Rep. Tamara Grigsby

North Side Rep. Tamara Grigsby has used her social work background well since being elected to the state Assembly in 2004. As the chair of the Committee on Children and Families, Grigsby had to protect the embattled but necessary Wisconsin Shares program from attacks from Republicanswho want to kill the program, since it serves low-income workersand the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, with its sensationalized reporting on alleged rampant fraud in the program. Grigsby came up with sensible changes in the system, only to have them wiped out by Gov. Jim Doyle’s selected line item vetoes. We hope she can implement fair reforms in the next legislative session. Grigsby also held firm on her opposition to the misguided attempt to change Milwaukee Public Schools’ governance. Here again, she came up with a solid middle-ground reform package that the governor should have run with, instead of pushing for a hostile takeover. We like Grigsby’s thoughtful take on controversial issues and her ability to craft reasonable compromises that still protect the interests of Wisconsin’s disadvantaged citizens. She’s taken heat for it, but Grigsby is doing the right thing.