(Scroll down for more topics and information.)

• Inflation is Out of Control:  Government works for us, not the other way around.
  • I know that kitchen-table conversations are often about how to make ends meet. I watch gas prices, watch for sales, and clip coupons to stretch my family's dollars as far as they will go and I know most of our neighbors are doing the same.
  • Our governments must take care of the infrastructure they have far better than they are.  We have public amenities falling apart due to neglect because something else is always more important, and then we the taxpayers must buy or build new.  In the 2025 preparation of the Milwaukee County Budget, we've learned that just a few years ago, a replacing an old squad car would cost perhaps $30k to $40k, but today, costs over $100k and has up to a two year wait time for delivery.  Just as our household budgets are so difficult to keep in line, government budgets are under a great deal of stress and it's only going to get worse.  We must be careful and smart with when and how government spends our tax dollars. Now, with that information in hand, what if I told you that state laws are written in a way that essentially punish local governments and taxpayers if they save money for big purchases and pay in cash, but incentivize local governments taking out loans stretching decades into the future?
  • As another example, we have not yet been able to reconcile why the State of Wisconsin charges Milwaukee County residents hundreds of thousands of dollars as the "annual cost" of caring for a single youth requiring court-ordered detainment and supervision.  Wisconsin as a state seems to have done well with bringing taxpayers relief at the state level, but it seems from the ground view that there is still much to be done between our local governments and state to ensure that Milwaukee County's taxpayers are respected.
• Education Reform:
  • Public school funding formulas are broken, teachers need more support, and school districts must be held accountable.  There are recurring territorial battles between "regular public school districts," "charter schools" and "choice schools."  Some changes to formulas so that all public schools are funded to a basic degree, coupled with funds that better "follow the child" could help with reducing these divisions and competitiveness between education models.  My children have attended choice schools in the past, and presently some of my children attend a public charter school, and some attend an MPS school; having also been a choice school auditor, I am uniquely experienced and qualified to help untangle some of our funding messes.
  • Yet, how is it that Milwaukee Public Schools not only missed a really important financial deadline with the state, but many deadlines, fired the staff who knew what was going wrong, and has now had so many problems that kids on sports teams are being administratively disqualified from competition?  The district is constantly in the headlines for the financial and administrative issues spilling over and no one seems to have any good answers.  So many of our kids are not being served well when the ripple effects from these problems spread, and yet so many are afraid of state intervention with MPS, that the district is blindly defended.  I will give support where warranted, criticism where due, and seek changes to state laws to prevent these issues in the future and get things on the right track.
• Community Health:
  • Children in foster care must be better supported.  There are usually over 1,000 children in Wisconsin in in the state's care at any given time.
  • Refugees should be treated with respect and uplifted, with assurances that they will have the basic support provisions to realistically pursue the American dream, since they have entered with legal permission and are relying on that allowance for their future as Americans.
  • Seniors who have supported the building of our cities and infrastructures throughout their lives often reach their golden years poor and alone, and sometimes with great difficulty understanding what government is doing next.
  • People who have been in our prisons must be prepared for rejoining society.  Prisoners who complete their sentencing are often released without any new tools or resources to help them avoid falling into the patterns from the past.

These are just a small sampling of ways that Wisconsin needs to show up and lead in creating quality pathways for those we care for to have hope for the future.  As the most vulnerable we are responsible for succeed, so will we.

• Cannabis Legalization: Legal for medical and recreation in all of our neighboring states, our current laws must be updated for fairness and practicality.  Wisconsin has a robust bar and alcohol sector, and even though THC / Marijuana use is legal to some degree in each of our surrounding states, and considered by many to be "safer" than alcohol and have many potential benefits (such as reducing anxiety, or aiding with certain medical conditions), possession is a violation of the law in Wisconsin, and posessing it a second time is a felony!  Our laws and treatment of people in relation to substances are inconsistent and no longer reflect what science and the medical community now show.

• Balanced Justice: Advocate for tougher penalties for reckless driving, driving under the influence, and vehicle thefts!  Review penalties for non-violent crimes to help offenders get their lives on the right track.  For example, there are many roadways where speed limits seem to be either too high or too low.  Similarly, it might be reasonable to give a person pulled over for speeding a warning, but we can all agree that for a person who steals a car to joyride and cause mayhem, no one benefits for them to receive just a warning and there must be some real consequences to deter these behaviors and keep our places safe.

• Law Enforcement Support: The police respond when called and we can have faith in their training, leadership, and integrity.  For example, our community would benefit from law enforcement agencies (Police, Sheriff, etc..) having enough staffing to reduce unnecessary overtime, and all community responders should be trained in working with mental health and disability issues, such as non-verbal persons, autism, extreme anxiety or depression, and other situations that need more than just a conversation about the rules of our society.

• Political Independence -
  • The major political parties - Democrat, Republican, and Libertarian, each offer ideas valuable to our ways of life. However, most voters have been frustrated at the "2-Party System" and how the political machines often result in gridlock and headline-grabbing accusations that just fuel division.
  • I am committed to remaining politically independent and to working with both sides of the aisle to make the best decisions with the information and resources we have.  I believe that money shouldn't run politics, people should.
  • Because of this commitment, GoodParty.org has supported my candidacy to be the first Independent State Representative in the Wisconsin Assembly.

• Stop the nonsense: I believe in people, and because we the people can do better, government can do better.
  • For example, why would a school district line ever be allowed to cross THROUGH a family's home, where children in one bedroom are supposed to be in one school district and children in another room are supposed to attend a different district.  I was recently told this story from a fellow elected official and like many crazy government stories over the years, was flabbergasted!
  • Similarly, why has our legislature and judiciary had to argue over whether the witness address on an absentee ballot is complete or not, based on whether the zip code or state are listed?  If we write more thoughtful laws, we can avoid some of the giant wastes of taxpayer money and patience.

It's time to work to ensure that people making the rules for our society are using common sense and care enough to help us avoid these ridiculous problems.

If you're like me and tired of the typical "government responses" on problems like these, I hope to earn your vote: Deanna Alexander for Representative to the State Assembly!