Jonathon Hansen, Eric Wimberger compete for 30th Senate District seat vacated by Sen. Dave Hansen

A De Pere council member and local attorney are vying for the chance to represent northeast Wisconsin in the state Senate. 

Jonathon Hansen and Eric Wimberger will face off Nov. 3 for the 30th Senate District, which stretches north from the Green Bay area to Marinette. The seat is currently held by state Sen. Dave Hansen, who is retiring at the end of this year after two decades in office.

The senator is Jonathon Hansen's uncle.

The Green Bay Press-Gazette sent both candidates a questionnaire and asked them to limit each of their responses to approximately 100 words. Here's what they had to say. 

Jonathon Hansen

Age: 31

Occupation and highest education level: De Pere alderman; Master’s degree from Marquette University.

Relevant experience: Alderman on the De Pere City Council since 2017. Former legislative aide in the Wisconsin State Capitol. Campaign manager for Sen. Dave Hansen in 2016.

Bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Eric Wimberger

Age: 41

Occupation and highest education level: Attorney, Juris Doctor.

Relevant experience: I'm familiar with how laws and the government functions through my profession and small business experience. I've never held elected office.

Why are you running for office?

Hansen: I come from a working-class family and know what it’s like to work hard to make ends meet. I believe the 30th District deserves to be represented by someone who is committed to representing all the hardworking residents of the district, not just the well-connected. I also want to bring more of how local government operates — with its focus on pragmatic solutions — to Madison. Many of the issues we face as a state can, and should, be addressed in nonpartisan ways. I will work with members of both parties to focus on what unites us, rather than what divides us.

Wimberger: Being a state senator is a great way to serve my community and help solve problems. I’m from De Pere, and I’m a De Pere High School graduate. I’ve worked in a factory here and driven an orange truck. After a lot of education, I joined the U.S. Marine Corps to protect our way of life. My small business and house are here. This is my and your home, and I want to make it the best it can be. 

What makes you the better candidate in this race?

Hansen: I am proud of my experience in local government and my record of accomplishments in De Pere, including working with a grassroots citizens group to save a cherished pool in my district (Legion Pool), partnering with elected officials of all partisan affiliations to generate momentum for the long-delayed Brown County Southern Bridge and supporting small businesses. I also have a strong grasp of the challenges that residents of the 30th District face and have proven to be very responsive to my constituents as an alderman, including personally hand-delivering constituent newsletters to every house in my aldermanic district.   

Wimberger: I have a wide range of life and work experience including retail, labor, trucking and bartending to work through school. After law school I served in the Marine Corps, honorably discharging as a captain. I’ve been home for 11 years practicing law while also helping my mom with her candy store in Lakewood. As your senator, I will be better able to understand issues facing differently situated people, and I’ll be better able to come up with meaningful solutions.

What are residents telling you are their most important issues, and how would you address them?

Hansen: 1. Cost of health care: I will work to expand Medicaid, allow Wisconsinites to buy into the state’s Badgercare health insurance program and crack down on prescription drug price gouging.

2. Support small businesses and family farms: I will fight to direct state economic development assistance to locally-owned small businesses, rather than to multinational corporations, like Foxconn. I will also work to stabilize milk prices.

3. COVID-19: Economic recovery and adequately staffed hospitals have been a common concern among residents. We need to help small businesses and hospitals get back on their feet in the aftermath of the pandemic.

Wimberger: Safety and security are very important across the district. Without law and order, people can’t strive to better their personal circumstances. I’m endorsed by all district attorneys and sheriffs in the 30th Senate District in my effort to make property safe and apply justice equally. Different localities have other important priorities as well, like finding PFAS solutions in Marinette, Fox River coal pile cleanup in Green Bay and the Southern Bridge in De Pere. COVID-19 is a continuing concern as well.

What are the top two issues the Legislature should address next term?

Hansen: The state will likely face a budget shortfall next year due to the pandemic. To close this shortfall, we should finally accept the federal Medicaid expansion, as we have thrown away over $1 billion since 2014 by not expanding Medicaid. We also need to look at scaling back some of the wasteful corporate tax breaks that were passed during the previous administration. New legislative maps will also be drawn next year, and it is imperative that we eliminate gerrymandering and ensure that politicians are held accountable by creating a process for nonpartisan redistricting.

Wimberger: Aside from issues already mentioned, we must clarify the governor’s emergency powers. Governor Evers took liberty interpreting the emergency management statute. He used an extremely broad reading of the communicable diseases statute when attempting to unilaterally empower an unelected and unconfirmed department head to impose business closure and the safer-at-home order. Clarifying and limiting executive emergency powers is not just important now, but it’s important for the sake of our republican form of government going forward. Also, it’s important to create statutory processes to reschedule elections in emergencies so rescheduling can be accomplished on short notice.

What should the Legislature be doing to help address the COVID-19 pandemic?

Hansen: The Legislature should provide consistent statewide standards, rather than forcing local governments to fill the void. We should also create a statewide plan that includes mobile testing sites and work to facilitate production of PPE manufactured right here in Wisconsin. The Legislature should also work to clear the unemployment claims backlog, provide additional relief to small businesses and hospitals and pass the Healthcare Heroes Act, which would provide paid sick leave, hazard pay and full health insurance coverage for all medical workers.

Wimberger: The CARES Act allotted some $2 billion for the state to allocate for COVID-affected areas. Approximately $200 million is left to spend. There appears to be enough funding at this time, and the Legislature should be monitoring to supplement. Thanks to GOP legislatures and budgets past, our rainy-day funds were replenished from massive depletion in 2008, and the budget may even have a surplus this year. I hope to continue that tradition of fiscal responsibility so that when true emergencies arise, Wisconsin is in a good position to handle them.

What can it do to help those affected by the pandemic?

Hansen: The backlog in unemployment claims due to inadequate staffing and computer systems from the 1970s at the Department of Workforce Development (DWD) is unacceptable. We need to finally create an infrastructure at DWD that can efficiently process claims and promptly provide unemployment assistance to those who need it. I also worked to create a 0%, payment-deferred loan program for small businesses in De Pere, which has been a lifeline for many of our small businesses. We need to expand and fully fund these types of loan programs statewide to help our small businesses weather this storm.

Wimberger: As we learn more about the disease and get back to normal, focus should be on assisting the vulnerable rather than a one size fits all approach. Government can’t fund needs with tax revenue if there isn’t private sector production to tax. The state interrupted revenue when it created essential and non-essential categories. Businesses without property ownership or reserves continue to drop like petals on a wilting flower. Workers at the businesses suffer unemployment and unprocessed claims. The best medicine today is production, work and commerce. A good business environment will generate tax revenue for our needs.

In your view, how big of a problem is racial injustice and discrimination and what should be done about it?

Hansen: We must acknowledge the presence of systemic racism and engage in meaningful dialogue with affected communities in order to bring about real solutions to this problem. We should provide robust funding for recidivism programs and invest in mental health and drug treatment services. We also need to increase economic opportunities in underserved communities, including expanding access to a high-quality education and affordable housing.

Wimberger: The idea of “racial injustice” implies a battle among races and ethnic nationalism. I do not hold the world view that entire races of people ought to collectively act against others of different groups. Many regional wars and two world wars were fought over that balkanizing concept in the 19th and 20th centuries. There are individuals who are victims of racial discrimination through the acts of other individuals. We should be aware that acts of bigotry happen in society, try to stop it, refrain from blaming individuals who are not involved and help victims obtain their individual justice. 

Contact Haley BeMiller at hbemiller@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @haleybemiller.