By Kim McDarison
A fall general election will be held Nov. 8. Residents within Wisconsin Assembly District 33 will find two names on the ballot: Democrat Don Vruwink, the representative serving in Assembly District 43, and Republican Scott Johnson.
In April, Wisconsin underwent a redistricting process which changed the boundaries of some legislative districts. Redistricting is a process that occurs every 10 years. In Assembly District 33, the new map includes the communities, in part or full, of Fort Atkinson, Jefferson, Milton, Helenville, Hebron, Sullivan, Oakland and Palmyra. A portion of the city of Whitewater, which resides in Jefferson County, also is included.
Vruwink, who has represented the 43rd District for six years, announced in April that he would run for the Assembly seat in the 33rd District after new legislative maps drawn by the Wisconsin Legislature placed his Milton residence outside of the 43rd and within the 33rd district. Vruwink ran unopposed for the 33rd District seat in the August Democratic primary election.
The 33rd Assembly District seat is held by Rep. Cody Horlacher, a Republican from Mukwonago, who, after redistricting, also was left residing outside of his district. After redistricting, Horlacher announced he would not seek another term in any Assembly district.
An earlier story about redistricting, including the Assembly District 33 map approved by the Legislature in April, is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/musical-maps-assembly-and-state-senate-districts-drawn/.
In the August primary election, Johnson faced challenger Dale Opperman, who is the mayor of the city of Jefferson. Separated by a margin of 200 votes, Johnson won the Republican primary election, earning placement on the November ballot.
Fort Atkinson Online recently asked Johnson and Vruwink to respond to a short questionnaire. Candidates were asked to keep responses to four questions to a total of between 700 and 1,000 words.
Their responses follow.
Scott Johnson
Age: 68
Address: N3043 Haas Rd, Jefferson
Occupation: Farmer, school bus driver
Number of years resided in city: Last 40 years in Jefferson County
Education: Milton High School (1972), University of Wisconsin-Madison (Bachelors in Agricultural Economics – 1977), graduate of the Wisconsin Rural Leadership Program
Civic and other organizational memberships: none
Political experience: 15 years on Fort Atkinson School Board
What are your reasons for seeking this position?
Career politicians have made a mess of things, putting politics ahead of our families and our communities. As someone with farming and family values, it is time for a change. I am a husband, father, and grandfather, and I want the best for my family and yours. With high gas prices, inflation, and crime on the rise, I want to ensure that we craft a state budget that reduces the tax burden on Wisconsinites, works with law enforcement to keep our communities safe, and provides equitable education opportunities for our children.
What are the most pressing issues facing the position you seek?
One of the biggest issues right now is something most of us are facing everyday: high gas prices and soaring inflation. We need to do everything we can to ensure folks can afford everyday necessities. I want to reduce reckless government spending to fight inflation, reduce the tax burden on Wisconsinites, and strengthen our state’s economy. The hardworking taxpayers in our state deserve to keep more of their hard-earned money.
Additionally, we all know that the last three years have been a challenging time for our children and parents. If elected, I want to put our kids first. With my time on the Fort Atkinson School Board, I know first-hand how state education policy affects school districts, parents, and children at the local level. K-12 learning is an opportunity to reach kids and help them become lifelong learners and contributing members of society. We need to promote transparent education, empowering our parents with more information and options. I believe the parent knows their child best and, in coordination with their teachers, can achieve the quality education needed for our youth. This is something that would guide me in legislating education policy.
Also, we need to strengthen our workforce. As I drive around the district, as is much the same for the rest of the state, you can see “Help Wanted” signs everywhere. We need to support job training and apprenticeship programs at our technical colleges. It is imperative to strengthen our state’s economy that we connect employers with employees and get folks back into the workforce.
Finally, we need safe and reliable roads to travel on and keep us connected. I would work to continue the state’s investments in local road funding, so that we are building up our families, businesses, and economy for success.
These are just some of my priorities, but, if elected, I would also want to hear from the people in the district about issues they are facing. That is why I have been going door-to-door and talking with folks about what they want to see in their state government. I have also been attending as many town and village meetings in the district as I can, so that I can hear from the boards about issues facing municipalities around the district. I look forward to continuing both of these the next several weeks.
If elected, what unique perspective and experience do you bring to the State Assembly?
I grew up with farming and family values and that is what I intend to bring to the State Assembly. I will work to bring forward logical, practical, commonsense solutions for our residents in the 33rd. Along with holding a degree in Agriculture Economics from UW-Madison (‘77), I have been a farmer most of my life, so I am not afraid of hard work and dedication to a job. I served 15 years on the Fort Atkinson School Board and have been a school bus driver for over 20 years. Most importantly, I am just a regular guy; not a career politician.
Any additional comments?
Thank you for reading through my answers to this questionnaire. I appreciate your consideration of me as your next state representative. If you would like to learn more about me, please go to my website at www.ScottForAssembly.com. We need legislators in Madison working for us, not themselves or their special interests. I will go to work for you by bringing people together, figuring out new solutions to old problems, and being a legislator for all the people in the 33rd Assembly District.
Don Vruwink
Age: 70
Address: 24 West Ash Lane, Milton
Occupation: Retired teacher of high school history, government, and social studies; served on City Council and School Board in Milton; Director of Parks and Recreation; State Representative since 2016
Number of years resided in city: 43
Education: University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point bachelor’s degree in broad field social studies and political science with a minor in coaching, 1975; UW-Whitewater master’s degree in history, 1986.
Civic and other organizational memberships: Member of Jefferson Ag Society, Farm Bureau, Dairy Business Association, Greater Whitewater Committee, Milton Area Chamber of Commerce, Edgerton Chamber of Commerce. Contributor to Advanced Placement Government Scholarship, Milton High School; Dave Yoss Memorial Scholarship, Edgerton High School; and Whitewater High School Tim Hering Memorial Scholarship. While on the City Council and as a member of the Parks and Recreation Department, I was fundamental in building a Veterans Memorial and recreational facilities. Appointed to the State Committee for the 250 Project, which will celebrate 250 years in 2026.
Political experience: Milton City Council and the Milton School Board. Elected to the State Assembly in 2016, 2018, and 2020. Serves on the following committees: Education, Agriculture, Tourism, and Rural Development. I served on the Wisconsin Dairy Task Force 2.0, as well as a committee studying the investment and use of School Trust Funds.
What are your reasons for seeking this position?
I want to continue the work I’ve done for the people of Wisconsin for the last six years and specifically for the people in my Assembly district who I will represent. Wisconsin faces many challenges, including growing our well-trained workforce to fuel the economy; making sure every household and business has access to high-speed internet; and keeping taxes under control. To achieve these goals, the Legislature must bridge the partisan divide. Wisconsinites want cooperation, not combat. They want the government to serve the people, not the politicians.
What are the most pressing issues facing the position you seek?
Protecting public schools As a teacher for over four decades, I know that teachers and support staff are the most critical factor in the success of our children. To attract people to the teaching profession and retain good teachers, we must compensate them properly. We must recognize and reward excellence. For the past two decades, the majority party in the Legislature has siphoned more and more taxpayer dollars away from public schools in order to pay for select children to attend private schools. I will continue to oppose further attempts to take tax dollars away from public schools.
Infrastructure, we must continue to build and maintain our roads and broadband infrastructure. I have spoken to many farmers who cannot transport their product safely due to the condition of the roads and bridges. We need to expand broadband throughout the state until everyone in Wisconsin has access to a quality connection. We learned from the pandemic that telemedicine is a great way to safely take care of people’s health. We can also boost our agricultural economy by giving farmers access to broadband to help sell their goods.
Healthcare, we need to expand access to quality healthcare. Many people are still not receiving the care they need because they are underinsured or do not have access to doctors or hospitals nearby. In addition, the government must allow decisions involving a person’s health to be made between the individual and their physician.
Funding for Public Safety, we must lift the revenue limits to fund EMS and fire services in rural regions. State funding to municipalities has been frozen since 2014, which means many areas are forced to cut funding for public safety. State law allows for a special fee to be imposed outside the tax levy for fire service, but not for EMS, so we need to change that to keep our citizens safe and healthy. I have been working with a colleague on the Republican side to introduce legislation to address this issue.
Care for the Elderly, we need to support care for older Wisconsin residents by offering incentives to individuals who choose to leave their job in order to care for a family member, and reward those who choose elderly care as a profession.
If elected, what unique perspective and experience do you bring to the State Assembly?
During my over four decades as a teacher and coach, I had to learn the ability to encourage people to work together for a common goal despite their differences. Unfortunately, this skill seems to be rare in politics these days. We all want to make things better for Wisconsin. Some of us just have different ideas on how to make it happen. I have earned respect on both sides of the aisle, because I focus on the issues that are important to my constituents, and I am able to hear all voices and help find solutions that both sides can agree upon. I co-sponsored several bills during my time in the legislature that demonstrate my ability to cross over party lines when it benefits the community.
I have a lot of friends who own small businesses in the community, so I look for solutions that minimize tax increases. In 2021, I received the Wisconsin Property Taxpayers Champion Award in recognition of my dedication to being a steward of taxpayer dollars.
My experience working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle will allow me to best represent the people of the 33rd Assembly District. I listen to my constituents and take their concerns back to the Legislature. I am an independent thinker who doesn’t always follow the party line.
Any additional comments?
Let’s bring civility back! We can disagree politically but still demonstrate kindness, compassion, and civility. One of the most common concerns I hear at the doors is that Wisconsinites don’t like politics as usual. They are tired of us fighting each other and not finding solutions and want the government to serve the people, not the politicians. They want us to work together, not fight each other. They want compromise not gridlock. They want a balance of power, not power grabs.
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