GOVERNMENT 52nd Assembly District
(Includes Fond du Lac and North Fond du Lac) In this race, the candidates responded close to their respective party lines, with a couple of surprises. For example, consider their views on taxes. When asked about the tax and regulatory environment, Democrat Paul Czisny, an attorney in private practice in Fond du Lac, said the state should tie incentives provided to businesses to whether a company stays in a community and that the goal for regulation should be thoughtful and not create “meaningless bureaucratic red tape.” Republican Jeremy Thiesfeldt, a faith-based educator and member of the Fond du Lac City Council, said his platform is cut taxes, reduce spending and control red tape. Though he recognizes the need for some regulation, he believes that it has become a disincentive for starting a business in Wisconsin and puts the state at a disadvantage. While Czisny sees attempts to enact government spending laws such as TABOR as gimmicks, he does believe that it is disingenuous for state legislators not to live under the same rules for sticking to a budget as would a business, and that they’re ducking their responsibility. Thiesfeldt said these limits have helped keep property taxes down and forced local officials to more closely scrutinize budgets. He favors maintaining them, but providing some local control should special circumstances develop. Contributions to health savings accounts should be offset with a tax credit, according to Thiesfeldt, while Czisny said a tax deduction should be enacted after the budget crisis is dealt with, but a tax credit should never be used. A filter of how spending cuts would affect the citizens of Wisconsin should be used when setting the new budget, according to Czisny. He added that Wisconsin should reserve incarceration in prisons for “those who present a public danger” and that the model should be Minnesota, which has about onethird the number of people in prisons as Wisconsin does while spending half as much on corrections. Thiesfeldt said he would not vote for any tax increases and instead wants to root out waste and eliminate unnecessary programs, while limiting the reach of state government. Thiesfeldt said taking money from segregated funds for other uses should be stopped. Fond du Lac had experience with what results from the practice during what he called an “improper funding of the Highway 151 bypass.” Taking money from these
PROFILE Name: Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R) Job: Faith-based educator at Lutheran schools in the area since 1988 Political Experience: 3rd and final term (due to term limits) on the Fond du Lac City Council Education: Bachelor’s in elementary Education, Dr. Martin Luther College Web site: www.Victory2010.net
22 l NEW NORTH B2B l OCTOBER 2010
funds amounts to a form of taxation without representation, he added. He also called for the state to lobby to use money from the federal government designated for light rail to be set aside for existing transportation infrastructure. Both candidates said legislators need to make tough choices in crafting the next biennial budget, with Thiesfeldt calling for a simplified state tax code and a repeal of combined reporting and use of the prevailing wage. Czisny said only those taxes that have a net negative effect on Wisconsin’s budget should be reduced or repealed and that state residents should pay for what they want and close the structural budget deficit as well.
54th Assembly District
(Includes most of Oshkosh) Rep. Gordon Hintz, the Democrat incumbent in the seat, believes the influence of government over where businesses locate is overstated. Still, he favors targeted tax credit programs, including training grants and supported venture capital investments. Economic development should be pursued by helping family farms find new markets, helping manufacturers to stay competitive with global rivals, and creating a worldwide hub for biotechnology in the state. Hintz also favors a periodic review and streamlining of regulation. Jonathan Krause, the Republican challenger and news and program director for WOSH radio in Oshkosh, called for a more streamlined permitting process for expansion of businesses. He believes it’s ironic the state can fast-track permitting and environmental studies for a high-speed train planned between Milwaukee and Madison while private development can take years to complete. He also believes renewable energy mandates created by the Doyle administration are arbitrary and should not be enacted. Krause said the government’s growth should be tied to the citizens’ ability to pay for it and that property tax levies should be tied to real property values in a community, taking into account the housing bubble that recently burst, as an example. He believes that current provisions for citizens to raise their own taxes via referendum is adequate. Hintz said there are no easy answers to local budget challenges. He favors tying municipal shared revenue to growth of commercial success of a region, as well as seeking an alternative to property taxes as a funding source. He added that, in general, restrictions placed on local spending by the state don’t account for local conditions and the perspectives of local
PROFILE Name: Paul Czisny (D) Job: Attorney and owner, Czisny Law Office, in Fond du Lac Political Experience: None Education: University of Wisconsin Law School, J.D.; Bachelor’s in history and political science, UW-Madison Web site: www.paulforassembly.com
www.newnorthb2b.com