On Nov. 6, voters will choose between two candidates to represent the 86th Assembly District, which covers a large segment of Central Wisconsin, including parts of Marathon, Portage and Shawano Counties.
Representative John Spiros, of Marshfield, is the Republican incumbent in this race. He’s being challenged by Democratic candidate Nancy Stencil, of Rib Mountain.
Wausau Pilot and Review gave both candidates, listed in alphabetical order, identical questions to answer to better inform voters about their positions on crucial issues facing residents before the election. Their unedited answers are listed below.
For a sample ballot and general election information, visit My Vote Wisconsin.
Letters to the editor are encouraged through Monday, Nov. 5. Email [email protected].
John Spiros, incumbent
Age: 57
City of Residence: Marshfield
Education: A.A.S. Criminal Justice, MTCC (Omaha, NE), 1985
Employment Experience: currently Vice President of Safety at Roehl Trucking, previously Air Force, Law Enforcement Officer (TX)
Political Experience: Marshfield Common Council (8 years) and WI State Assembly (6 years)
What are your reasons for running for office, and why should voters choose you?
When my family and I first moved to Wisconsin, one of the first things I noticed was the high taxes (at the time). I decided to run for the Marshfield Common Council to lower taxes and reduce the government burden on people. I brought this philosophy to Madison when I ran for the State Assembly in 2011. It has turned out to be one of the main things we’ve accomplished in the last couple of sessions, under the leadership of Governor Walker and the Republican majority. I hope to continue that track record of reforms and proven results to help our state move in the right direction of economic growth.
Wisconsin relies heavily on gas taxes and registration fees to fund transportation. With revenues from both sources growing slowly, what changes, if any, would you support to meet the state’s transportation needs? If you would not increase revenues, how would you reduce spending in order to adapt to more modest revenue growth?
I understand transportation revenue is an issue in our state. That’s why I submitted a budget proposal this past session to increase revenue while not increasing the gas tax. My proposal would have included a specified amount of sales and use tax revenues generated from sales of motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts and accessories to be deposited into the transportation fund to increase revenue. This proposal was originally submitted by Governor Walker when he was in the Assembly and I am hopeful we can re-visit it in the coming session.
A growing number of local governments (including Marathon County) have turned to “wheel taxes” to fund their transportation programs. Do you support their ability to do so, or do you favor restrictions on these fees? Would you favor alternative local revenue options instead of, or in addition to, wheel taxes, such as local gas or sales tax?
Local governments have to take actions which they think are best for their communities. However, I can tell you that in the last session the legislature has increased funding for the general transportation aids (GTA) program by $56 million over the biennium which equates to a 12.9% increase for counties and an 8.5% increase for municipalities. This has been the largest increase to local road aid in 20 years. Keep in mind the allocation of these funds are based on a formula that includes a 6 year rolling spending average.
What policies should Wisconsin pursue to attract and retain the employees needed to maintain our workforce over the next 20 years – or, how should Wisconsin prepare instead for a smaller, older workforce?
I think we’ve done a great job in this state, especially in the last couple of years, in attracting and retaining new employees. We have seen our unemployment rate at or below 3.0% for the last 8 months, setting a record. We have one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. Additionally, there are now more jobs available on the WiscJobs website than the number of people on unemployment in our state. I think this is a great start, and with businesses such as Foxconn coming to our state we can only expect to see more good things to come.
Given research showing that, in general, the growth in Wisconsin has been uneven, what steps would you take to promote development in areas that have seen the slowest growth (particularly in rural and northern Wisconsin)?
I think the legislature is working to address these issues in a thoughtful, meaningful way. As part of the Rural Wisconsin Initiative, I have been working for increased broadband access for our rural areas. High speed internet will not only help our schools but it will attract businesses to areas that might not otherwise have industry or growth. Additionally, we have been working on healthcare co-ops and increasing funding for STEM education and FabLabs so that kids are better prepared for the opportunities available to them. We have also proposed investing $1 billion over the next 20 years to rural communities to encourage business start-ups, relocation, development, and growth. This is something I hope we can take up again and finally get passed so these communities can see the benefits right away. Finally, I wish we could have seen the increase in district attorneys for rural areas. I think these are goals we can work on for next session among other issues.
Should the current general aids system for K-12 school be changed? If so, how?
The school funding formula is complex and has far reaching effects in not only schools but local governments as well. K-12 schools in our state received the highest level of funding EVER, over $600 million. This increase included the per-pupil rate as well as sparsity funding, and special education. Another $100 million was invested into our school safety programs to address mental health and school safety so that our children can feel they have a safe place to learn and grow. No child should feel unsafe in their school and we are taking steps to ensure this. We also focused on retaining and awarding great teachers. While the legislature works to improve our schools and address the needs of diverse districts, we should be proud of the educational successes we have already accomplished with some the highest graduation rates in the country and high ACT scores and K-12 schools receiving the largest amount ever in actual dollars.
Voters in Marathon County will be asked to weigh in on medical marijuana in this election. What are your views on medical marijuana? What about recreational marijuana?
This session, the legislature legalized the possession of CBD oil, which can be an alternative to medical marijuana. This allows families who have exhausted all options another treatment alternative. This oil has shown promise in treating seizure disorders, especially among young children. However, I am reticent to legalize recreational marijuana until law enforcement has way to calculate how “high” someone is to determine their level of impairment, much like we do with alcohol. Additionally, new research has shown that not only is recreational marijuana not the economic boost originally projected, but incidents involving car crashes are higher in states where marijuana is legalized, not to mention car insurance rates are higher. So I am waiting to see how this plays out before voting to legalize it in our state.
Would you support modifications to existing levy limits to give municipalities and counties greater flexibility or do you support them in their current form to curb growth in property taxes?
As a state we have already taken steps to remove the personal property tax while ensuring that municipalities remain whole. I support the work we’ve done to lower property taxes and would oppose any measure that would undo that progress.
What will you do to address the rising costs of prescription drugs? Would you support state legislation to prohibit drug companies form charging excessive prices, or does the state have no business meddling in such enterprise?
Drug costs are an issue that is facing not only Wisconsin, but our nation. I believe that federal legislation is the best way to address this issue. The federal government has more tools at their disposal, including a complete repeal of ACA, which can tackle the problem. State legislation to simply put in price controls can have unintended consequences and interfere with free markets, which imposes too much governmental regulation. President Trump has indicated recently he is working to address this issue so we’ll see what his plan is before taking any action on a state level.
What will you do to ensure that Wisconsin continues to be affordable for groups like seniors and working families? What will you do to ensure they have access to healthcare?
I believe we have taken great steps in ensure access for healthcare for all of our state’s population. This session, we established a reinsurance plan which would cover high cost claims which will help stabilize the state’s private health insurance market, reduce premiums in the individual market, and increase coverage. This past biennial budget, we voted to save SeniorCare to ensure the most vulnerable were not left without care. The Assembly also voted to prohibit health insurance policies and plans from considering preexisting conditions for those with continuous coverage when setting premiums, deductibles, and copayments under a plan. Governor Walker has indicated he intends to see this pass both houses and signed into law this coming session. We also eliminated the waiting list for Children’s Long-Term Support (CLTS) services program, providing approximately 2,200 children with the care and services they need.
Do you support taxpayer-supported incentives for big businesses, such as we’ve seen with Foxconn? Why or why not?
The Foxconn legislation paves the way for the largest direct foreign investment in United States’ history. This landmark legislation ensures that Wisconsin taxpayers are protected with safeguards that preserve both the environment and our tax dollars. Key to the deal is the fact that the state does not pay out any tax credits until after Foxconn has made its investment and created new jobs in the state. The construction of the transformational development project is Wisconsin focused with more than 90 percent of the initial construction work from Wisconsin workers. Foxconn is also investing in Wisconsin by creating two innovation centers in Green Bay and Eau Claire. Additionally, Foxconn has entered into a partnership with our local ginseng manufactures to promote and sell Wisconsin ginseng abroad, including in Asian markets. Our entire state will feel the benefits from Foxconn and I look forward to other businesses looking to invest in Wisconsin.
Hunger and homelessness continue to be issues both statewide and in Wausau, where there are hundreds of homeless students in our local school system. Critics say Gov. Walker’s changes to foodshare programs exacerbated that problem, making times harder for families and children. With that in mind, what policies would you support to help ensure children do not go hungry?
Honestly, I think the critics are wrong. The legislature specifically sought to address our homelessness issue with the passage of a package of four bills focused on funding and coordination of services and housing for the homeless (Assembly Bills 234, 235, 236, and 237, two of which were taken up in the budget and two passed as separate bills). Additionally, any work requirements placed on Foodshare assistance exempted families with children under the age of six, anyone pregnant, or disabled, as already laid out in federal guidelines. It did not restrict the amount of assistance they were receiving, rather provided a more equitable allocation of dollars so more families could receive assistance overall.
Far too many people in Wisconsin still do not receive treatment for mental health or addiction disorders. If elected, what will you do to make sure all people with mental health illness and addictions have access to the lifesaving treatment they need? Wisconsin continues to lead in combatting heroin and prescription drug abuse, and this session has been no exception with the combined efforts of the passage of 13 bills as part of the HOPE Agenda, progress and funding for HOPE initiatives in the state budget, and the formation of the Governor’s Task Force on Opioid Abuse. We continued to tackle the tough issues of this epidemic such as access to treatment and the stigma attached to addiction. The HOPE Agenda, which began in 2013, now consists of 30 laws total, all of which have been approved with broad bipartisan support in both houses of the legislature. Additionally, we created two new aid programs related to student mental health; school mental health aid to reimburse schools for costs related to providing mental health services to students ($3 million) and community and school mental health collaboration grants to help schools connect with area health providers to meet students’ needs ($3.25 million).
What else would you like voters to know about you before they vote? I believe in the reforms that have brought Wisconsin the economic benefits and lower taxes we are experiencing. While I am proud of the work we have already accomplished there is still a lot we can do to make Wisconsin a great place to work and raise a family. I will continue to work hard in Madison for the 86th Assembly District, listening to my constituents and taking the tough votes to move us in the right direction.
Nancy Stencil, challenger
Age: 61
City of residence: Rib Mountain
Education: Human Services degree, and AODA at NTC and Recovery Coach
Employment experience: 30 years’ experience in bakery with 21 of those years as a manager. I have worked as a motorcycle mechanic and was Rothschild’s first female garbage collector! I have worked with Community Support Programs and Community Treatment. Currently I work as a Crisis Professional with NCHC.
Political experience: Have not held political office. Currently Chair of the Marathon County Democratic Party, Secretary of the Marathon County Central Labor Council, Board member Marathon County AODA.
What are your reasons for running for office, and why should voters choose you?
Because I have a common-sense approach; believing that we all do better when we are all doing better. I grew up in a union household, I saw first hand how jobs with good pay and benefits could lift a family out of poverty; because my family was one of them. Health care is of great concern to many voters and I will fight for affordable healthcare. I believe in fair representation instead of the lies we have been getting told. I want to see government that helps working families with not only healthcare but child care and sustainable jobs that put food on the table. We need an economy that works for everyone. We need to respect our earth; air and water.
Wisconsin relies heavily on gas taxes and registration fees to fund transportation. With revenues from both sources growing slowly, what changes, if any, would you support to meet the state’s transportation needs? If you would not increase revenues, how would you reduce spending in order to adapt to more modest revenue growth?
I do believe we need to raise the gas tax by a nickel; it needs to be indexed to inflation. It has not been raised in many years. This money could go to help pay off our current debt. Right now, we are paying 22 cents on the dollar to debt. We continue to fall behind. We also need to be responsible with our tax dollars we have and know where they are going. I feel we spend way too much on new interchanges and roads in the SE corner of the state. This does very little for you and I here in north-central WI. The money is there, we just need to prioritize where it is spent.
A growing number of local governments (including Marathon County) have turned to “wheel taxes” to fund their transportation programs. Do you support their ability to do so, or do you favor restrictions on these fees? Would you favor alternative local revenue options instead of, or in addition to, wheel taxes, such as local gas or sales taxes?
County governments have been strapped for some time not being able to raise levy limits and have had to come up with ways to raise that revenue. As I stated above, we need to index the gas tax to inflation. Furthermore, we are spending the money in car repairs. The average person is spending $600 a year in car repairs due to bad roads. I for one bent a rim when I hit a pot hole and it costed me over $400. WI has given far too much over the last seven years to wealthy corporations and little to projects that would really help people! We need to bring our power back local. Currently, $46 million is currently unaccounted for as well, and cities around Wisconsin have “no idea where it is”
What policies should Wisconsin pursue to attract and retain the employees needed to maintain our workforce over the next 20 years – or, how should Wisconsin prepare instead for a smaller, older workforce?
Education is everything and we need to ensure we have a well-trained workforce. I believe that we need to make tuition free at our technical colleges. We do not need to be giving incentives to corporations and large businesses to get them to come to WI. If we are to give incentives; it should be for small businesses that are less likely to leave our state. They care about our state. I believe if we have the right environment to attract and retain younger people and families, businesses will come. The heart of our economy is in small, local businesses. We should be encouraging young folks and our future leaders to bring their creative minds to our state.
Given research showing that, in general, the growth in Wisconsin has been uneven, what steps would you take to promote development in areas that have seen the slowest growth (particularly rural and northern Wisconsin)?
When people lack broadband access, it’s hard to start a business, complete homework, or keep up with the rest of the world. We need to expand opportunities to our rural communities by ensuring dependable access to stable and effective broadband connectivity. Investing in infrastructure and developing a 21st century broadband network will expand economic opportunities for small businesses and rural communities across Wisconsin and help us build a better, more connected Wisconsin economy for all of us. To me this would look like rural electrification, not a private charge you through the nose endeavor. Our rural communities seem to be hit the hardest all the time; receiving less funding across the board.
Should the current general aids system for K-12 schools be changed? If so, how?
In 2016-17, voters approved $1.35 billion for school funding through local referendums as communities are forced to make up for Republican budget cuts and invest in local schools. Under Walker’s budget, public schools receive an average of $5,240 per student while private voucher schools receive between $7,747 (for K-8) and $8,393 (for 9-12). Public dollars belong in public schools, period! They are accountable to us the tax payer through our local school boards. Voucher schools are not.
Voters in Marathon County will be asked to weigh in on medical marijuana in this election. What are your views on medical marijuana? What about recreational marijuana?
I totally support medical marijuana and I will be voting yes. As for recreational marijuana, I would like to see it decriminalized. I think it was during the Nixon administration that Marijuana was placed as a schedule one drug as a part of fear mongering. I don’t want to come off as a prohibitionist, but I think we should look at other states and see what the impact has been on their state and neighboring states.
Would you support modifications to existing levy limits to give municipalities and counties greater flexibility or do you support them in their current form to curb growth in property taxes?
As stated above we need to be ale to raise the levy limits. Municipalities and counties know their areas the best and need the flexibility to serve them best. I believe in fair and equitable taxation. We also need to look at our communities and the so-called dark store loop holes. Since when does big business come to town and tell us what they are going to pay.
What will you do to address the rising costs of prescription drugs? Would you support state legislation to prohibit drug companies from charging excessive prices, or does the state have no business meddling in such enterprise?
I support legislation to prohibit the excessive pricing. I also think if we took the big money out of politics, more politicians would be on board to looking after the health and wellbeing of their constituents instead of letting prescription drug company’s writer their own legislation. This right here would lower the cost for our seniors.
What will you do to ensure that Wisconsin continues to be affordable for groups like seniors and working families? What will you do to ensure they have access to health care?
We need to accept the federal monies for health care. We also need to take measures to stabilize the insurance market; like what Minnesota did to control insurance costs. We also need to once again fund the wellness programs, especially women’s that have been defunded in recent years. Women should feel empowered to make their own decisions regarding their body. Unfortunately, Republicans feel they should make women’s decisions for them, pushing an extreme, out-of-touch agenda that puts lives at risk. For working families, we also need to raise the minimum wage. The minimum wage has gone up one dollar in the last thirty years. Ask yourself, how much has everything else gone up? How can you afford healthcare when you can’t afford to put food on the table. Child care for instance is huge, we need to be doing more for WI families and less for corporations and big business. When we rebuild our economy, we reduce poverty.
Do you support taxpayer-supported incentives for big businesses, such as we’ve seen with Foxconn? Why or why not?
Absolutely not. Our job should be to create an environment that makes business want to come to WI. We can do this through education and creating an environment in our cities and villages that make us a sought-after place to live. If we want to give incentives; they should be incentives to go green and small businesses. The $4.5 billion giveaway to Foxconn is the largest state taxpayer subsidy given to a foreign corporation in U.S. history and will take WI taxpayers the next 25 years to pay off.
Hunger and homelessness continue to be issues both statewide and in Wausau, where there are hundreds of homeless students in our local school system. Critics say Gov. Walker’s changes to foodshare programs exacerbated that problem, making hard times harder for families and children. With that in mind, what policies would you support to help ensure children do not go hungry?
Again, we need to use our money to ensure that children are not going hungry in our schools. Children who receive proper nutrition are able to study. These programs pay off in the long run when there are not developmental delays that need to be addressed due to hunger. I do not support drug testing for benefits either. The majority of people needing a hand up are seniors and children. Michigan’s year-long drug testing program for public assistance benefits did not identify a single individual who tested positive for drug abuse. We also do not seem to have a problem with giveaways to wealthy donors….
Far too many people in Wisconsin still do not receive treatment for mental health or addiction disorders. If elected, what will you do to make sure all people with mental illness and addictions have access to the lifesaving treatment they need?
Treatment programs need to expand along with how we can make sure people are able to get treatment. All too often people ask for treatment programs only to find out they are not able to afford them. Through Medicaid laws, a physician must always be on site so many treatment programs are made not available. I would like to see the drug court expanded providing more treatment and making re-entry to society easier; people need a second chance. We need to reduce solitary confinement for those with mental illness. We need to ensure mental health care for our returning Veterans too. I would work with my colleagues to reduce stigma also.
What else would you like voters to know about you before they vote?
I am just like everyone else. I go to work each day and I want to see a WI that works for everyone, not just a few. A WI that is inclusive to people of color, that love is love, and we are in this together. We need clean air and water and must respect our earth. I always want to know your thoughts and concerns. I am working for you, not special interests.
