Update on 53rd Assembly Candidates

As of 2/10/08, candidates for the open 53rd Assembly seat vacated by Rep Owens include the following:

• Cecil A Streeter (R)
• Mike Hatch (R)
• James M. Chitwood (R)
• Dick Spanbauer (R)

The Fond du Lac Reporter is reporting that the lone Democratic Candidate Timothy Blake is stepping out of the race.

We previously included information on Cecil Streeter here, and on Mike Hatch here. Cecil Streeter now has his campaign website up: http://www.streeterforassembly.com/.

James Chitwood:

• UW Oshkosh Dean of Students
• chitwood@uwosh.edu
• jimchitwood@charter.net
• (920) 235-2441
• 5024 County Road R, Oshkosh, WI
• Has served as Asst District Governor for Southwest Rotary in Oshkosh
• BA and MS from the University of Wisconsin – Platteville in sociology education and counseling respectively. (source)
• Received his PhD from the University of Northern Colorado in College Student Personnel Administration. (source)
• Former UW Oshkosh Resident Life Director, and 2007 winner of the Association of College and University Housing Officers-International’s Parthenon Society Award.

Picture of Chitwood from http://www.uwosh.edu/news/?p=315

According to the Oshkosh Northwestern, "Chitwood served three terms on the school board from 1989 to 1998. He is a member of the Black Wolf town planning and zoning committee, a board member of the Winnebago Conflict Resolution Center, Inc. and a member of the Oshkosh Southwest Rotary Club."

Dick Spanbauer is a 2-time challenger to Carol Owens, and has served for many years as the chairman and board supervisor of the Town of Algoma. Dick is likely the leading contender at this point.

• Realtor-Agent with The Premier Group
• 3040 Sheldon Drive, Oshkosh
• rspanbauer@townofalgoma.org
• 233-2656
• has been a contributing member to the Winnebago Lakes Council
• was endorsed by the Winnebago County Labor Council in 2006

Surprisingly, very little is readily available on-line regarding Spanbauer's positions. We'll see in the future if we can't track down some candidate surveys or similar information.

According to Democrat and Winnebago County Board Supervisor Mike Norton, Spanbauer "has a great deal of local government experience who understands the impact of what Madison does has on county, city, and town government. He also been a member of a local union in the past and understands what both what the farmer and working person has to go through to make a living and better life for themselves and their families."

According to the Fond du Lac Reporter: "Spanbauer supports bringing out-of-state businesses to Wisconsin, making health care coverage more available and affordable for small businesses, farm families and low-income families, protecting the citizen's right to bear arms and pro-life issues and family values."

picture of Spanbauer from here.

53rd Assembly Candidates

The following are reported candidates vying for the open 53rd assembly seat:

A. Tim Blake (D), 1416 Valley Road in the town of Algoma.

According to the Appleton Post Crescent: "Blake said that if elected, he would fight against higher taxes and the placement of sex offenders in places where children congregate. He said he would seek to bring higher paying manufacturing jobs to the district."

Tim has a website from his town of Algoma Board campaigns: http://voteblake2007.com/default.aspx. According to the site:

I’ve been a member of the Town Board since 2003... I’ve been a member of the Town’s Parks Committee since 2005 and a member of the Oakwood School Safety Committee since 2006. I’m married and have three children (Michael (12), Christian (9), and Quintin (6)). My wife Katie and I enjoy raising our family in the Town of Algoma. We are members of St. Raphael’s Catholic Church. I’m employed as a Production Supervisor (North Plant) at Oshkosh Truck Corporation. Prior to my promotion, I was an Assembler and member of the UAW Local 578. I have attended both Fox Valley Technical College (Supervisory Management) and Lakeland College (Business Administration). My beliefs have been shaped by personal experiences as a Christian, a working person at Oshkosh Truck, and as a father and husband.

Eye on Oshkosh has the following about Blake:

"the Town of Algoma may take legal action to try preventing the Oshkosh Area School District Board of Education from establishing new boundaries for the district. Town supervisors are apparently upset that the town was not included in the planning team’s decision-making processes regarding any potential boundary changes and that town of Algoma residents are affected as it is within the OASD. One town supervisor, Tim Blake, was actually quoted in the article as saying, “It shocks me that the town of Algoma was never invited to any meetings that other municipalities were. To me, that’s appalling because it affects our community.”

picture from Blake's website

B. Cecil A Streeter (R), 1000 Alpine Court, Oshkosh, WI 54901

We included information on his campaign on Nov 11, 2007 here.

According to the Oshkosh Northwestern: "He said that if elected he would want to focus on unequal spending in Madison because he think Madison and Milwaukee get a disproportionate amount of the state's resources. "

C. Mike Hatch (R), Town of Empire

Mike has a website here: http://mike_hatch.tripod.com/

According to this site: Mike Hatch, the author, is an engineer and computer scientist who has past experience in defense industries including radioactive materials handling equipment for nuclear weapons and military aircraft production. Today, Mike teaches computer science and computer-based business logistics at the University of Wisconsin. His novels are packed with authentic cutting-edge computer, weapons and communications technology presented in a reader-friendly manner.

picture from US Rep Petri's website

Here is another Bio and interview of Mike.

Mike was also a "Gore Detector" back in 2000.

picture from UW Madison college of engineering news piece

Recent Assembly Happenings Jan 25, 2008

Rep Hintz wants Public Defenders to be more accessible to low-income individuals. According to Hintz's release: The legislation would update the SPD’s financial eligibility criteria to be the same as that of the W2 program (except the SPD criteria limits the asset exclusion for a home to $30,000, and takes the cost to hire an attorney into account). Under the new eligibility requirements, the SPD would be able to provide legal representation in about 15,400 additional cases per year. Additionally, the new requirements would ultimately eliminate the liability for counties to provide counsel to people who do not qualify for SPD representation.

Rep Kaufert wants mandatory breathalyzers attached to your ignition for all repeat drunk driving violators. They would need to breath into it before being able to start the car and randomly while driving.

As many other sources have already told you, Rep Carol Owens is stepping down after 16 years of government service. You can read her release here. Rep Owens, like Rep Roth, would not respond to questions from this site, because she would only provide feedback to constituents in her district and we may or may not have had an address in her region. Hopefully the next official in the 53rd will be more open to disclosing their opinions and positions. Good luck in retirement Carol. This local site linked here didn't care much for Owens.

The Oshkosh Northwestern interviewed Rep Hintz and State Sen Roessler on their response to Doyle's state of the state address. The entire interview can be found here. Really not much is said, but here is one statement from each:

• Hintz, when asked if anything was left out of Doyle's address: "..one thing that was missing was campaign finance reform. We seem to be closer to getting our governor’s attention when he called for a special session and we certainly still have time this year to act. I’m a little bit disappointed that we haven’t heard anything about campaign finance reform. It’s just because to me one of the biggest issues that needs to be addressed in Wisconsin. I think the support is there from the public."


• Roessler, when asked about Doyle's Health Care proposal: "my first comment is that it puts a further nail in the coffin of the Senate Democrats Healthy Wisconsin proposal. The governor continues to not support that proposal. What he did talk about is that the public cares about disclosure, how much they are paying for and they want to see those costs and who is performing the service. They want to be more in charge of it, consumer driven. The governor is now talking about the involvement of consumers and again, the Democrat majority simply want to pour more money in it and raise the money and then have a board determine what the benefit plans are going to be. A board of absolute generalists and no one from the medical community and on and on.A government operated health care system and government run system is costing $15 billion in taxes on our workers and employers is not the way to go. Now, the first that I heard of BadgerChoice is tonight. It is all about the cost. I agree with the governor that it is all about the health care cost. He said something there that it is the cost. He is the saying the same thing that we republicans have said for months when we came up with Healthy Wisconsin that it is about the cost. I do not know really the particulars about this plan. This is the first that I heard of it tonight."

The "Labor Chicks" are back to life, with early endorsements of any Democrat that will run. According to the site, they would support "Any Democrat who will do a good job in the 53rd Assembly district. All you have to do is be able to stay awake during Assembly sessions and you will be doing better than the incumbent. " Oddly naive - this blind Dem support at any cost leads one to endorse Chuck Chvala over Bob Lafollete. Not everyone has to like Bob.

Rep Roth and friends have introduced a bill that would require the Legislative Fiscal Bureau to prepare report to be released to the public for 48 hours before the Joint Committee on Finance, the Assembly, or the Senate can approve a budget bill. The report will bring to light all earmarks, including the cost, location, beneficiary, and requesting representative or senator. Their press release can be found here.

Rep Kaufert sponsored a resolution paying tribute to former state assembly rep and WW2 decorated veteran Richard Steffens, who passed away Jan. 2.

Hintz & Roessler in Forum

According to TalktoTony.Blog, the following event is scheduled for 2/11/08 at 6:30pm at UW Oshkosh:

What Ever Happened to Good Government in Wisconsin? How Can We FIX it?

Monday, February 11, 2008 6:30–8:00PM

Room 227C – Reeve Memorial Union – UW Oshkosh

1748 Algoma Blvd - Oshkosh, WI

Panelists:
State Senator Carol Roessler – (R-Oshkosh)
State Representative Gordon Hintz – (D-Oshkosh)
Professor James Simmons – UW Oshkosh Political Science Dept
Professor Tony Palmeri – UW Oshkosh Communication Dept / Oshkosh Common Council
Kathy Propp – League of Women Voters of Wisconsin
Jay Heck – Executive Director of Common Cause in Wisconsin

Moderator: Alex Hummel – Editorial Page Editor of The Oshkosh Northwestern

SPONSORS: COMMON CAUSE IN WISCONSIN, LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF OSHKOSH AREA, UW-OSHKOSH POLITICAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT, AARP, WISCONSIN ALLIANCE OF RETIRED AMERICANS, AND THE UW-OSHKOSH POLITICAL SCIENCE STUDENTS ASSOCIATION

For more information: http://www.commoncause.org/wi or call Scott Colson (608) 256-2686

Early Assembly Challengers

Challenging Rep Owens:

Office: Assembly District 53

Name: Cecil Arthur Streeter

Party: Republican

Address: 1000 Alpine Court, Oshkosh, WI 54901

Phone: 920-233-2717

E-Mail: cecil@streeterfamily.com

Occupation: Retired High School Guidance Counselor

Notes: Serves on City of Oshkosh Traffic Advisory Board, Member Oshkosh Southwest Rotary

Committee Information:

Name: Streeter for Assembly

Address: 1000 Alpine Court, Oshkosh, WI 54901

Phone: 920-233-2717

Treasurer: Cecil Arthur Streeter




Challenging Rep Kaufert:

Office: Assembly District 55

Name: Mark Westphal

Party: Democrat

Address: 945 Hunt Ave., Neenah, WI 54956

Phone: 920-727-4781

E-Mail: sswes@earthlink.net

Occupation: Industrial Electrician

Notes: President Fox Valley Labor Council, serves on Fox Valley Workforce Development Board, United Way Board and Winnebago County W-2 Steering Committee

Committee Information:

Name: Westphal for Assembly

Address: 945 Hunt Ave., Neenah, WI 54956

Phone: 920-727-4781

Website: http://markwestphal.org/

Treasurer: Donald Winter

Back to Work

This site, like our state legislature, is ending a long period of doing nothing and getting back to it.

We now have a budget: http://www.doa.state.wi.us/debf/execbudget.asp?locid=3

I have received requests to include the State Senate here as well - and will for election season. Oshkosh Common Council candidate Jessica King may be announcing her candidacy against State Sen Carol Roessler (18th Dist). We'll follow up more with this as the campaign season heats up.

Senate Dems have ousted their leader Judy Robson and replaced her with Russ Decker.

There has been much discussion lately on the AT&T bill - see an old post here: http://winassem.blogspot.com/search?q=AT%26T. If time permits, i'll assemble new commentary based on the changes that have been implemented and offered. I strongly hope this is not something that is rushed.

Rep Hintz offered some ideas regarding budget negotiations that were endorsed by the ONW. Included are the following proposals:
1. Anyone seeking state office and has filed the appropriate papers with the Elections Board may not fundraise during the budget-writing process.
2. Compel the attendance of budget conference committee members as outlined in AB551.
3. Withhold legislator pay after August 1 if a budget has not passed.

Hintz on Petri

The local Democrat entourage showed up in a New York Times piece on the upcoming Petri race. According to the piece:

Hintz even attempted to invert one of the credentials that has given Petri cross-party appeal, his willingness on occasion to break with the Republican line. Hintz argued that Petri, despite his seniority, has long been overlooked for leadership positions in his party. “He’s out of touch with Republicans,” Hintz contended. “He’s a 1979 Republican. He comes from an era where parties worked together more.”

Hintz also offered that a Petri retirement can’t be ruled out, saying, “Anyone that has been a career politician as long as he has, you hear rumors.”

Read the article here.

Candidate Time

It is almost the season when the politically-minded, the wealthy businessmen, the socially disgruntled, and the principled idealists begin considering a run for state office.

A few requirements to challenge for a State Assembly Representative seat:

- Representative to the Assembly is elected in the Fall General Election and serves a 2-year term starting the first Monday of January. Candidates must be a resident for one year within the state and a qualified elector* of the district at the time of taking office.

- Qualified elector is defined in s.6.02, Stats., as a U.S. citizen, 18 years of age or older, who has resided in the election district for at least 10 days before any election at which he or she offers to vote (and who is not disqualified by virtue of one or more of the impediments described in s.6.03, Stats.).

- No person may hold any state or local elected office in Wisconsin if the person has been convicted of a felony in any court in the United States unless the person has been pardoned of the conviction. No person may have his/her name placed on the ballot for any state or local elected office in Wisconsin if the person has been convicted of a felony in any court in the United States unless the person has been pardoned of the conviction. (Article XIII, Section 3 (2), (3), Wis. Constitution)

For information on the requirements for registering and running a state assembly campaign, visit the following website on the Wisconsin State Elections Board Website: http://elections.state.wi.us/subcategory.asp?linksubcatid=423&linkcatid=527&linkid=295&locid=47

In addition, check out these fine resources:

- The Legislative Process in Wisconsin

- The Wisconsin Blue Book

- Resources for Legislators

- How to Become and Effective Legislator

- A Guide for Legislative Leaders

- Legislative Spotlight from the Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau

Gov Accountability Board Nominations

- The Honorable Michael W. Brennan of Marshfield, former Clark County Circuit Court Judge

- Chief Judge Thomas Cane of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals – District III, of Wausau

- The Honorable David G. Deininger of Monroe, former Wisconsin Court of Appeals – District IV
Judge

- The Honorable William Eich of Madison, former Chief Judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals – District IV

- The Honorable James Mohr of Eagle River, former Vilas County Circuit Court Judge

- The Honorable Gerald C. Nichol of Madison, former Dane County Circuit Court Judge

www.thewheelerreport.com/releases/June07/june6/0606govaccountability.pdf

Kaufert and Term Limits

Rep Kaufert and several colleagues have proposed a constitutional amendment (AJR13) which calls for term limits on the following elected positions in Wisconsin: the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, attorney general, superintendent of public instruction, and members of the legislature. The proposal limits terms to 12 consecutive years of service in the same office.

According to this blog: "In 1995 there were 23 sponsors of a resolution to put 12-year term limits on those in the state legislature. A resolution was again introduced in 1997 but only had 13 sponsors. 1999's resolution had ten sponsors, 2001's resolution had six sponsors, and 2003 had only two lonely sponsors."

Rep Kaufert was first elected in 1990.

See the bill here.

Hintz: Regulate political ads

Rep. Gordon Hintz is part of a task force that is working to make ads from special interest groups more transparent.

State Representative Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh) says the often negative ads distort the facts and mislead voters. He says candidates can choose to ignore the ads, but the public may have a hard time distinguishing between serious political messages and attack ads. The Oshkosh Democrat says the ads have no place in Wisconsin's political system.

I suppose this wouldn't have anything to do with the nasty ads leveled at Hintz during his campaign...

Supreme Court Campaign Finance Reform Bill

Reps. Hintz & Hilgenberg to Introduce Supreme Court Campaign Finance Reform Bill

www.thewheelerreport.com/releases/Mar07/mar19/0319hintzscourt.pdf

MADISON – Representatives Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh) and Steven Hilgenberg (D-Dodgeville) announced today their plans to introduce a bill to allow for public financing for all Wisconsin State Supreme Court races. Wisconsin is currently in the midst of a Supreme Court race that may turn out to be the most expensive in state history.

"It’s time that we ensure that these Supreme Court races are decided by the people of Wisconsin, and not those individuals or special interests groups with the largest pocketbook,” said Rep. Hintz. “The candidates for this year’s Supreme Court race have already raised and spent nearly a million dollars combined, and outside special interests will undoubtedly spend even more. When a non-partisan race for a position requiring impartiality is heavily influenced by big money, the public trust is eroded. The best way to restore trust is to take money out of the equation. Enacting a public financing system for Supreme Court races will accomplish that goal.”

“This is not a new idea,” added Rep. Hilgenberg. “This legislation has received bipartisan support in the past. People are tired of outside money and interest groups dominating elections, and are left with the perception of pay for play. The legislature talks about addressing campaign finance concerns, but fails to act as yet another election is dominated by big money. The time is now for action on campaign finance reform.”

The bill would create a “democracy trust fund” for financing Supreme Court candidates and limit the amount of public financing benefits available to a candidate to $100,000 in the primary election and $300,000 in the spring election. The “democracy trust fund” would be funded with general purpose revenues.

The legislation would also greatly reduce the maximum amount that an individual or a committee could give to a candidate by establishing a $1,000 contribution limit. Currently individuals can give up to $10,000 and committees can contribute up to $8,625.

“By passing this legislation we can take another step toward restoring confidence in our electoral system. I am proud to work with my friend, Representative Hintz, to provide what’s necessary to get the ball rolling and moving FORWARD on this important task we have before us,” added Rep. Hilgenberg.

“This is the best way to demonstrate the positive attributes of public financing and maintain impartiality and integrity in our Supreme Court,” added Rep. Hintz. “We have an opportunity to take a big first step in fixing Wisconsin’s broken electoral system and we’re urging our colleagues in the State Legislature to join us to ensure that Wisconsin elections are decided by the many, not the privileged few.”

--------------------------------------------

Why stop there?

Governor's race? -- It’s time that we ensure that these Governor races are decided by the people of Wisconsin, and not those individuals or special interests groups with the largest pocketbook,

54th Assembly race? -- It’s time that we ensure that these Assembly races are decided by the people of Wisconsin, and not those individuals or special interests groups with the largest pocketbook,

Indeed, the "public trust is eroded". This may be a good first step. I'm interested in the Republican Party response, as their platform explicitly states No public funding of campaigns!

Hintz and Voter ID

Following a previous post on Voter ID legislation, I asked our 4 assembly reps (by email) what their position on the Voter ID bill is, and why they either support or oppose it.

Too often our representatives fail to offer any rationale for their support or opposition of legislation. We believe it is important for our elected officials to lead with openness and to make their positions publicly known. Publicly articulating their position on an issue will result in greater accountability, a greater informed citizenry, and a better democracy.

Both Carol Owens and the office of Roger Roth responded stating that they require a mailing address to respond to if they are to offer their positions. I again requested that they provide the public with their reasons and positions, but have not received a reply. Dean Kaufert did not reply to two requests.


Gordon Hintz replied on March 8 with the following (note - We commend Rep Hintz for providing the citizens of Winnebago County with his position on this bill. I again strongly encourage Reps Carol Owens, Roger Roth, and Dean Kaufert to recognize their public stature and provide the public with articulations of their positions) :

(verbatim) Assembly Joint Resolution 17 (AJR 17) proposes an amendment to the Wisconsin State Constitution that would make it a requirement to provide a photo identification in order for people to vote or to register at the poll on election day.

We have a responsibility to everyone in Wisconsin to conduct fair, honest elections that are truly representative of the will of the people. Supporters of this constitutional amendment feel that photo identification is a necessary requirement to protect against fraud. Investigations into claims of election fraud have shown almost no cases of individuals impersonating someone else at the polls, the only type of fraud identification at the polls prevents. However, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission has shown that identification requirements do serve as a barrier to voting for groups, especially minorities.

A UW-Milwaukee study found that approximately 23 percent of Wisconsin residents aged 65 or older do not have driver’s licenses or photo identification and that less than half of African-American and Hispanic adults living in Milwaukee County have valid driver’s licenses. I feel that such a requirement would not only disenfranchise certain groups, but would also greatly decrease voter turnout at a time when participation in our electoral process is already incredibly low.

Creating this obstacle to voting as proposed is not simply a matter of passing a bill and signing it into law. This measure requires an amendment of our Wisconsin State Constitution. Our Constitution is a document that should be respected and honored, and not changed to satisfy the whims of a small number of politicians. Public policy
should be created to address problems or challenges and increase opportunities for our citizens. This bill does neither.

Thanks again for contacting me. Below is some additional information from the National Campaign for Fair Elections, including a summary of the fraud charges in 2004 that contradicts the perception many of my colleagues seem to have.

Best,

Gordon Hintz
State Representative, 54th District

According to the National Campaign for Fair Elections:
Implementation of restrictive polling place ID requirements creates added burdens for already harried poll workers, for miniscule gain. Data from the U.S. Department of Justice shows that while 196,139,871 votes have been cast in federal elections since October 2002, only 52 individuals have been convicted of federal voter fraud. Most of these convictions were for vote buying or for voter registration fraud, neither of which would be prevented by restrictive ID requirements at the polls.

A far-ranging federal probe into allegations of fraud in Wisconsin uncovered no evidence of a conspiracy to influence the 2004 presidential election. U.S. Attorney Steve Biskupic's investigation resulted in charges against 10 formerly incarcerated individuals for voting illegally and against four others for voting twice. Of those four, three cases have been dispensed with without conviction; the forth prosecution is still court pending. By way of comparison, 2,997,007 votes were cast statewide in Wisconsin in 2004. (Steve Schultze, No Vote Fraud Plot Found, MILWAUKEE JOURNAL-SENTINEL, Dec. 5, 2005 )

Leschke Recaps 54th Assembly Race

Republicans gathered at the Brooklyn Grill Tuesday to support their 54th Assembly candidate, and even though their hopes were as high as the red, white and blue helium balloons adorning the rustic bar, the optimism deflated as the night turned into morning. Julie Pung Leschke accepted defeat at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday. She chose not to give a speech to the 15 supporters left. Instead, she personally spoke to everyone while displaying a strong smile and giving the occasional hug.

Leschke said she needed time to think about what she would do next. She has not decided if she will continue in the world of politics. “I had some notions of what running for state Assembly would be like,” Leschke said. “I think in a lot of respects it was a disappointing experience. here is a lot of truth missing in politics; there is a lot of honesty missing in politics. It’s not a very positive process.”

Even though Gordon Hintz received 72 percent of the campus vote, she believed the students did not have a large effect on the results. “I think (my loss) was part of a huge statewide dissatisfaction with Republicans,” Leschke said.

Leschke said that her opponent focused more of his time on campus, stated untruths to gain the edge and made personal attack ads. She also agreed that the “vote no” campaign for the civil unions ban had a large effect on the campus vote. “I think if you do personal attacks, that is an attack ad,” Leschke said. “If you mischaracterize someone purposefully, paint them to be someone they are not, that’s an attack ad. I think if you are talking about issues, it is a very fair way to compare yourself to a candidate.”

Leschke said she was proud to have run a truthful, positive and personal attack-free ad campaign. She said that was what people wanted because they were so sick of negative campaigning, but that it must have not been as important to them as other things. However, Leschke said if she were to run again, she would keep her same campaign strategy.

Former Republican Rep. Gregg Underheim attended the majority of Leschke’s party, lending his support to someone to whom he became a mentor. “He helped a lot, just with advice, volunteer efforts and support in many, many ways.” Leschke said.

“She worked incredibly hard,” Underheim said. “She ran a clean and honest campaign. She talked about why she was a good candidate and she laid out the case. I am proud to be affiliated with that campaign.”

18th District Sen. Carol Roessler echoed Underheim’s opinion, but added that she thinks Leschke brought new people and a new attitude to the Republican Party in Oshkosh. UW-Oshkosh Faculty Senate President Jim Simmons briefly attended the party as part of his travels to all political events in the area.

by Russell Plummer from the UWO Advance Titan, 11/8

Underheim and CUT

A citizen group attempting to turn in more than 5,000 signatures to force an April referendum to reduce the size of the Winnebago County Board was not permitted to turn the petitions in Monday afternoon.

Winnebago County Clerk Sue Ertmer ordered her staff not to accept the petitions from Citizens United to Transform the Winnebago County Board (CUT) Committee because the board voted in late September to reduce its membership from 38 to 36 supervisors.

Ertmer said in a letter the petitions would not be accepted on the advice of Winnebago County Corporation Counsel John Bodnar and the State Elections Board.

State Rep. Gregg Underheim, R-Oshkosh, was with the CUT Committee when the petitions were denied at the clerk's office, said the county violated the group's First Amendment right to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

"Winnebago County is denying these citizens one of their five fundamental rights," said Underheim, who authored the bill allowing citizens or boards to reduce the board's size once each decade between census counts. "This is becoming a much bigger issue than the size of the County Board."

CUT Committee Campaign Manager Jeremy Monnett said the group was not asking the clerk's office to verify the signatures Monday, but merely to stamp them received and give the group a receipt.

"It's a little upsetting and completely disappointing that our government won't accept this petition," Monnett said. "This is unconscionable."

The petition seeks a referendum to cut the county board from 38 to 19 supervisors. Though the board voted to reduce their number from 38 to 36 earlier this fall, the committee is hoping a memo from the state Legislative Council will give them legal grounds for stopping the board's actions and moving the referendum forward.

Ertmer was not present when CUT members first arrived to present their petition. Later, she met with committee members, reiterating that she could not accept the petitions on the advice of counsel.

County Executive Mark Harris met with CUT members, but said he could not overrule Ertmer's decision because she is an elected officer of the county. Harris did agree to serve as a witness that the group attempted to submit the 532 pages of signatures.

Monnett said the group is weighing its legal options.

The State Legislative Council memo says that if a board has voted to change size but has not yet voted on a redistricting plan, the board must hold off on any action to implement a size change until a petition is reviewed or while the referendum is pending.

"If a county board has adopted a resolution to reduce the number of county board supervisors but has yet to enact the revised supervisory district plan to implement the reduction, it appears the board may not enact the plan following the filing of a petition to reduce county board size," according to the memo written by Don Dyke, chief of legal services for the council

The board in late September passed a resolution 22-13 to reduce its size by two members in an effort to stave off the efforts of the CUT committee to cut the board in half.

At the time, the understanding was that the board's move derailed the petition drive and that was cited Monday in the letter from Ertmer to the CUT Committee.

Bethany K. Warner: (920) 426-6668 or bwarner@thenorthwestern.com. Jeff Bollier contributed to this report.

From the Oshkosh Northwestern

56th Assembly Profiles

Election profile: 56th Assembly District: Democrat Garcia Franz vs. Republican Roth
On Nov. 7, voters in the 56th Assembly District will choose between Democrat Susan Garcia Franz and Republican Roger Roth for a seat left open when incumbent Terri McCormick made a run for Congress.

In Outagamie County, the district covers the towns of Grand Chute, Center, Greenville and Dale, and wards 30, 31, 32, 51 and 52 in Appleton. In Winnebago County, it includes the towns of Neenah, Clayton, Winchester, Wolf River, Poygan, Winneconne and Vinland, the village of Winneconne and wards 1 and 2 in the Town of Menasha.

Members of the Assembly are elected to two-year terms and receive an annual salary of $47,413.

The candidates recently responded to a questionnaire from The Post-Crescent.

Susan Garcia Franz

Address: 1790 Wendy Way, Neenah WI 54956

Age: 34

Occupation: Wisconsin Well Woman program coordinator for Winnebago and Outagamie counties

Family status: Married, two children

Education: bachelor's degree, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh

Political experience: UW-Oshkosh Student Association senator; worked on several campaigns

Campaign Web site: www.susan garciafranz.com

Why are you a candidate and what are the key issues in the campaign? I am running for state representative because every day I am an advocate for people who have no health insurance. I get to hear the heart wrenching stories where women are forgoing important health screenings because they have no way to pay the bill. There are women no longer here today because they saw that as their option. I need to be an advocate in Madison and work for change. My key issue is affordable health care for every one in the state of Wisconsin. We can no longer accept 10 percent increases in premiums as a norm and reduced coverage of our health insurance. I feel this along with several other important issues like campaign finance reform and funding education have real solutions that need to be pounded out. I am just the person for that job.

What sets you apart from your opponent? I am a wife and a mother of two children. I have gone through the day-to-day struggles of affording child care, buying a house and prioritizing a budget. I believe that change is a must. I come from a family that isn't tied to politics and don't have special interests in helping me get elected.

Roger Roth Jr.

Address: 1789 Sanctuary Court, No. 51, Appleton

Age: 28

Occupation: homebuilder; Roth & Sons Construction, Roth Development Corp.; Egress Aircrew Technician, Wisconsin Air National Guard

Family status: Single

Education: St. Mary Central High School, 1996; bachelor's degree in history, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh

Why are you a candidate and what are the key issues? We need representation down in Madison that will stand and fight for the values and beliefs that we in northeastern Wisconsin share, and that is why I am running for the state Assembly. We value the role that marriage has played as the foundation and backbone of our society. Therefore we must work to defend it. We value human life and therefore must work to protect it in all forms. We believe that the fruits of labor belong to the people — not the government, and that taxation exists to provide for the common good and need of the people — not for the redistribution of wealth. And furthermore we must work to preserve our strong agricultural heritage for generations of farmers to come.

What sets you apart from your opponent? My experiences as a small business owner and those gained through military and community service have shown me that there are many challenges that we face, but none so difficult that they cannot be overcome. With your support on Nov. 7, I look forward to working together with you to overcome those challenges.

Appleton Post Crescent 10/1
www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061001/APC0104/310010018/0/APC0101

2006 Fall Election Results

State Assembly - District 54
27 of 27 Precincts Reporting - 100.00%
Name Party Votes Pct
Hintz, Gordon Dem 13,353 62.2
Pung Leschke, Julie GOP 8,111 37.8

State Assembly - District 55
17 of 17 Precincts Reporting - 100.00%
Name Party Votes Pct
Kaufert, Dean GOP 10,393 52.0
Westphal, Mark Dem 9,580 48.0

State Assembly - District 56
31 of 31 Precincts Reporting - 100.00%
Name Party Votes Pct
Roth, Roger GOP 15,591 59.1
Garcia Franz, Susan Dem 10,788 40.9

www.jsonline.com/index/index.aspx?id=81

Roger Roth - 56th Assembly Rep Interview 10/1

Election profile: 56th Assembly District candidate biographies

What's at stake: Voters in the largely rural 56th Assembly District will chose Nov. 7 from a pair of first-time candidates. They are Democrat Susan Garcia Franz, 34, of the Town of Menasha, and Republican Roger Roth Jr., 28, of Grand Chute.

The 56th District includes the towns of Center, Grand Chute, Greenville, Dale, Neenah, Clayton, Winchester, Wolf River, Poygan, Winneconne and Vinland, five wards in northwest Appleton, the village of Winneconne and part of the Town of Menasha.

The victor will serve a two-year term starting in January at an annual salary of $47,413.

Why are you running?
Garcia Franz: I hear stories every day from women who have to decide whether or not to go see a doctor for some of their health problems. I really want to turn that around and work toward getting health care available for everyone in the state.

Roth: I want to make a difference. Together with the residents of the 56th District, I know I can provide leadership (in addressing) high taxes and high health insurance costs.

What sets you apart from your opponent?
Garcia Franz: I'm a wife, mother and homeowner in the district. And I really have a lot of experience working with the health care problem.

Roth: He believes he better represents the district's beliefs "in life, in family values, in low taxes."

What's the key issue in the race and what would you do about it?
Garcia Franz: Affordable health care has got to be the No. 1 priority in the state. By putting us all together in one program, we can bring down the administrative costs. We'll simplify that process and put the savings right back into health care.

Roth: High taxes are a problem in Wisconsin. We're the 5th-highest taxed state in the country. We're going to have to make some tough choices. We're going to have to do what we can to reduce spending and bring relief.

Garcia Franz is available at her home, 920-727-1005, by email at vote@susangarcia franz.com, or at her Web site, http://www.susangarciafranz.com/.

Roth can be reached at his home, 920-734-6902, or by email at rothforassembly@ yahoo.com

From the Appleton Post Crescent: http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061001/APC0104/310010018/0/APC0101