17th Senate District
Ernie Wittwer and Pat Bomhack are running as Democrats in the Aug. 12 primary for the 17th Senate District. The winner will face Howard Marklein, the only Republican candidate, in the November general election.
Ernie Wittwer
Age: 66
City/town of residence: Town of Willow, Richland County
Family: Wife Rita, two adult sons
Education: Bachelor's in Secondary Education, UW-Madison; Master's in Public Management, UW-Madison; Master's in Adult Education, UW-Madison
Occupation: Retired from the State of Wisconsin, Department of Transportation where I was Budget Director, Chief of Staff and a Division Administrator
Previous elected positions held or experience: First run for office
What are the top issues facing this district/board and how would you work to resolve them?
1. Our economy.
a. We need to return to a progressive tax system where those who benefit most from our economy contribute fairly to it.
b. We need to accept the federal dollars that are available to the state. Walker has left billions of our tax dollars in Washington. Accepting those dollars would have created thousands of jobs in Wisconsin.
c. We need to increase the minimum wage so that we no longer subsidize profitable businesses and so that the people who spend all their money have more money in their pockets. Economists tell us that a $10 minimum wage would create thousands of jobs in the state.
d. We need to invest in our transportation infrastructure. Our road and bridges are in terrible shape. Fixing them would put thousands of construction workers back to work and it would make our economy more efficient.
2. Our educational system.
a. We need to invest in our public schools. Funding for public schools has been cut by $1,038 per pupil, second only to Alabama.
b. We need to revise the school aids formula to reflect the realities of declining enrollment schools, the cost of rural transportation and the cost of educating kids who live in poverty.
c. We need to stop the war on schools and teachers.
d. We need to stop the expansion of voucher schools and roll back the recent expansion of those schools. The data says that kids in voucher schools do no better than their public school counterparts and 74% of the kids who applied for vouchers were already in private schools.
e. We need to stop playing politics with school standards.
f. We need to make higher education more accessible by:
i. Helping recent graduates refinance student debt at lower interest rates. This will help young people and spur our economy.
ii. Carefully examining the drivers of cost in our educational system and asking: Are those costs contributing to the educational experience?
iii. Reinvesting in higher education. Over the past 40 years state support for universities has fallen from 33% of total costs to between 15% and 16 percent.
3. Our environment. We have to re-embrace the traditional values of our state. Mining may have a place in our economy, but it should not come at the expense of our environment. The mining bill should be repealed, so that our traditional rules can be enforced. The state should also support some real research into the economic benefit of sand mining versus the health and environmental cost. My guess is that when such research is done, the costs will be greater than the benefit. This will then give us the tools needed to have a rational discussion of severance taxes and increased environmental regulation. In the interim, the ability of counties and towns to set their own rules must be preserved.
4. Women's rights. This comes down to finally accepting - at least among old men - that women have exactly the same rights as they do. This means restoring the pay equity act, repealing the ultrasound bill and ensuring that all women have access to routine health care like cancer screenings. We must ensure that women can age with dignity by preserving and strengthening programs like the Homestead Credit because elderly women are almost twice as likely to live in poverty as elderly men.
What are other key issues facing the district/board, and how would you work to resolve them?
Our democracy is in jeopardy. It will be protected when we all begin to understand the meaning behind the words of our state and federal constitutions. The modern corporation didn't exist when they were written, so how could the founders have really considered them to be people. The modern media society did not exist, so how could money have been seen as speech. A few Wisconsin specifics:
1. We need to repeal the voter ID law. We do not have a voter fraud issue. This is clearly a means to voter suppression.
2. We need to enact a non-partisan districting process on the model of Iowa. One proposal would place the responsibility with the Legislative Reference Bureau and charge them with creating compact, balanced districts.
3. We need to extend early voting hours and eliminate the mandates that make it difficult for local officials to make early voting work in their specific circumstance.
Why are you the best candidate for this office?
I have been working in and studying government for 40 years. I managed 4,000 employees and a budget of $2.5 billion, implemented programs, drafted legislation, did policy analysis and worked with governors and legislators of both parties.
I have deep roots in rural Wisconsin and the 17th district. I've been a taxpayer in Richland County for over 25 years and have lived in Richland County for 16 years. I have energized supporters in every corner of the district. They know how much I care about the 17th district and that I am committed to representing their interests in Madison, rather than the interests of party leaders or lobbyists.
Age: 66
City/town of residence: Town of Willow, Richland County
Family: Wife Rita, two adult sons
Education: Bachelor's in Secondary Education, UW-Madison; Master's in Public Management, UW-Madison; Master's in Adult Education, UW-Madison
Occupation: Retired from the State of Wisconsin, Department of Transportation where I was Budget Director, Chief of Staff and a Division Administrator
Previous elected positions held or experience: First run for office
What are the top issues facing this district/board and how would you work to resolve them?
1. Our economy.
a. We need to return to a progressive tax system where those who benefit most from our economy contribute fairly to it.
b. We need to accept the federal dollars that are available to the state. Walker has left billions of our tax dollars in Washington. Accepting those dollars would have created thousands of jobs in Wisconsin.
c. We need to increase the minimum wage so that we no longer subsidize profitable businesses and so that the people who spend all their money have more money in their pockets. Economists tell us that a $10 minimum wage would create thousands of jobs in the state.
d. We need to invest in our transportation infrastructure. Our road and bridges are in terrible shape. Fixing them would put thousands of construction workers back to work and it would make our economy more efficient.
2. Our educational system.
a. We need to invest in our public schools. Funding for public schools has been cut by $1,038 per pupil, second only to Alabama.
b. We need to revise the school aids formula to reflect the realities of declining enrollment schools, the cost of rural transportation and the cost of educating kids who live in poverty.
c. We need to stop the war on schools and teachers.
d. We need to stop the expansion of voucher schools and roll back the recent expansion of those schools. The data says that kids in voucher schools do no better than their public school counterparts and 74% of the kids who applied for vouchers were already in private schools.
e. We need to stop playing politics with school standards.
f. We need to make higher education more accessible by:
i. Helping recent graduates refinance student debt at lower interest rates. This will help young people and spur our economy.
ii. Carefully examining the drivers of cost in our educational system and asking: Are those costs contributing to the educational experience?
iii. Reinvesting in higher education. Over the past 40 years state support for universities has fallen from 33% of total costs to between 15% and 16 percent.
3. Our environment. We have to re-embrace the traditional values of our state. Mining may have a place in our economy, but it should not come at the expense of our environment. The mining bill should be repealed, so that our traditional rules can be enforced. The state should also support some real research into the economic benefit of sand mining versus the health and environmental cost. My guess is that when such research is done, the costs will be greater than the benefit. This will then give us the tools needed to have a rational discussion of severance taxes and increased environmental regulation. In the interim, the ability of counties and towns to set their own rules must be preserved.
4. Women's rights. This comes down to finally accepting - at least among old men - that women have exactly the same rights as they do. This means restoring the pay equity act, repealing the ultrasound bill and ensuring that all women have access to routine health care like cancer screenings. We must ensure that women can age with dignity by preserving and strengthening programs like the Homestead Credit because elderly women are almost twice as likely to live in poverty as elderly men.
What are other key issues facing the district/board, and how would you work to resolve them?
Our democracy is in jeopardy. It will be protected when we all begin to understand the meaning behind the words of our state and federal constitutions. The modern corporation didn't exist when they were written, so how could the founders have really considered them to be people. The modern media society did not exist, so how could money have been seen as speech. A few Wisconsin specifics:
1. We need to repeal the voter ID law. We do not have a voter fraud issue. This is clearly a means to voter suppression.
2. We need to enact a non-partisan districting process on the model of Iowa. One proposal would place the responsibility with the Legislative Reference Bureau and charge them with creating compact, balanced districts.
3. We need to extend early voting hours and eliminate the mandates that make it difficult for local officials to make early voting work in their specific circumstance.
Why are you the best candidate for this office?
I have been working in and studying government for 40 years. I managed 4,000 employees and a budget of $2.5 billion, implemented programs, drafted legislation, did policy analysis and worked with governors and legislators of both parties.
I have deep roots in rural Wisconsin and the 17th district. I've been a taxpayer in Richland County for over 25 years and have lived in Richland County for 16 years. I have energized supporters in every corner of the district. They know how much I care about the 17th district and that I am committed to representing their interests in Madison, rather than the interests of party leaders or lobbyists.