Voters onthe southwest side of Milwaukee and Greenfield will decidethat question on Sept. 14, when 27-year incumbent Rep. Peggy Krusick facesnewcomer Scott Dettman. Krusick, who is championing her bipartisan votes,claiming that she “votes with her district,” stands in contrast to Dettman, whois more in line with mainstream Democratic positions on high-speed rail andmass transit.
The winnerof this matchup will face Brad Sponholz, a Libertarian running as a Republicanin the general election in November.
PeggyKrusick: ‘I Vote With My District’
State Rep.Peggy Krusick says she is running for re-election based on her “independenttrack record,” which includes voting against “an unaffordable $65 billiontax-and-spend state budget that raised our taxes, fees, car insurance andutility bills and more.” She said she is focusing on “ensuring that taxpayerdollars are well spent, jobs and quality education.”
“I alwaysvote with my district,” Krusick said, the opinions of which she said shemonitors through regular home visits and constituent surveys.
Thatincludes opposing the $821 million federally funded high-speed rail linethrough southeastern Wisconsinand providing the Milwaukee County Transit System with dedicated funding via ahalf-cent increase of the sales tax.
“I’mfighting to direct limited taxpayer dollars to our neighborhoods to fixpotholes, protect essential services and keep our streets safe rather than an$800 million train to Madisonthat we can’t afford,” Krusick said.
She saidthat her district is against the high-speed rail line. She acknowledged thatthe federal money could not be diverted to road repair or local lawenforcement.
“The concernof my constituents is the ongoing cost of operation,” Krusick said. “They areconcerned about the potholes in their streets and kids riding their bicyclesand getting flat tires and damage to cars. They want basic street repairsdone.”
Krusick saidshe opposed dedicated funding for Milwaukee County buses because herconstituents opposed it in the November 2008 referendum. She didn’t havespecific ideas to preserve the struggling bus system, which is set to terminatethe Freeway Flyer service and five bus lines.
“I thinkeveryone should work together and figure out an alternative to raising taxes,”Krusick said.
Krusick, whosits on the Assembly Committee on Jobs, the Economy and Small Business, saidshe votes against bills that include tax credits for businesses that do nottarget the middle class or guarantee jobs. She supports promoting angel andventure capital to start new businesses.
Krusick saidthe state budget deficit can be addressed by “being fiscally responsible withtaxpayer dollars.” Krusick has proposed allowing local government to place carboots on vehicles with unpaid parking tickets. The city of Milwaukee alone has $63 million of unpaidtickets, she said. The proposal would generate nothing for the state’s coffers.She also wants all state programs to be evaluated for waste.
A missedopportunity, Krusick said, was her push to make the first drunken drivingoffense a crime that includes jail time every time. It didn’t get a publichearing in the Assembly. A less punitive measure passed the state Legislaturelast session.
ScottDettman: We Need More Active Representation
ScottDettman, a health industry writer, said he was motivated to make his first runfor public office because he was disappointed with Krusick’s votes and saidthat she votes in line with only the portion of the district she contacts.
“I feel likewe need more active representation and leadership,” Dettman said. “I didn’twant to get angry, so I thought I’d get elected instead.”
Hissignature issues are education, job creation and security and economicsustainability.
“If there isa silver bullet, education is it,” Dettman said. “But I don’t think we’re doingenough to ensure that every child has access to a great education.”
Dettmanwould like to revamp the statewide education funding formula so that propertytaxpayers aren’t burdened with funding the schools and other essentialservices. He also opposes the voucher school system, which he said contributesto the problems at the Milwaukee Public Schools, but hesupports partnerships between schools and local businesses so that students canhone their job skills.
On jobcreation and stability, Dettman would like to identify the qualities ofbusinesses that the state needs and then go out and recruit them to the area.
“We wantbusinesses that pay family-sustaining wages and have high job security,businesses that aren’t going to outsource their staff to foreign countries,”Dettman said. “We would also have to get banks and lending institutions to freeup some credit so that individuals can start new businesses.”
Dettman saideconomic sustainability could come from taking a comprehensive look at thelocal economy and enhancing the green economy and local research institutions.
“We need tolook at the resources we have in southeastern Wisconsin,like the Great Lakes, and harness thatpotential and use it to advance both our educational institutions and oureconomy,” Dettman said.
In contrastto Krusick, Dettman supports the high-speed rail line and said that whileconservative talk radio dismisses the proposal, it’s in the best long-terminterests of the state.
“People hearthe talk radio talking points,” Dettman said. “But what they don’t realize isthat we brought a business here [Talgo] that is going to be making trains foreverywhere else in the country. We’re harnessing this economic potential byinvesting in this mode of transportation. And it’s just the first piece of thepuzzle. It’s going to connect to Minneapolis.And when we can create this Midwestern rail transit it will be phenomenal fordevelopment along those lines and create opportunities for small businesses toopen. It also allows for more free flow of commerce.”
Dettman saidhe supported creating a dedicated funding source for local buses sinceresidents of the district and those who work in it rely on the bus system.
“We can’tmake it more difficult for people to get to work or to job interviews byeliminating modes of public transportation,” Dettman said. “Milwaukee Countycan’t move forward and be a force in the 21st century unless we invest inpublic transportation.”
