State Rep. Joel Kitchens is preparing to run for his sixth term in the Wisconsin State Assembly representing the First District as he faces off against Milt Swagel in Tuesday's Republican Primary. The First District stretches through Door and Kewaunee counties and includes a small piece of Brown County. The answers below were edited for punctuation and grammar. The winner of Tuesday’s Republican Primary will face Kewaunee’s Renee Paplham in the Fall General Election in November. We posted Swagel's answers on Thursday and we will have links to both articles for the Sunday’s Electronic Newspaper.
Why are you running to represent the First Assembly District? I am running because I love this area. I have lived here for 40 years, raised a family, and started a business. I served as president of the school board because it is important to me that the next generation enjoys the same opportunities I found here. I am running because I want to protect our quality of life and assure that everyone here is as successful as possible.
What are your goals for the upcoming session of the Wisconsin State Legislature? I will always strive to keep the government small and taxes even smaller. This session, I authored the Right to Read Act, which returns Wisconsin to the phonics-based approach to reading, the same way most of us learned to read. For too long, our state moved away from that type of instruction, and our reading scores plummeted. As chair of the Education Committee, I will continue to work to make sure this important change is implemented in our schools.
What will your approach be on some of the biggest issues facing the First Assembly District?
Affordable Housing: While affordable housing is an issue throughout the state, it is especially acute in the 1st Assembly District. It is not just tourism workers who lack housing, it is also healthcare workers and educators. Last session, we passed a package of bills to remove red tape in approving housing projects and to provide tax incentives to build affordable housing. We need to build on that and work with businesses and community groups to incentivize and facilitate the building of workforce housing.
Workforce Development: As chairman of the Committee on Education, my goal is for every student to graduate with a plan so that they can enter the workforce and become contributing members of society. Four-year college is expensive, and it is not for everyone. We have been successful in introducing kids to career options through the youth apprenticeship program, and our technical schools are seeing solid growth. We are seeing declining birth rates, so it is vital that we keep young people in Wisconsin and that they have a plan to enter the workforce.
Child Care: It is nearly impossible for childcare centers to charge working parents a rate they can afford while remaining economically viable. As with affordable housing, we must work with our businesses to incentivize them to assist with childcare. In this age of worker shortages, it is a key for them to maintain a stable workforce. This session, we also passed a childcare tax credit that was signed into law. Government should not take over the task of raising children, but we can work with providers, businesses, and parents to make it more affordable and keep these people in the workforce.
Mental Health: Mental illness is certainly on the rise in the U.S., particularly among young people. In the long run, the key will be to focus on early treatment and prevention. I wrote the bill that allows mental health providers to see students within the schools. Studies show that young people are much more likely to see a professional in that setting and that early treatment is far more likely to be successful. Clinical depression has also risen with the increased access to the internet and social media. Next session, I will introduce legislation to ban cell phones in the classroom. While it won’t solve the entire problem, it has had a positive impact in places that have implemented it.
Clean Water: Improving our groundwater and surface water quality has been a top priority since I was first elected, and I have been honored by numerous conservation and farm groups for my efforts. My approach has always been to bring the conservation and agriculture groups together to find solutions. We will never solve these problems without buy-in from the farm community. We implemented restrictions on spreading manure that reflect the soil depth in northeast Wisconsin, and we incentivized producer-led watershed groups, like Peninsula Pride, to try new conservation practices. I am proud to say that Door and Kewaunee Counties now rank in the top half for water quality in spite of having the shallowest soil in the state. There is work yet to be done, but I will continue on this collaborative approach that has proven so successful.
How will you try to work with your colleagues from across the aisle to accomplish things for the state of Wisconsin? Every opponent I have ever had says that they will reach across the aisle if elected, yet very few members actually do it once elected. While I will never sacrifice my core principles, I have built a reputation for being reasonable and willing to work with Democrats when our goals align. Last session, I authored the Right to Read Act, which will have a huge impact on educational outcomes in our state. I did it by meeting with Governor Evers and working with members of both parties to an extent that has never happened in this administration. There is not a great deal of trust between the parties in Madison, but I have built solid relationships with many Democrats.
Why should people vote for you? I have proven that I am a very effective advocate for our area. I work very hard and I listen to my constituents. This session, I wrote three bills that were passed into law that came to me directly from citizens of our area who saw a gap in the current law and had an idea on how to make it better. I promise to continue to work tirelessly to keep the government as small as possible and to advance the priorities of our wonderful area.
Say something nice about your opponent. I appreciate anyone who is willing to step up and offer to serve the great people of our area.
