Press Releases

A GREAT WALWORTH COUNTY FAIR

The Walworth County Fair Board deserves a real pat on the back. The 161st Fair was a great run and all who were responsible should be happy with the result. The weather was not the best but the organization and programs is what makes this fair the number one County Fair in Wisconsin! We are looking forward to the pig we purchased at the Auction on Friday. The young people who spend so much time in 4-H and FFA are the future of agribusiness in the county and state.

We need to continue to support and be sure the heritage of the family farm is the future not just the present and past in the state.
No Campaign Activity September 11th

On Saturday, September 11th, we will not have any campaign activity. This date needs to be remembered and honored; therefore, I will suspend all canvas and phone bank activity by members of my team and myself on 9/11. It is a day I will never forget and hopefully never will repeat itself.
The Necessity for School Finance Reform

School finance reform needs action not just discussion. For years there has been discussion in the State about public school financing but no legislative action has taken place to change the method of allocating State funds to public school districts. This must be one of the primary concerns for the next Assembly.

The present system formula is primarily determined by a school district's assessed property value. This penalizes districts with high assessed property values but not necessarily high resident income. Less money from the State means higher local property tax reliance. We must look at another way to distribute the State funds to local districts. One method would be to look at the total amount of dollars available from the State and allocate on an equal basis to each student in the districts of the State. This would allow the financial officials to plan what they would need from local property tax much earlier than presently and make necessary modifications to their budget.

The State then could allocate additional funds to districts that are rural in make-up and have a greater need for their transportation budget or if a district had a much higher enrollment of students with special needs requiring more supervision and one-on-one attention.

This last year I traveled to Madison with Warren Flitcroft (Budget Director of Badger High School and Joint 1 in Lake Geneva) to discuss the financial woes facing public school financing. We had positive discussions with many legislators. Tony Evers, Wisconsin's Superintendent of Schools, recently outlined some positive ideas in this area for possible action.

Action is necessary to assure we maintain our high education achievement in Wisconsin.
EcoFair !!!!!!!!

We have a great opportunity this weekend to see and hear many things that can improve our knowledge of environmental issues. Their will be displays, demonstrations and numerous speakers addressing many, many issues. If you have the time you can expand your awareness immensely in many areas. I will be at the Democratic Party of Walworth County booth, volunteering for the people conducting this event and listening to speakers. Hope to see you.

Walworth County Fairgrounds in Elkhorn

July 16-18
Earth Day 2010

On Thursday, April 22nd, the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day will be celebrated nationwide, if not worldwide. This day is celebrated because Gaylord Nelson, a Wisconsin Legend, was responsible for its creation on April 22, 1970. Last month at the Walworth County Democrats monthly meeting we had the honor to hear author Bill Christofferson speak about his book "The Man From Clear Lake Senator Gaylord Nelson".

It was truly an inspiring and informational meeting! The challenges to our earth still exist today and need to be of concern to all of us.