To The Citizens of Brown County,
Recently as a member of the Brown County League of Women Voters, I was privileged to moderate two community events: a Community Conversation held on March 23rd at the Brown County Barnburner relating to the School Referendum; and a Candidate Meet and Greet on March 27th at the Brown County Historical Society attended by 13 candidates vying for various County, State and US Representative offices. Not many public events have been hosted since Covid, but the response of the community to these two events was remarkable and makes me proud to have moved here and made this home. The events were well attended and participation by the attendees was informed and enthusiastic, while still being civil and respectful.
During the conversation concerning the school referendum, comments were made on both sides of the question. Parties opposed to the referendum emphasized the financial impact for individuals on fixed incomes and that the schools should do more with less. The panel of representatives entertained all questions and invited members of the community to come and visit the schools to see what is being offered. These individuals showed commitment to their students’ needs and efforts that are being made to prepare every student for a place in the workplace after high school, not just providing a college bound track. There was also an ability for attendees to get assistance computing the impact on their individual property taxes. A big thanks to the panelists – Emily Tracy, BCSD Superintendent, Carol Bowden, President of the BC School Board, School Board members, Amy Oliver and Doug Payne, and Alyson Hanus, teacher at Sprunica Elementary – for attending and fielding the thought provoking questions from the audience. One of the most poignant questions asked by a member of the public was seminal to the question voters must answer when considering the referendum – “Do we want to support the schools where the children are our future? Or do we want to become a community that can only support tourists and shop owners if the school system fails?”
Learn more about what the Referendum means for you and for the schools at: http://www.browncountyschools.com/referendum-2024/. Your vote in the May 7th Primary will help determine if this Referendum passes or fails.
The Candidate Meet and Greet employed a new format in an effort to encourage one-on-one interaction between candidates and attendees. After each candidate had an opportunity to make two-minute introductory remarks, the candidates were stationed at individual tables so that members of the public could ask questions pertinent to each candidate. There were pros and cons to this approach, but the audience appeared to make maximum use of the time and availability of the candidates and the conversations carried on beyond the scheduled end of the event.
I would first like to thank the community for showing such interest in these important issues. As we all know, our votes can have the biggest impact at the local level. By coming to find out from the members of the community who are running for office or who possess the most information about what is going on, we become better informed in helping to make the decisions critical to keep Brown County thriving.
I would also like to thank Kara Hammes, owner of the Brown County Barnburner, and Alice Lorenz and Pete Bullard with the Historical Society for providing the facilities for these two events. Rick Kelley and Janet Perkins of the Brown County Farm Bureau came through with delicious refreshments to sustain our energy, and the Brown County Library and Historical Society came through with technical equipment.
The League sponsored a zoom forum for the Democrat candidates for US State Representative for District 9 on Saturday, April 6th, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Efforts were made to set up a comparable forum for the Republican candidates, but they declined. You can view a recording of this forum by going to the Community Access Television website and looking for the recording. https://catstv.net/ or look for the recording on the LWVBC website.
The League continues to encourage everyone to be educated and motivated to participate in exercising your right to vote! Visit Vote411.org to see candidates on your ballot and all the election information you need.
Sunny Leerkamp
League of Women Voters for Brown County, Vice President
