It was an exciting week for me as the Assembly Democratic Caucus held its leadership elections, and we began to prepare for the next Legislative Session.
In addition to that news, this week's e-update includes information on Governor Evers's most recent Executive Order, Republicans needlessly questioning our election results, and the beginning of the People's Budget listening sessions with the Governor.
I hope you have a great weekend, and as always, if you have any questions or need assistance with any matter, please feel free to contact my office.
Sincerely,
Lisa Subeck State Representative 78th Assembly District
This week, the Assembly Democratic Caucus met to hold leadership elections. I am happy to announce that I have been elected to be Vice-Chair of our caucus, and am grateful for the trust my colleagues have placed in me.
The Assembly Democratic Caucus Leadership Team also includes:
Gordon Hintz (Minority Leader)
Dianne Hesselbein (Assistant Minority Leader)
Mark Spreitzer (Caucus Chair)
Beth Meyers (Caucus Secretary)
Kalan Haywood (Caucus Sergeant at Arms)
In addition to the leadership election, we welcome 10 new members to our caucus, including two who flipped long-held Republican districts in the Milwaukee suburbs. Our caucus is the most diverse in history, and also comprised of more women than men for the first time.
I am excited to join a strong leadership team, to welcome our newly elected Democrats, and to work with all of our caucus members on the issues most important to them and their constituents. I also look forward to working with those across the aisle to find solutions to our state’s urgent health and economic needs.
On Tuesday evening, Gov. Tony Evers delivered a primetime address, calling for Wisconsinites to work together on the COVID-19 pandemic. The call for unity and teamwork is a result of Wisconsin’s continued record-breaking days in terms of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths from this novel coronavirus.
To underscore the importance of stepping up our response together, the governor issued Executive Order #94, which includes new measures to combat the spread of COVID-19. The order advises Wisconsinites to stay home and take precautions to stay safe if Wisconsinites need to leave their home. It also encourages businesses to take additional steps to protect workers, customers, and the surrounding community.
Recordings of the governor's address can be viewed on his YouTube and Facebook accounts.
Republicans Continue to Needlessly Question Election Results
As you may have heard, there are several Republicans, both in Wisconsin and nationally, including outgoing President Donald Trump, raising unsubstantiated questions on how Wisconsin conducted our last election. They have been alleging voter fraud, flipped votes, and mail-in ballot dumps.
Here in Wisconsin, Assembly Republicans plan to waste time and money on investigating and auditing this election, even though it has been 213 days and counting since they did anything to address the COVID-19 pandemic. This costly action takes resources away from other pressing needs, like healthcare and education, during this difficult time. This is a baseless attempt by Republicans to undermine confidence in our elections and is part of a coordinated effort with numerous legal challenges in other states, most of which have already been dismissed by the courts.
Wisconsin set a numerical turnout record of almost 3.3 million votes. It is wonderful that so many of our eligible citizens participated in our democracy this year! Wisconsin can be proud of the free, fair, and efficient election that was conducted in this state. In Wisconsin, voters – not political parties, candidates, or legislative committees – decide our elections. I trust democracy will continue to reign in Wisconsin and the United States.
In preparation for the next legislative session, Governor Evers announced his listening sessions for the 2021-2023 state budget. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the listening sessions will be held virtually instead of in-person like in the past.
The first listening session will be centered on Healthcare and Public Health and held Tuesday, November 17th at 6 PM. Those who wish to participate need to register in advance for the session or can submit written comments. A full schedule of these listening sessions is available on the governor's website.
A scenic drive west from Madison will take you to Mineral Point, Wisconsin, in Iowa County, where you will find the Pendarvis Historic Site.
Pendarvis is a group of cabins that were built in the 1830s and 1840s by Cornish immigrants who settled much of Southwest Wisconsin to mine mostly lead, some zinc, and other minerals. Pendarvis has been operated by the Wisconsin Historical Society since 1970, after being restored, and contains a museum which displays many mining tools and other artifacts from the era.
Many of the lead miners moved to California in 1848 to mine gold. The miners that remained in Iowa County continued to mine zinc after lead declined. Zinc mining remained a major force until the 1920s. All metallic mining in Iowa County and southwest Wisconsin ended by 1979.
