MONROE - Sondy Pope-Roberts (D-Cross Plains), was elected to the 79th Assembly District in 2002 and has been re-elected since 2004. Living in rural Cross Plains, Pope-Roberts finds herself in the 80th Assembly District, after the 2010 census redistricting. The 80th district now includes villages of New Glarus and Monticello and some of the northern parts of the Green County.
But, if elected, her approach to representing her constituents is not going to change, she said; jobs and the economy are still top priorities.
"We Democrats handed two packages of job creation bills on the table, which didn't pick up traction in the Republican legislature at all," she said.
In the bills were job training measures and investment money for job start-ups, she noted.
"Eleven bills in one package were just ignored," she said.
She and her fellow Democrats plan to pursue the same efforts next session, she added, but they will revisit those proposed bills, "to see what has happened and make adjustments."
Pope-Roberts is also championing a way to "restore the cuts and make wiser investments in public education."
The $1.6 billion in cuts Gov. Walker made to schools "is not my idea of funding reforms," she said.
Pope-Roberts said the state is "investing in the wrong end of state" by not investing in schools, while paying for a rising prison population.
"It costs $12,000 to educate a child and $32,000 to keep someone in prison," she said. "And most of those in prison do not have a high school diploma."
"It's going to take 20 years to turn these numbers around," she added.
Tom Lamberson, R-Verona, challenging Pope-Roberts for the 80th Assembly seat, did not respond to a request for an interview or return profile information.
But, if elected, her approach to representing her constituents is not going to change, she said; jobs and the economy are still top priorities.
"We Democrats handed two packages of job creation bills on the table, which didn't pick up traction in the Republican legislature at all," she said.
In the bills were job training measures and investment money for job start-ups, she noted.
"Eleven bills in one package were just ignored," she said.
She and her fellow Democrats plan to pursue the same efforts next session, she added, but they will revisit those proposed bills, "to see what has happened and make adjustments."
Pope-Roberts is also championing a way to "restore the cuts and make wiser investments in public education."
The $1.6 billion in cuts Gov. Walker made to schools "is not my idea of funding reforms," she said.
Pope-Roberts said the state is "investing in the wrong end of state" by not investing in schools, while paying for a rising prison population.
"It costs $12,000 to educate a child and $32,000 to keep someone in prison," she said. "And most of those in prison do not have a high school diploma."
"It's going to take 20 years to turn these numbers around," she added.
Tom Lamberson, R-Verona, challenging Pope-Roberts for the 80th Assembly seat, did not respond to a request for an interview or return profile information.