Thanks to the implementation of new legislative maps, there is a glimmer of hope for Democrat Joe Sheehan from Sheboygan. He now has a fighting chance in a highly contested district that could potentially shift the balance of power in the Republican-controlled Assembly come November. In the upcoming election, Sheehan will be going head-to-head with incumbent Representative Amy Binsfeld in the 26th District, where critical concerns such as housing, child care, and education take center stage.
The district now encompasses the entire city of Sheboygan, which includes the city’s UW-Green Bay branch campus. Due to the redrawing of Wisconsin’s districts by Republicans in 2011, voters in this predominantly blue city had no opportunity to elect a Democratic representative to the Assembly. The gerrymandered maps divided Sheboygan into two districts, extending into rural areas that were more favorable to Republicans.
According to a Wisconsin Watch analysis of past voting patterns, the district is now considered a toss-up with a slight Democratic lean of just under 3 points. This shift in the district’s political landscape is a result of new legislative maps that were signed into law in February.
Sheehan revealed to Wisconsin Watch that he probably wouldn’t have joined the race if it hadn’t been for the newly redrawn maps. With a 20-year tenure as superintendent of the Sheboygan Area School District, as well as serving as executive director of the Sheboygan County Economic Development Corp., he eventually retired.
Election Day is November 5. Gather all of the information you need to vote.
Mary Lynne Donohue, a Democrat who ran for the district in 2020 as a “sacrificial lamb,” told Wisconsin Watch that left-leaning candidates had practically never joined the contest in the past.
“That’s one of the horrible characteristics of a gerrymander,” Donohue said. “People stop participating because they know they can’t win.”
Donohue played a key role as one of the initial plaintiffs in a federal redistricting case that reached the U.S. Supreme Court. The case aimed to challenge the unfair manipulation of state Assembly districts by the Republican party. Unfortunately, the case was dismissed due to a technicality. However, in a more recent legal battle, the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which now has a liberal majority, invalidated the state’s maps that had been redrawn after the 2020 Census to maintain an advantage for Republicans. As a result, both Republican lawmakers and the Democratic governor reached an agreement on the current maps.
Sheboygan is buzzing with democratic energy in this election year, according to Donohue.
In 2022, Binsfeld won her first election and is currently serving as the representative for the 27th District. However, due to redistricting, she decided to run in the new 25th District, where she was placed in the same district as long-time Rep. Paul Tittl, R-Manitowoc. Binsfeld holds the position of chair on the Speaker’s Task Force on Truancy. Despite multiple interview requests from Wisconsin Watch for this story, she did not provide a response.
Sheehan has managed to raise almost $1 million more than Binsfeld. The Assembly Democratic Campaign Committee has been a significant contributor, providing over $1 million of the $1.27 million raised for his campaign. On the other hand, the Republican Assembly Campaign Committee has contributed more than $220,000 towards Binsfeld’s total fundraising amount of $330,000.
Housing
This Article Includes
The housing market in Sheboygan is experiencing a shortage as the demand for housing has outpaced the supply. According to a recent study, the city may require over 5,200 additional housing units in the next five years to meet the needs of its growing population and workforce.
According to Sheehan, the key to addressing the issue is to reduce the cost of purchasing a new home for buyers, while still ensuring that developers can make a reasonable profit. This can be achieved through state subsidies. Sheehan believes that the state has the power to encourage the construction of specific types of housing, including workforce and entry-level housing. If elected, he intends to seek advice from housing experts to develop effective strategies.
He opposes the idea of municipalities being able to implement rent control, stating that it creates an artificial market that cannot be sustained in the long run.
During an interview with WisconsinEye, Binsfeld expressed her opposition to rent control, emphasizing that housing matters are best managed at the local and private levels. However, she acknowledged the role of the state Legislature in providing grants for certain housing projects to encourage developers.
Child care
Childcare affordability and accessibility have long been ongoing concerns throughout Wisconsin, including in cities such as Sheboygan.
According to a recent survey conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, almost 60% of child care providers in the state have classrooms that are not being fully utilized due to a shortage of staff. These providers estimate that if they had enough staff, they could accommodate an additional 33,000 children. The Department of Children and Families has also noted that Wisconsin is losing a significant number of child care providers each year.
According to a study conducted by the Economic Policy Institute, a typical family in Wisconsin would need to allocate one-third of its income towards child care expenses for an infant and a 4-year-old. To put this into perspective, the Department of Health and Human Services considers child care to be affordable if it amounts to no more than 7% of a family’s income, based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau in 2016.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median hourly wage for a child care worker in Wisconsin is $13.78 as of May 2023.
This year, Binsfeld introduced a bill that received bipartisan support and was signed into law by Democratic Governor Tony Evers. The bill aims to enhance Wisconsin’s child and dependent care tax credit.
Binsfeld, along with her Republican colleagues, played a crucial role in crafting a series of child care bills during the most recent legislative session.
The Republican-supported package comprised of several bills that aimed to provide financial relief to parents. One of the proposed bills allowed parents to contribute up to $10,000 in pre-tax funds to a dedicated account for child care expenses. Additionally, the package introduced a new classification of child care centers, known as large family child care centers, which would be able to accommodate between four and twelve children.
Advocates and providers in the child care industry argued against proposals to lower the minimum teaching age of assistant child care providers from 18 to 16 and increase the permitted ratio of children to workers in child care facilities. They maintained that these measures would not effectively address the current challenges in the field of child care.
Unfortunately, none of the proposals were able to pass into legislation.
According to Sheehan, bills like these are not the ideal solution for the long term. He did not specify any alternative child care policies or show explicit support for them. However, he mentioned that if elected, he would seek input from experts, parents, and caregivers to address the issue.
Education
Sheboygan, along with 192 other school districts in Wisconsin, has recently gone or will be going to referendum this year. This represents nearly half of all school districts in the state. The primary concern for many districts, including Sheboygan, is that state aid has not kept pace with inflation. It is worth noting that in 2009, the state decoupled per-pupil revenue limits from inflation, resulting in tighter budgets for districts ever since.
In November, Sheboygan’s public school district is preparing for a capital referendum, but it is worth noting that many districts are now turning to operational referendums instead. A report by the Wisconsin Policy Forum reveals that Wisconsin’s per-pupil K-12 spending has seen a slower increase compared to almost every other state in the nation, except for Indiana and Idaho, from 2002 to 2020.
In the previous year, Binsfeld supported a bill that aimed to raise per-pupil revenue limits in public schools while also increasing tax funding for private voucher schools. This legislation was passed as a result of a compromise between Republican lawmakers and Evers.
In a conversation with Wisconsin Watch, Sheehan expressed his disagreement with the bill, stating that it would only serve to put public schools at a greater disadvantage. He raised concerns regarding the allocation of state funding, particularly the disproportionate amount directed towards private school vouchers compared to per-pupil state aid. It’s worth noting that the latter figure doesn’t take into account local property taxes.
During a recent WisconsinEye interview, Binsfeld voiced her support for school choice and emphasized that increasing funding for special education would be a primary focus if she were to be reelected.
The Sheboygan Democrat presents its argument in a district that was previously gerrymandered. This post is from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site that has been covering Wisconsin since 2009. We kindly ask you to support our journalism by making a contribution.
