Forward Fridays

Hello!

Welcome to my latest e-update! Here are highlights from the past week as your State Representative. 

As always, feel free to reach out to my office with any questions or concerns you have.

Forward together!  

East Tosa Murals

Wallpapered City rolled out a 7 mural project in East Tosa called the "North Avenue Mural Arts District" or "NoMAD". 7 artists were chosen for 7 different buildings that opted into the project. Over the past two weeks, the murals were created, and unveiled on Monday night. Here are some photos from the process:

Eric Ricks (Liberia & Maryland) painting a 3D mural on the Nobleman

 Christina Thomas (Wauwatosa resident!) painting a mural on the Heartland Information Services building 

Matthew Mederer and Max Komorov, a Chicago-based
"graff" (graffiti) crew, in the process of  painting the Voline gas station

Read more about the mural arts project in East Tosa here!

 Legislation Meeting with MATC

I met with instructors from Milwaukee Area Technical College last week and Rep. Brostoff (& his baby!) to discuss some legislation we're working on. 

Student Loan Debt Task Force

I attended State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski’s student loan debt round table in Washington Park, Milwaukee on Tuesday. 

Student loan debt "precludes them from buying a home, buying a car, from actually participating in the Wisconsin economy," Godlewski said. "What we need to think about is what's the impact on the economy if we don't address this problem. Because I'll be honest, the longer we wait, the worse the impact is going to be, not just on Wisconsinites individually, but overall our family and the health of our economy here." Read more here. 

Please send your student debt stories and concerns to my office. Governor Evers has asked that we work together to understand the student debt concerns of Wisconsinites. 

Tosa Night Out

On Tuesday night, I went to Tosa Night Out at St. Pius! Thanks to Officer Tracey and the Girl Scouts for hosting! There are more TNO events happening all over the city. Check out the website for more info!  

Officer Tracey helps band-aid a kiddo at the event

 Adoption Task Force Hearing - Balsam Lake

I had a beautiful tour of Wisconsin yesterday— left early in the morning to drive 6 hours to Balsam Lake, the last hour being a tour complimentary of a malfunctioning GPS, but a valuable look into the damage tornadoes caused to our Wisconsin farmland last weekend. It was devastating to see first hand.

We then held an Adoption Task Force hearing, then hopped in the car and drove 5 hours home, landing on my front porch in time for a late dinner. The next Adoption Task force hearings are in Milwaukee and Waukesha in mid-late August, dates to be determined.

Thanks to local spot, Cafe Wren (in Luck, WI) for the coffee and cookies that drove me home!

 What does a day look like for a state legislator?

A lot of constituents and community members ask me this question, so I decided to walk through what a day might look like for me in this role. I chose last Tuesday:

6:30AM: Wake up at my home in Wauwatosa, and get ready for the day. That means a quick coffee + breakfast, sharing a small bungalow bathroom with my kids getting ready for First Stage camp, and reading over my speech that I'll be delivering later. 

8AM: Kiss kids goodbye (someone else drove carpool that day), leave Tosa for the 1.5 hour drive to the Capitol. Stop for gas along the way at the local gas station (which just had their black & white mural wrapped up!) - I love chatting with the owners!

9:45AM: Park in my assigned spot in the garage. It takes about 15 minutes to walk into the Capitol from there. 

10AM: Arrive at the Capitol and do any last minute prep before our press conference that morning. That means talking with my colleagues, reading over my notes, and making any last minute edits. 

10:15AM: Meet in the minority leader's office for press conference. 

10:30AM: Press conference on my nonpartisan redistricting legislation with Senator Dave Hansen and fair maps advocates. 

11:30AM: Wrap up press conference and answer any last minute questions. Go back to my office to order lunch and confer with my staff about the legislation I'm working on and the events for the rest of the week. 

12:00PM: Eat lunch (quickly!) while my Chief of Staff Maddie fills me in on some bills that had run through committee hearings - we discussed concerns raised at those hearings and how those concerns are being dealt with. 

12:30PM: Record Weekly Democratic Radio Address about fair maps. 

1PM: I run through the items placed on my desk by Maddie - signing paperwork, articles to take home to read, legislation released for co-sponsorship, etc. I also write letters to constituents, call a few people who had called and written in, and go over notes for my next meetings. 

1:30PM: Leave Capitol to go to Milwaukee for next event. At this point, I'm running out of the building because time is tight. My drive is 1 hour and 17 minutes, and the press conference starts at 3pm. 

3:00PM: Arrive at 2:57PM and thankfully parking in the city is easy that day! Hop into the building, greet colleagues, take my seat at the press conference in Milwaukee with the Department of Revenue and the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

4:00PM: Return home to Wauwatosa. Lament the heat in my upstairs office, but I'm not complaining, because winter is cold! I crack open my laptop to catch up on email, and greet my kids when they get home at 4:45PM. Spend time with my family, eat dinner on the porch, and laugh with my kids. 

8:00PM: Full Moon Bike Ride from Wauwatosa to Miller Park with 203 of my neighbors. I met some constituents, talked about current work, all while biking under the moon. 

And that's a day! 

Upcoming Community Events 

Tosa Night Out at the Zoo

Wednesday, July 31st, 4:00 – 8:00 PM, Milwaukee County Zoo

Family activities including: health and safety displays, live music, coloring contest, scavenger hunt, full access to the zoo grounds and more! More info here. 

Brookfield - National Night Out 

Wednesday, August 7th, 4:00 – 8:00 PM, Brookfield Civic Plaza

Don’t miss this family fun event filled with activities, entertainment, food and fun for all: safety tips and demos, rock climbing wall, bounce house, and Community Walk Against Crime from 8:30-9PM. More info here.

Looking Forward

We haven’t posted August in-district office hours yet because we are waiting on Adoption Task Force dates to be released. We have been asked to hold our August schedule for those dates.‬ We will schedule office hours as soon as those dates are given to us. Thank you!

Feel free to email or call my office with any questions or concerns, or meet with me at one of my in-district office hours or listening sessions.

Forward together,

Rep. Robyn Vining

Contact Us: 

State Capitol
P.O. Box 8953
Madison, WI 53708 

PH: (608) 266-9180
TF: (888) 534-0014

Email: Rep.Vining@legis.wi.gov 
Web: www.vining.assembly.wi.gov

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