By Janis Ringhand, State Representative
For many families in our area, the past three years have been some of the hardest and most trying times of their lives. Beginning with Wall Street and moving swiftly to the housing market and eventually our Main Streets, the economic downturn has had a devastating impact on communities everywhere.
We hear a great amount of rhetoric from politicians on both sides of the aisle about creating jobs and restoring the economy. But as we all know, actions speak louder than words. Since taking office back in January, I've been meeting with businesses, economic development groups, and our technical schools to find out what they need now to jump-start our economy.
Last month, I toured several companies in the area including Kuhn Knight Manufacturing, Stoughton Trailers and Maple Leaf Cheese. One of the things I heard over and over again was the importance of training and having qualified employees with the necessary technical skills. This was one of the reasons I fought so hard against Governor Walker's 30 percent reduction in state aid for technical schools during the state budget. Many of our local employers are looking for employees with experience and training in computers, welding, mechanics, among other areas, and it is technical schools that provide that education.
Right in our own backyard, Blackhawk Technical College has done a tremendous job of working with local businesses. Conforming their curriculum to the needs of the job market they deliver a quality education while also successfully matching students with employers throughout our area.
As legislators it's important that we use the information from our local businesses and take action here in the Capitol. After a long summer break, I was hopeful we would hit the ground running this fall with an exciting, bipartisan jobs agenda, however I was disappointed to learn that the Assembly would only be in session one day this month. The earliest we could be back on the floor is late October. I believe this is a missed opportunity for not only the Legislature, but the people of Wisconsin.
Speaking of missed opportunities, I was surprised to see a feature on the front page of our local newspaper. A Representative from Spring Green was touring businesses here in Monroe with the Secretary of Tourism. While I can certainly understand their interest in our community (we have so much to offer), it is unfortunate that once again the governor's administration and members of the majority party refuse to work with Sen. Erpenbach and me, even when they come in our districts.
As this legislative session continues on, one thing I can assure you is that I will not waiver in my commitment to creating jobs. I will not be derailed by partisanship.
As always, please feel free to contact my office if you have additional questions on this or if you have any ideas on how we can get our economy back on track.
- Rep. Janis Ringhand, D-Evansville, represents the 80th Assembly district. She can be reached at rep.ringhand@legis.wisconsin.gov or call (888) 534-0080.
For many families in our area, the past three years have been some of the hardest and most trying times of their lives. Beginning with Wall Street and moving swiftly to the housing market and eventually our Main Streets, the economic downturn has had a devastating impact on communities everywhere.
We hear a great amount of rhetoric from politicians on both sides of the aisle about creating jobs and restoring the economy. But as we all know, actions speak louder than words. Since taking office back in January, I've been meeting with businesses, economic development groups, and our technical schools to find out what they need now to jump-start our economy.
Last month, I toured several companies in the area including Kuhn Knight Manufacturing, Stoughton Trailers and Maple Leaf Cheese. One of the things I heard over and over again was the importance of training and having qualified employees with the necessary technical skills. This was one of the reasons I fought so hard against Governor Walker's 30 percent reduction in state aid for technical schools during the state budget. Many of our local employers are looking for employees with experience and training in computers, welding, mechanics, among other areas, and it is technical schools that provide that education.
Right in our own backyard, Blackhawk Technical College has done a tremendous job of working with local businesses. Conforming their curriculum to the needs of the job market they deliver a quality education while also successfully matching students with employers throughout our area.
As legislators it's important that we use the information from our local businesses and take action here in the Capitol. After a long summer break, I was hopeful we would hit the ground running this fall with an exciting, bipartisan jobs agenda, however I was disappointed to learn that the Assembly would only be in session one day this month. The earliest we could be back on the floor is late October. I believe this is a missed opportunity for not only the Legislature, but the people of Wisconsin.
Speaking of missed opportunities, I was surprised to see a feature on the front page of our local newspaper. A Representative from Spring Green was touring businesses here in Monroe with the Secretary of Tourism. While I can certainly understand their interest in our community (we have so much to offer), it is unfortunate that once again the governor's administration and members of the majority party refuse to work with Sen. Erpenbach and me, even when they come in our districts.
As this legislative session continues on, one thing I can assure you is that I will not waiver in my commitment to creating jobs. I will not be derailed by partisanship.
As always, please feel free to contact my office if you have additional questions on this or if you have any ideas on how we can get our economy back on track.
- Rep. Janis Ringhand, D-Evansville, represents the 80th Assembly district. She can be reached at rep.ringhand@legis.wisconsin.gov or call (888) 534-0080.
