Find the middle ground to move Wisconsin forward

The key to threading a needle is to get the thread to pass through the middle of the eye without getting hung up on one side or the other.

To move forward, Wisconsin leaders must find that middle path for the myriad of issues impacting the state. The focus should be on building consensus rather than fanning the flames of discord.

The clear takeaway from last week’s statewide elections is that Gov. Tony Evers isn’t going anywhere for at least the next few years and neither is Assembly speaker Robin Vos.

Evers won reelection by a larger margin than he did in his first term including a notable number of split ticket voters who voted for Gov. Evers while also voting for Republicans such as Sen. Ron Johnson. Evers’ election results are far from a mandate, but were the majority of votes. While Republicans remained firmly in control of the state legislature, they fell short of the goal of gaining the ability to override vetoes on a party-line vote.

What this means is, that in order to accomplish anything, Vos and Evers will have to meet in the middle with both sides needing to be willing to compromise to address some of the major issues facing the state in the coming year.

A first effort at compromise needs to be for the legislature to vote up or down on the backlog of state appointments made by Gov. Evers. This deadlock has resulted in state department heads still being designees years after taking office and the ongoing farce of the Natural Resources Board where a previous member has refused to yield his seat until the legislature confirms his replacement.

It is past time for the legislature to take action and either confirm or reject those nominated.

Education is another area where there is plenty of room for compromise. During the last budget cycle, schools did not receive an increase in state funding and were instead told to spend down their federal grant dollars. The state will need to play catch-up with the funding to prevent districts from facing a fiscal cliff. At the same time, state Republicans have called for more money for private school voucher programs. With Wisconsin having billions in surplus funds in state coffers, the resources exist to do both and ensure all students continue to have access to quality education.

The coming legislative term will also see the state needing to deal with revisions to the 1849 abortion law. The antiquated law, as written, places unnecessary barriers for women needing lifesaving medical treatments for such things as miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies while also having no exceptions for rape or incest. In a post Roe v. Wade world, Wisconsin law needs to be rewritten to address the greater understanding of science and changes in societal standards that have occurred in the past 173 years.

Shared governance between the Evers administration and the Republicancontrolled legislature will force them to work together for a solution that is acceptable to the right and the left while addressing the major issues of all sides.

There is a tendency in the national media to paint politics with broad strokes and defining people as being red or blue by their party affiliations and political differences. If nothing else, the last election proved that Wisconsinites are proudly purple when it comes to politics and place their faith, and votes, in individuals rather than party platforms.

State leaders of both major parties need to work together for common solutions to allow Wisconsin to move forward.

Members of The Star News editorial board include Publisher Carol O’Leary, General Manager Kris O’Leary and News Editor Brian Wilson.