforce: Every Wisconsinite should have access to economic stability. This past session, I cosponsored Assembly Bill 1153, which would create a BadgerCare public option, providing affordable healthcare access to Wisconsinites without employer-sponsored health insurance.
I also cosponsored Assembly Bill 1012, which would create a paid medical and family leave program for the State of Wisconsin, expanding access to this critical benefit for more workers across our state. The session previous, I cosponsored Assembly Bill 1170, which would create the WisEARNS retirement program for individuals without access to an employer-sponsored retirement plan.
Personal Background: Music, Visual Arts
Community Engagement: Yes. I partnered with the Verona Community Orchestra on a kids concert and narrated Peter and the Wolf for them. It was the most fun thing I”ve done as a legislator!
Economic Growth: I’m the lead sponsor of the bill to bring back Regional Transit Authorities. I’m a cosponsor of all major labor bills to support workers in every industry.
Education: A sound public education is the constitutional right of every student in Wisconsin. The K-12 funding formula needs an overhaul, and special education funding needs to be dramatically increased. Public dollars should not support private schools. The burden of school funding needs to be shifted back to state income tax from local property tax, which is a shift that was a result of Republican policies since 2011.
Workforce: I’m the lead sponsor of WisEarns, which would create a state-sponsored retirement program for all workers whose employers do not offer them. I’m a cosponsor of a bill that prevents misclassification of workers as contractors, a loophole employers abuse to exploit workers. I’m also the lead sponsor of a bill to expand and increase the Homestead Credit, which helps people afford their rent or mortgage and stay in their homes. I’m the lead sponsor of a bill to expand and increase the earned income tax credit, which puts money in the pockets of workers who need it most.
Personal Background: No background in the arts
Community Engagement: no
Economic Growth: I would fight to keep property taxes at an affordable rate.
Education: My top priority is to increase the literacy rate. The literacy rate in Wisconsin is unacceptable. An excellent education is the key to a better future. More emphasis should be put on reading , writing and math. The arts should play a vital role but only after students are testing at grade level. We should be working for at least 99% literacy first.
Workforce: It should not be the responsibility of the State to underwrite independent Contractors. The focus of the State should be to help people that are disabled or have health issues that prevent them from affording their own health and retirement benefits.
Personal Background: Photography, Literary Arts
Community Engagement: Yes, Arts for All. I attended a tour of classes and programs they offer to the public.
Economic Growth: On the Tourism Committee, I’m committed to investing in arts programs that currently are being left behind in the state. Wisconsin is 49th out of 50 in state support for the arts and that needs to change. Specifically, I championed restoring the Mainstreet Bounceback Program that helped small businesses get access to capital to open or expand their operations into vacant storefronts. This would help revitalize main streets in all 72 counties.
Education: It is crucial that we fix Wisconsin’s outdated funding formula. When districts are not getting the state portion of school funding to keep pace with inflation, districts are often left with having to cut their operating budget or raise property taxes (or both). Arts programs are usually first in line to get cut. That hurts our kids’ educational outcomes. Wisconsin has the funds to adequately fund our schools so that we can help students explore creative learning opportunities rather than just demanding our schools do more with less
Workforce: We need to establish more public options for freelancers, independent workers, and non-traditional employment arrangements. First establishing a public option buy-in for BadgerCare would expand access to reliable healthcare so that people don’t have to tie their health insurance to their job. I also sponsored legislation to allow Wisconsinites to buy into the state retirement plan, which would offer another great option for those that do not have access to a company plan. Then we have to better market the funding opportunities that state has available to those looking to expand their professional work or businesses.
Personal Background: Music, Theatre
Community Engagement: Yes, I am a Board member of the Central Chamber Chorale and have sung with them for over 20 years. I am also very active in our local Theater community performing in various productions over the last 2 decades as well.
Economic Growth: The largest priority upon election is to begin to raise the tax rate on the top 1% of income earners in this state. I believe that increasing our tax income in the state will allow us to begin supporting a large variety of programs ranging from Healthcare to road repair and increased funding for the Arts will be one of those priorities.
Education: I’ve spoken with School superintendents and increasing the funding rates, creating equity in per child spending, increasing funding limits to match inflationary increases, and eliminating the Voucher system are some of the largest priorities to repair our school systems. If Public schools can once again rely on proper state funding the Arts in those schools won’t constantly be on the chopping block.
Workforce: I believe that by increasing the tax rate on the highest earners we will be able to afford to expand Badgercare, and if an employer is faced with higher taxation rates they will also pay employees a higher wage to avoid paying taxes. If we begin to push our highest earning citizens to pay their fair share of the tax burden it will lead to positive outcomes for average citizens in many areas, and that will buoy the Arts as well.
Personal Background: No background in the arts
Community Engagement: I try to show up for the arts in this community as much as I can. I go to the Art Walk every year, and I make a point of attending our high school’s plays, musicals, and jazz band performances. Our kids put so much work into those; they deserve a full house. I enjoy catching shows at the Birder Theater in De Pere with my family, and every year, I volunteer at our holiday craft fair too.
Economic Growth: Small businesses, tourism, and our arts community hold up a lot of local economies; this district is no different. I want business owners to actually be able to hire and grow, which means lowering costs standing in their way: affordable child care so employees can show up to work, and health care options that don’t force an owner to choose between covering their team and keeping the doors open. Programs like the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund bring real tourism dollars into districts like ours too. We need leadership in Madison that will prioritize putting dollars into programs like these so our state continues to be an affordable place for families to live, work, and play.
Education: I’m a School Board Treasurer. Fixing how we fund public schools is where I start. Districts shouldn’t have to keep going back to taxpayers with referendum after referendum, year after year. Every kid deserves a well-funded school with well-supported teachers, and that includes the arts. Music, theater, dance, and creative learning teach kids how to think and grow. They should be treated as real parts of the curriculum from pre-K through college, rather than the first thing cut when budgets get tight because Madison won’t pay its fair share.
Workforce: A lot of folks in this district, including our artists and freelancers, are piecing together a living without the protections a traditional job provides. In Madison, I’d advocate for a BadgerCare Public Option, health care coverage that doesn’t depend on having one single employer. I’d also fight for 12 weeks paid family and medical leave that covers these workers too. Doing creative work for a living shouldn’t mean going without basic security and peace of mind.
Personal Background: Music, Dance, Literary Arts
Community Engagement: Yes! I have regularly attended music festivals, music concerts, plays (both traveling and local performances) art shows, book reading, poetry events and writer’s guild events in my area. I have a rule that I must see a live art event at least once a month.
Economic Growth: I was happy to support the movie incentives in the last session but the arts are also about local CVB having the resources to advertise local events as well as big events. Its about making sure we have funding for the humanities council. Making sure local areas have great parks and bike trails to attract day travelers is as key as making sure large festivals attract large crowds that sell out all hotel rooms. But the biggest importance is making sure the Tourism department and local CVB have the resources to uplift what they see as being unique and timely. Businesses bring people to an area to work, schools make sure families stay there but the arts are what people want to make sure they enjoy life in an area.
Education: I am the ranking Democrat on Colleges and Universities and sadly we see more and more talk about job preparedness in higher ed. I worry that means we will be shutting down music, art and theater departments as budgets get tighter. That would be a terrible decision for our schools and our communities. People may not be able to afford a traveling show at a performing arts center but they can go to the local college’s band concert. And if we want to look at preparing people for the future, making sure they can have a theater class that helps them speak in front of people is an important piece of the puzzle.
As far as k-12 education, making sure we have art and music is sometimes the only thing that keeps some students engaged in school. They show up for math because they love band.
Workforce: I believe its critically important for us to have medical policies that folks can buy into while also receiving group buying power. We have introduced bills about Badgercare public options in the past and I would love to see them signed into law. I would also love to see more policies that encourage retirement programs for those who do not have access to a work related 401k. It does need to be separate from the WRS system but it could mirror it.
Personal Background: Music, Visual Arts, Theatre, Literary Arts, Fiber Arts
Community Engagement: My husband, Tim, and I have financially supported UFAH (United Fund for the Arts and Humanities) for more than 30 years, and I proudly served as a director on the board of UFAH. I volunteer at local music festivals. Over the years, we have been season ticket holders for the La Crosse Symphony, Viterbo Brightstar Series, and La Crosse Community Theater.
Economic Growth: Wisconsin must follow the lead of our neighboring states to expand tax credits for tourism and the arts in Wisconsin. The Film Wisconsin program, which I supported, is a great example of this. The program provides tax credits and other financial incentives to film projects that shoot in Wisconsin. This should be a model for promoting the arts and tourism of our beautiful state.
Education: Public education must be fully funded by state dollars and the voucher experiment has to end. We can’t afford to continue using public dollars to subsidize private education, while our public schools go to referendums just to pay the bills. This includes funding for special education, transportation, and school arts programs like music and drama. Too many districts, especially in the most rural areas of our state, are having to choose between paying an art teacher or a music teacher and keeping the lights on. This is unacceptable. Every child deserves comprehensive, well-rounded public education including arts education and creative learning opportunities.
Workforce: One of the biggest costs small business owners and freelance workers face is healthcare. That is why I am proud to have been the Assembly lead author of the BadgerCare Public Option which would allow these businesses and individuals to buy into the state Medicaid program at an affordable rate. This would help self-employed artists and small businesses to afford quality comprehensive healthcare.
