will keep fighting to keep ….
will keep fighting to keep taxes as low as we possibly can.
4. Illegal immigration is another hot-button issue. To what degree do you see illegal immigration as affecting our local area, how would you address this issue in state office?
Well, there’s no state rule that we can make that goes against what the feds have already legislated. Right now, the federal government can place illegals wherever they want and we can just find out after the fact. As far as how it impacts us right now in the 69th — well, we know about what happened in Abbotsford with those two little girls being murdered. So there’s the possibility for crimes being committed by illegals, and it did happen in the 69th. And when that happened, I immediately contacted the sheriff and asked if this person was an illegal alien. And then I reported it to Senator (Ron) Johnson and Representative (Tom) Tiffany, who immediately jumped in also, because that’s a federal problem. They allowed an illegal alien here who then murdered two children.
As far as housing, it is a real problem because they need to be housed somewhere. I know it’s a major problem in Eau Claire. I currently represent seven wards of Eau Claire and we’ve had refugees come in… If we have an influx of people, where do we house them? So housing is a concern. Is it a huge problem at this time? Nothing like they have in other states.
As far as what we can do at the state level, we need to hold our federal representatives accountable.
5. Mental health is another big concern, especially among our youth as we see more and more young people struggling with depression or anxiety. As a state representative, what steps could be taken to address this issue?
Mental health is a problem, and mental health is closely tied to substance abuse. And we have a major opioid crisis in our state, and it’s not been helped by our southern border being open because the amount of fentanyl has skyrocketed… We are looking at, right now we don’t have any facilities except over in the eastern part of the state to take our mental health patients to. We usually have to ship them out of state to get help. So with Winnebago being the only facility that we have, we need another facility in this north central, northwestern part of the state. It is looking very positive. We have been working for this entire last session to get a facility over here and we will keep working this session, but it looks like it’s going to happen, so that will help us tremendously.
6. In addition to the issues I’ve mentioned, in talking to the people of the 69th Assembly District, what are some of the main issues or concerns you hear brought up, and how do you plan to address those concerns if elected to office?
The number one issue, way far and above, is the economy. They are very upset about it — it is expensive… Everybody says they’re worried about gas prices; they’re worried about food. The second thing they’re most concerned about is illegal — the borders. They’re afraid. And most of them have heard about Abbotsford. And they’ve heard that this was not a good situation. And they’ve heard about Whitewater, where we’ve got that situation going on. And a lot of them knew about the refugees, the last ones coming in… now refugees are different than illegal aliens. But it’s the border. That’s a big issue.
7. What are the main factors that differentiate you from your opponents in this race? In other words, why are you the better choice of candidate?
I have experience both in local and state government. I have experience in the United States Army. I was a captain in the military intelligence; I was a briefer to the generals for the 24th Infantry Division… My entire life, I have been steeped with huge amounts of information that most people would find very boring, such as where are the air defense units in Lebanon, Iran and Turkey. I am very detail-oriented, so I don’t get bored when going through lots of information, such as reading long bills or agreements. I read everything and do my thorough research before I just agree to something. And I’m not afraid to call someone out if they propose legislation that would be bad for the people of Wisconsin.
8. The 69th District encompasses a wide area. How have you been working to connect with voters throughout the district?
I’ve knocked on close to 10,000 doors. Ever since the maps were re-drawn and I knew I would be running in this district, which was around February, I’ve been out knocking on doors. I’ve visited every city, village and town in the district.
9. How are you involved in your community? I’ve been a member of the Lions, American Legion and the historical society — you can learn a lot about politics from reading history. I’ve been a substitute teacher. I’m not currently subbing as I spend a good deal of time in Madison. I’m on six different committees as well as the Speaker’s Task Force on Childhood Obesity. If I am elected for another term, I anticipate I’ll be there five days a week. I’m hoping to get assigned to the Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules.
10. What is the best way to contact you? Email me at karen@karenhurd.com or call me at 715577-4860.
11. Anything else you would like the community to know?
Just that I’m here to represent them. I’m representing them, not me.
Joshua Kelley (I-Greenwood)
1. Why are you running for public office?
I come from a very political family. I’ve always taken an interest in politics… I was going to run regardless of whether I ended up in the 68th or the 69th after redistricting. I’m running as an independent because I feel both sides are stuck in the mud and there needs to be somebody in the middle that can reach across party lines and bring everybody together. When it comes to our State Assembly, I see both parties just kowtowing to party lines and not getting anything done. I don’t see people reaching across the aisle to solve real problems. I see gaveling in and out and just doing whatever they can to make sure the other side looks bad for perceived political gain. I would like to unite the parties so we can actually get something done, and if no else will, I’ll just have to run myself.
2. What knowledge and/or experience do you bring to this position?
I grew up on a dairy farm in Greenwood, where I learned a strong work ethic. I’ve been a stainless steel pipe fitter for the last 17 years, where I’ve overcome some of the most complex problems. I’ve had my industrial hemp license for the last six years, where I’ve worked with the FSA, USDA and the DA, not to mention all the other government agencies I already work hand-inhand with. And what I can tell you about all our government agencies is, one hand doesn’t know what the other is doing… Just the way information travels through the system itself needs an update. I did go to school for computer information systems, so I think I’d be uniquely qualified to help in that area.
3. Inflation is a major concern for many Wisconsinites, with groceries, gas and other being less affordable than ever. If you are elected, what could be done to address that at the state level?
Inflation is always going to be a concern. Things are always going to cost more. When more people are buying things, people are going to pay more for their goods and services, which, believe it or not, is a good sign. It means more people have jobs; purchasing power in other countries is at a high. The only other option is deflation where no one is working and people can’t afford to buy anything, so prices fall. Goods and services cost less. Inflation means strong dollar and better purchasing power. Inflation’s not always a bad thing; the only other alternative is deflation and no one wants deflation. Inflation means people are getting out there and buying goods and what not. But… all this money that’s an influx into the economy, that’s what costs up. And unfortunately businesses take advantage of that and do price gouging. There could be limits on price gouging, but necessarily, inflation isn’t always a bad thing. The only other alternative is lack of jobs and nobody can afford anything, so then the prices go down. That’s what they’re trying to do with the interest rate. That’s why they raised the interest rate, so people wouldn’t have as much money so everything — goods and prices on services would come down.
We could work on infrastructure on how we get things to each other… I’d like to do anything we possibly can. But that involves both sides working with each other to come up with an educated response.
4. Illegal immigration is another hot-button issue. To what degree do you see illegal immigration as affecting our local area, how would you address this issue in state office?
I believe that these people want to be here legally, for the most part. You’re always going to have a few bad apples, but seeing as our system is so broke down, it takes years to get your case looked at and when they do, the government does their very best to turn them away. It only makes sense that these people are just going to come here for a better opportunity and just ask forgiveness later. I’m not saying it’s right; we just need to update the rate at which our information flows from one government agency to another and a lot of these problems will solve themselves.
5. Mental health is another big concern, especially among our youth as we see more and more young people struggling with depression or anxiety. As a state representative, what steps could be taken to address this issue?
Mental health is a big concern, especially for our youth. I could even imagine growing up in this day and age, especially with all the social media and never-ending barrage of mental insecurities. You go home; the bullies don’t go away, sadly. We do not have the right resources in the right places when needed. The only way we are going to be able to deal with this issue in the present time is to find the bullies, see who they are focused on and give that person a long, big hug, tell them that this is not how things should be, and be a true friend to that person. Give that person all the love and support you can. Then one can go and offer the person doing the bullying the same response. Because we’re only going to get through this if we all work together… We also don’t have the mental health resources and social workers that we need in our schools. Our schools are already stretched thin with their budget anyway. Not even to mention the learning disabled. We don’t have enough support for them.
6. In addition to the issues I’ve mentioned, in talking to the people of the 69th Assembly District, what are some of the main issues or concerns you hear brought up, and how do you plan to address those concerns if elected to office?
One of the main concerns I hear a lot of is the lack of action in our government. No one is getting anything done, ever. Everyone is just content with trying to make the other side look bad. As an independent, I would seek to bring both sides back to the table, back together. The word “compromise” means you don’t get everything you want. We can have differing opinions on how to solve problems, but we should all still agree that we have problems that need solutions. If we can’t have a common discourse, then we’ve all lost.
7. What are the main factors that differentiate you from your opponents in this race? In other words, why are you the better choice of candidate?
The main factor that separates two of us is that I’m not beholden to Robin Voss. There is no one telling me what to do but the people. I’ve worked so very hard with my own two hands to help build this country. Now I’d like to use my own two hands for better service by rebuilding our government.
8. The 69th District encompasses a wide area. How have you been working to connect with voters throughout the district?
When I first started gathering signatures, I got 400plus signatures on a non-partisan ballot… I’ve attended many community functions. I’ve gone to gas stations and grocery stores. I’ve hit every municipality in the district. I like to unite people and bring them together. I would say 98% of the people I’ve talked to, I’ve had a good response. There have been a lot of good responses on both sides. If we can’t have a common discourse, all is lost. I’ve given a lot of handshakes and tried to offer a good message.
9. How are you involved in your community? I’m a vendor of CBD products. I sell pain creams and chill creams as well as a wide variety of other products at craft fairs around the area. Right now, I’m trying to find a way to help rebuild our church in Longwood that burned down, and I would also like to find ways to assist in the rebuilding effort in the downtown of Loyal.
10. What is the best way to contact you? Email joshuakelley69th@gmail.com or call me at 715937-6396.
11. Anything else you would like the community to know?
I am just one person; I don’t have all the answers. There are a lot of problems out there and the only way we are going to fix them is if we can all come together for the greater good.
