Retiring Guy's Digest: 2012-07-15

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Despite the exclamation points, a work that quickly ran out of steam

LINK

There is such a thing as too much James Patterson

Why I'm "re-reading" On the Road

I wonder if Tod Goldberg and the Rude Pundit are one in the same.

Dean Moriarty, Library Regular

Not finding anything new of interest in Middleton's audiobook collection yesterday, I decided to "re-read" On the Road. My 4th visit to this "riotous odyssey of two American drop-outs". The first time occurred during my sophomore year in college and resulted in my hitchhiking cross-country four times between July 1971 to August 1972.

Who's Running for State Office in Wisconsin 2012: 70th Assembly District

Assembly District 70

Public libraries in the 70th.

Charles and JoAnn Lester Library, Nekoosa

Lester Library of Vesper

Portage County Public Library (service area)

Sparta Public Library

Tomah Public Library

The Democratic Incumbent

Biography. Born Wisconsin Rapids, May 22, 1975; married; 2 children.

Graduate Auburndale H.S. 1993; B.S. Marian University (Fond du Lac) 1997.

Full-time legislator. Former legislative aide to U.S. Representative David R. Obey and Area Program Director for the Minnesota Farm Bureau.

Member: Marshfield Business and Professional Women; Marshfield Area Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Marshfield Eagles; Wood County Farm Bureau; National Rifle Association; Wisconsin Bear Hunters; Central Wisconsin Fair Association; New Visions Art Gallery.

Elected to Assembly 2002; reelected since 2004. Minority Caucus Secretary 2005, 2003. No primary opponent in 2010, won general election with 53.8% of vote.

The Republican Challengers

Nancy VanderMeer

Dan Wald

Friday, July 20, 2012

Landsdale Library Partners with Chick-fil-A

Library Patrons Go Behind-the-Scenes at Chick-fil-A. (Montgomery Landsdale Patch, 7/19/2012)

Excerpt: In one day, Chick-fil-A at the Montgomery Mall will go through 600 chicken patties, freshly squeeze four cases of lemons for its lemonade and serve about 600 people. Twelve youths and five adults got a behind-the-scenes look at Chick-fil-A at the Montgomery Mall Thursday morning, led by owner and operator Mike Endicott of Hamilton, NJ. It was all part of Lansdale Library's "Explore Your Town" program.

In light of what I know about Chick-fil-A's President, all I can say is that, as a Landsdale staff member, I would have investigated alternative businesses, choosing one that, among other considerations -- location, space to accommodate a tour group, transportation concerns, etc. -- doesn't take a smackdown approach to any side of "hot-button" issues.

In this case, it's not as though Chick-fil-A was the only option.

Not to mention the possibility of partnering with an independent, locally owned restaurant or other business.

A Chicken Chain’s Corporate Ethos Is Questioned by Gay Rights Advocates. (The New York Times, 1/29/2011)

Excerpt: Nicknamed “Jesus chicken” by jaded secular fans and embraced by Evangelical Christians, Chick-fil-A is among only a handful of large American companies with conservative religion built into its corporate ethos. But recently its ethos has run smack into the gay rights movement. A Pennsylvania outlet’s sponsorship of a February marriage seminar by one of that state’s most outspoken groups against homosexuality lit up gay blogs around the country. Students at some universities have also begun trying to get the chain removed from campuses. [Emphasis added.]

Chick-fil-A president reiterates company’s stance against gay marriage. (Washington Post, 7/19/2011)

The only Wisconsin Chick-fil-A restaurant is located in Racine.

And in other library news.....

.....Ginny Maziarka is still flogging libraries, the West Bend Community Library in particular.

Who's Running for State Office in Wisconsin 2012: 69th Assembly District

No August 14 primary here, but this news release spurred me to add it to the series today.

While we're at it, let's take a look at the 69th Assembly District.

Public libraries in the 69th Assembly District

Abbotsford Public Library

Colby Public Library

Dorchester Public Library

Loyal Public Library

Marathon County Public Library

Neillsville Public Library

Owen Public Library

Samson Memorial Library, Granton

The Republican Incumbent

Biography. Born Medford, September 28, 1968. Graduate Abbotsford H.S.; B.A. UW-Eau Claire 1991.

Former legislative aide. Member of Wis. Air National Guard, 2003-2010; veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Member: Abbotsford Sportsman Club; Loyal Sportsman’s Club; NRA (lifetime mbr.); NRA-ILA; Natl. Assn. of Sportsmen Legislators; Lublin Amer. Legion-Sons of the Amer. Legion; Wis. Farm Bureau; ALEC Public Safety and Elections Task Force (chm. 2011); ALEC Criminal Justice Task Force, which was renamed the Public Safety and Elections Task Force in 2009 (chm. 2002-04); ALEC Homeland Security Task Force (since 2004); NWTF; Abbotsford Lions Club.

Abbotsford City Coun. 1996-2001.

Elected to Assembly since 1998. Majority Leader 2011; Minority Caucus Chairperson 2009.

No primary opponent, ran unopposed in general election in 2010.

The Democratic Challenger

LINK

About [with bold added]. Paul Knoff is a familiar face and an even more familiar voice to the people of Central Wisconsin.

As the news director at Central Wisconsin Broadcasting in Neillsville, Paul covered local, regional, state, national and international news for 17 years. He also reported for the Wisconsin Radio Network and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Telling the stories of the people of Clark, Wood and Marathon counties was a dream job for the Granton-native, who has lived in the area his entire life.

In school, Paul spent his time learning about community service in the Granton FFA. He learned about hard work shearing Christmas trees at Lindsey Trees. He learned about teamwork by participating in athletics.

Paul and his wife, Michelle, married in 1999. They lived in the City of Neillsville for seven years before moving back to rural Granton in 2006.

While in Neillsville, the couple purchased and remodeled a downtown commercial property, owning and leasing it for several years.

He was elected to the Granton School Board in 2009. He is also an active participant in the Clark County School Board Forum, which is striving to find innovative and more efficient ways to guarantee our rural students get a great public education for years to come.

Paul is an active member of the community, serving on numerous committees, hosting area events, volunteering and coaching Little League baseball.

Paul and Michelle have two children, Andrew, 6, and Collin, 3.

Related posts:
Assembly District 1.
Assembly District 2.
Assembly District 3.
Assembly District 4.
Assembly District 5.
Assembly District 6.
Assembly District 7.
Assembly District 8.
Assembly District 9.
Assembly District 10.
Assembly District 11.
Assembly District 12.
Assembly District 13.
Assembly District 14.
Assembly District 15.
Assembly District 16.
Assembly District 17.
Assembly District 18.
Assembly District 19.
Assembly District 20.
Assembly District 21.
Assembly District 22.
Assembly District 23.
Assembly District 24.
Assembly District 25.
Assembly District 26.
Assembly District 27.
Assembly District 28.
Assembly District 29.
Assembly District 30.
Assembly District 31.
Assembly District 32.
Assembly District 33.
Assembly District 34.
Assembly District 37.
Assembly District 39.
Assembly District 44.
Assembly District 45.
Assembly District 47.
Assembly District 49.
Assembly District 51.
Assembly District 53.
Assembly District 55.
Assembly District 56.
Assembly District 62.
Assembly District 65.

Who's Running for State Office in Wisconsin 2012: 65th Assembly District

The old 65

65th Assembly District

Public libraries in the 65th.

Kenosha Public Library

John Steinbrink is the current representative in the 65th.

Steinbrink running for 61st Assembly seat. (West of the I, 5/9/2012)

Excerpt: Steinbrink, a Democrat from Pleasant Prairie, has been a state representative since 1997. His current district, the 65th, was redistricted to a city of Kenosha district leaving his residence in the 61st District.

The new 61st District also includes the residence of state Rep. Samantha Kerkman, a Republican who has represented the 66th District since 2001. She also has announced her candidacy for the new 61st District seat.

Besides being a state representative, Steinbrink also is the Pleasant Prairie village president.

An open seat.

The Democratic Candidates

Dayvin Hallmon

About [with bold added.] In April of 2008, at the age of 23, I was pursuing a double major in sociology and the humanities at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. That same year I was elected by the people of the 7th district to the Kenosha County Board of Supervisors.

As a Kenosha County Supervisor, I put in place the Kenosha-Racine County Foreclosure Mediation Program. I petitioned the state to place a cap on payday loan institutions. I created the Sustainable Living Plan, which integrated our environment, our needs for energy, and our need for jobs to address the challenges facing Kenosha. I also attempted to remove the health insurance for county board members in 2009.

I still feel now as I did in 2008 when I was first elected. Everyone matters. Every voice should be constantly considered. Our problems have not gone away; they are still with us like an unwanted visitor or an annoying relative. In some cases they have multiplied or worsened, holding our future captive. The work to solve our problems requires an integrated approach in thought and behavior. I am more invigorated each day to work with people to address the difficult problems we all face. Clearly, we are more than capable of meeting the challenge as Wisconsinites in believing that where we may seem boxed in, there is a door to a better future. We need only to work together to find the knob and turn it.

Prior to being elected to the county board, I was a very active freelance and church musician. I taught music to youth from all economic and societal backgrounds. I have a background in clarinet, piano, violin, viola, alto saxophone, and tenor saxophone. In my spare time I enjoy playing music, writing music, reading, spoken word, studying, cooking, running, playing tennis, and gardening. I am a former boy scout, a former six-term member of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside Student Government, a former president of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside Rainbow Alliance, and a founding member of the Southeast Wisconsin LGBT Center. Currently I am a member of the Grace Lutheran Church Council and a member of the Racine Kenosha Community Action Agency Board. For the past several years, I have been working two jobs in addition to being on the county board to support myself while attending school.

Wisconsin Eye interview

Albert Namath

Third Democrat joins race for 65th Assembly District. (Kenosha News, 5/25/2012)

Excerpt: A third Democrat — a self-described political outsider — has entered the race for the newly drawn 65th Assembly District that covers much of the city of Kenosha.

Among other things, Al Namath is running on a platform that calls for having Wisconsin lead the charge to make an official call for a convention to redraw the U.S. Constitution.

Other Namath priorities include a strengthening of the state’s graduated driver’s license requirements for teens, as well as an initiative that would pair ex-convicts with military veterans to conduct community outreach programs.

[snip]

Namath, who calls himself a moderate, differs from most Democrats in that he opposes abortion rights (except for in cases of rape, incest or pregnancies that threaten the life of the mother) and gun control (“If you’re a law-abiding citizen, you should be able to carry a gun,” he said).

As for his wish for a U.S. constitutional convention — Article V of the Constitution allows for such an assembly, if approved by the legislatures of at least 34 states — Namath would like to see the document altered to include term limits for members of Congress, a balanced-budget amendment, line-item veto powers for the president and reforms to the commodity futures delivery process.

Wisconsin Eye interview.

Tod Ohnstad

About [with bold added]: Tod moved to Kenosha in 1974 from Eau Claire. He had planned to be here only a few months and hasn’t left yet. He soon became active in his union at American Motors and was elected to serve as a Steward in 1977. In 1984, he was elected to the Executive Board and Bargaining Committee and was continuously re-elected until his retirement from Chrysler in 2004.

In 2008, Tod was elected to the Kenosha City Council to once again represent working people. In 2010 he ran unopposed for re-election and this year he won his third term with 74% of the vote. Tod has consistently won re-election because he is responsive to the people he represents and resourceful in getting their problems resolved.

Tod has served Kenosha in other ways as well. Originally a mentor for the Kinship program, he later was one for the Kenosha Area Business Alliance. He also served as a “big brother” in the Big Brothers & Sisters Program. He has been a frequent contributor to such programs as the Shalom Center and was always a “fair share” giver to the United Way.

Married to Kristi Kurklis-Ohnstad, they have two dogs. Josie is a 10 year old black lab they adopted 5 years ago and Bella, an eight year old golden retriever who they adopted last year.

Related posts:
Assembly District 1.
Assembly District 2.
Assembly District 3.
Assembly District 4.
Assembly District 5.
Assembly District 6.
Assembly District 7.
Assembly District 8.
Assembly District 9.
Assembly District 10.
Assembly District 11.
Assembly District 12.
Assembly District 13.
Assembly District 14.
Assembly District 15.
Assembly District 16.
Assembly District 17.
Assembly District 18.
Assembly District 19.
Assembly District 20.
Assembly District 21.
Assembly District 22.
Assembly District 23.
Assembly District 24.
Assembly District 25.
Assembly District 26.
Assembly District 27.
Assembly District 28.
Assembly District 29.
Assembly District 30.
Assembly District 31.
Assembly District 32.
Assembly District 33.
Assembly District 34.
Assembly District 37.
Assembly District 39.
Assembly District 44.
Assembly District 45.
Assembly District 47.
Assembly District 49.
Assembly District 51.
Assembly District 53.
Assembly District 55.
Assembly District 56.
Assembly District 62.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

The Graying Priesthood

In Graying Priesthood, New York’s Grayest Keeps Faith in Bronx. (The New York Times, 7/17/2012)

LINK

Philosophical Realignment of the Carol Stream Public Library Board of Trustees

Carol Stream Library board fires director. (Daily Herald, 7/19/2012)

The vote was 3-1. The library board has 7 members. If the 9 comments to this article are any indication -- all expressing outrage over this action -- we haven't heard the last of this story.

Excerpt: In May, the philosophical alignment of the board moved markedly to the right, with the appointment of two trustees, Susan Galle and Jerry Clark, who Wade met as organizer of the Chicago West Patriots Tea Party. Two other trustees already on the board, David DeRango and Dominick Jeffrey, previously ran on the same slate with Wade, in opposition to what they said was high library taxes and improper spending by Kennedy.

Many of them were outspoken opponents of earlier plans to construct a new library on library-owned property on Kuhn Road — a proposal that’s been rejected three times by voters. Kennedy predicted it’s only a matter of time before the board considers selling that land, which the old board voted 4-3 to retain.

War of words in Carol Stream library race. (Nadia Malik, 6/5/2009)

Excerpt: The race for four seats on the Carol Stream library board has evolved into a war of written words. The challenging slate has put up the red, "stop referendums" placards, which are plentiful in the area surrounding the library.

There's a downside to everything.

2009-10 remodeling project.

Wonder who's going to want to snag this director's job?

Gaston County Public Library Gives Its Webpage a New Look

LINK

Library taking services outside its walls. (Gaston Gazette, 7/18/2012)

Excerpt: A new website for the Gaston County Public Library is designed to make research and social media interaction easier than ever.

Upon accessing gastonlibrary.org, web surfers see the library’s new logo along with five blue tabs – “about the library,” “events and exhibits,” “library catalog,” “online databases and links,” and “research guides.”

Clicking on those tabs leads to a plethora of information about the Gaston County Public Library system. The old Gaston-Lincoln Regional Library system dissolved July 1.

New Mexico "Miracle" Library on the Chopping Block

But first, a little background information.

Voter fraud allegations in mayoral election rock New Mexico city. (Fox News, 2/17/2012)

Excerpt: There is perhaps no other city in the country like Sunland Park, N.M. The dusty border town minutes from El Paso, Texas, has been called "a city in chaos" by the state auditor, because a slew of public officials are facing felony charges that they ran City Hall like a personal piggy bank, tried to steal an election in order to remain in power and ruled the 14,000 residents through intimidation and fear.

4 charged in Sunland Park election fraud investigation. (Las Cruces Sun-News, 7/14/2012)

Sunland Park looks to slash budget, eliminate library. (KFOX 14, 7/18/2012)

Excerpt: In front of a standing-room-only audience, Wednesday night, the city council considered raising property taxes, eliminating certain city jobs, eliminating the garbage truck and closing the city's only library. The meeting was so packed, many residents had to sit outside, where the meeting was broadcast over speakers.

Around, twenty children stood outside the meeting, holding signs, pleading with the city council not to close their library.

"We get to play on the computers and do our homework," said 13-year-old Damien Telles.

Like many residents in Sunland Park, Telles does not have a computer at home. He and other children depend on the library for Internet access and a place to do their school assignments.

Future uncertain for Sunland Park's 'miracle' library. (Las Cruces Sun-News, 7/18/2012)

Excerpt: The library was created in 2000 through a cooperation from then-Doña Ana Branch Community College - now Doña Ana Community College - Thomas Branigan Memorial Library and Sunland Park, said Norice Lee, a librarian who was involved with the effort.

The group overcame various challenges to establish the facility, Lee said. When the pieces fell into place bit by bit and donations sometimes came out of nowhere, organizers began to think of the library as somewhat of a "milagro," or "miracle" in Spanish, she said. Their aim was to promote education in the under-served border region, she said.

"We're talking about a population where there is low literacy and people need access to information, primarily for job applications," she said. Lee, a board member of the nonprofit New Mexico Library Association and a member of the American Library Association, said she plans to attend Wednesday's meeting to advocate in support of the facility. She said she understands that the city is facing budget problems, but a library's value to the community should be considered.

No municipal or library website, apparently, but I did find this.

Who's Running for State Office in Wisconsin 2012: 62nd Assembly District

The old 62nd

The new 62nd

Boundaries pushed north, west of the "I"

Public libraries in the 62nd

Racine Public Library (service area)

The current 62nd District representative, Cory Mason, is running unopposed in the 66th District.

An open seat, in other words.

The Republican Candidate: Tom Weatherston

Weatherson currently serves on the Caledonia Village Board. Says that he was asked by Robin Vos (R-Burlington) to run for the Assembly seat.

The Democratic Candidates

Randy Bryce

About. [with old added] Randy Bryce was born in Milwaukee in 1964 and graduated from Rufus King Prep in 1983.

He enlisted in the US Army and served between 1983-86. Proudly serving at Ft. Bragg, NC, “Home of the Airborne,” Bryce was deployed to Honduras, Central America during the height of aggression in that area (Sandanista control of Nicaragua). He was honorably discharged.

In 1996 Bryce joined Ironworkers Local 8 in Milwaukee. Among other projects, he worked on building Miller Park from 2000-01. He currently is an elected member of the Ironworkers Local 8 executive board, and is the political coordinator. He also is a delegate to the Milwaukee Area Labor Council and trustee with the Southeast Wisconsin Building Trades.

A Caledonia resident for six years, Bryce has a five-year-old son.

Melissa Lemke

About. [with bold added] Growing up in Kimberly, Wisconsin, a town with a similar in size and industry as Racine, I grew to learn important lessons about serving your community. I worked to earn a Bachelor’s degree at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse.

After school I served in AmeriCorps, which allowed me to invest in my community while earning money to attend school. Later I returned to school at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee to obtain my Master’s degree.

I have a history of pursuing and achieving challenging goals, using the work ethic I learned in my family. While meeting with the people of Racine County, I have heard that they have concerns about the future. I hear about education, health, and jobs most while meeting with our neighbors. \

As a person who has lead youth after school programs, teen health education programs, and taught as a member of American Federation of Teachers in our fine university system, I understand the importance of having reasonable class sizes and the most qualified people teaching in our schools.

As a public health professional, I have devoted my career to working on programs ranging from: youth nutrition education, teen pregnancy prevention, senior physical activity, to pre-natal care programs. I also spent time working as a policy analyst, understanding trends in income migration and school funding in the southeast Wisconsin area. These experiences uniquely qualify me to lead on day one in the areas of most concern to our residents, education, health, and jobs.

I also have also been blessed to serve our community in many ways in the 6 years I have called Racine my home. I have served in leadership at my church in numerous capacities: meeting with the Spanish/English conversation group to build bridges between the Latino and English speaking communities in our area, serving in our community garden which creates access to fresh vegetables, and packing lunches for our youth summer enrichment program.

I am also proud to have served our community in a number of other capacities including: working at the YWCA to advance the mission of eliminating racism and empowering women, volunteering with our next generation through the Big Sisters program, leading youth health programs through Diverse & Resilient, and reviewer for youth scholarships through the Racine Community Foundation.

I have a deep respect for the varied opinions held by the residents of our district. I will strive tirelessly to honor both our differences and the values we share while serving as your assemblywoman. I commit to bringing our new vision and strong leadership to serve you in Madison.

Library Freakouts!

Student “freaks out” in library over others “breathing loudly”.

Florida Library Bans ‘Fifty Shades of Grey,’ Soccer Moms Freak Out. (The FW, 5/14/2012)

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Lonely Planet, Travel Books, and the "Much Larger Discussion About Nonfiction in General"

First, the news from a well-known travel guide publisher.

Lonely Planet value down 50 million pounds. (The Bookseller, 7/17/2012)

Excerpt: The value of Lonely Planet has been estimated at £50m less than the sum paid by the BBC five years ago. The valuation comes as the travel guide publisher transitions into digital, where sales are up 200%.

In its annual review for 2011-12, BBC Worldwide said it valued Lonely Planet at £85m, after buying a 75% stake in the company in 2007 for £88.1m, with its total investment upping to £130.2m when founders Tony and Maureen Wheeler sold their stakes in February last year.

[snip]

Lonely Planet said its e-books had been “a big growth area,” with revenue up over 200% year on year and 260 titles now available. It added that over 700,000 people were now registered to www.lonelyplanet.com and the website now received over half a billion page views, reaching a monthly average of 11.3m unique users (up 35.8% on last year). Downloads of Lonely Planet iPhone apps have reached 10m.

Then an observation from a Irish publishing consultant and strategist.

Travel Book Sales: This Has To Be The Internet. (Eoin Purcell's Blog, 6/4/2010)

Excerpt: It seems to me that internet research is easily replacing much of what travel books did well. This goes to the heart of the challenged posed by both the internet and Google’s Book Search as I discussed here. Simply put, the internet reduces the demand for new titles especially in areas of non-fiction where information can be found online. [Emphasis added.]

Which brings to me a related thought shared by Don Litzer in the string of posts related to "What to keep in and what to leave out".

I would suggest, however, that this discussion about adult reference may actually foreshadow a much larger discussion about nonfiction in general. As I work through my annual weeding list right now, I can't help but think about how much shorter the general shelf life of all nonfiction is, with the web and other electronic resources as competition. Even a book on birdhouse building seems to get dowdier faster. This extends, then, into the shrinking availability on books relating to practical subjects. Try to find, say, three recent titles on taxidermy without taking a flyer on a self-published label. [Emphasis added.]

By their nature, travel books, i.e., the annual guides, have always had a short shelf life. Now I'm wondering if we have we reached the point where only the most popular travel destinations have any shelf life at all.

While I was at Middleton, I kept close track of circulation by Dewey range. (See the table at the end of this post. Many of you are probably aware that I can occasionally be obsessive-compulsive when it comes to statistics.)

By the end of 2007, my last full year as Director, the number of nonfiction subject areas showing a decline in circulation was increasing apace. More than anecdotally, I attributed this to the growing preference for looking up information online instead of in books. A print reference collection? Meh!

At least a year before my retirement, we eliminated two ranges of shelving. Half of what remained was local information: directories, histories (including transcripts of oral histories), various community studies, school district documents, etc.

The reference collection has since been further reduced and the lone shelf range you see in the photo removed. What remains in reference is now shelved in the same range as back issues of magazines, another area where we drastically cut our holdings.

From 2008

One thing I miss in my "retirement" is the ability to track the changes from the inside as to how libraries provide service.

Which leads me to ask a few questions, just to get the ball rolling:

What subject areas of your nonfiction print collection are experiencing a serious decline in circulation?
What subject areas are holding their own?
What subject areas have actually shown an increase in circulation?

Anyone.....ahem.....want to talk about quantitative standards?

One final observation. It is very interesting to note that sales of adult hardcover books held their own in 2011, although the Galley Cat post I read last month doesn't provide a fiction/nonfiction breakdown. It's probably no surprise that mass-market paperbacks took a big hit.

Note: The column headings in the table below should be self-explanatory, for the most part.

"Non-MID books" are books owned by other LINK libraries that were checked out at Middleton.
The circulation numbers in columns 3, 4, and 5 are for 2007/2006.

Hat tip to Don Litzer for the inspiration for this post.

Who's Running for State Office in Wisconsin in 2012: 56th Assembly District

Assembly District 56

Public libraries in the 56th

Appleton Public Library (service area)

Winneconne Public Library

Rep. Michelle Litjens, a Vinland Republican, won't seek re-election. Representative was elected to Wisconsin Assembly in 2010. (Appleton Post-Crescent, 2/14/2012)

An open seat.

The Republican Candidates

Dave Murphy

About.

Wisconsin Eye interview

Jim Pleuss

Wisconsin Eye interview.

Editorial: Jim Pleuss best choice in 56th Assembly District. (Appleton Post-Crescent, 9/9/2010)

Excerpt: Pleuss, a cabinet marketer, has been on the Outagamie County Board for 10 years and the Grand Chute Town Board for five. He has consistently challenged the status quo, especially on spending decisions. The same attitude in Madison would serve his constituents well. And he has first-hand knowledge of how state decisions affect local government.

The primary results.

Jay Schroeder is a candidate in the 55th Assembly race this year.

The Democratic Candidates

Diana Lawrence

About (with emphasis added): I was born and raised in Appleton, Wisconsin on July 19, 1962 and was one of 7 children. I lived most of my life in Appleton with a short period of time in Madison, WI and then several years in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Once it was time to start a family I moved back home to Appleton and have lived here again since 1991. Alan Lawrence is my husband and my daughter is Jennifer; she is currently attending Ripon College in Ripon, WI.

As a result of an unusual life experience I have had a variety of jobs. From being a janitor to a customer service representative to independent contractor status as a real estate agent I have held a variety of positions. Much of my experience though does come from being involved in the healthcare industry. From working with insurance billing to working in the realm of employee health benefits I am well versed in how the insurance and healthcare industry works. As a realtor I also understand the issues of property ownership and how this part of the economy has suffered.

My interest in politics extends back to when I was living on Madison and I would go to the Capital building several times a week just to hang around and enjoy the beautiful building. At the time I never thought of actually being a legislator. It was not until I got more involved in the local Sierra Club after I met my current husband, Alan, that I got more involved in politics. Sierra Club's main mission is to get people out into the environment so they will want to protect it and part of fulfilling that mission is to get politically involved. I have been the Conservation Chairperson for a couple of years now but before that I was the Global Warming Chairperson. Writing letters to legislators and letters to the newspaper has been a mainstay in the way I have been politically involved with Sierra Club. As an outgrowth to this I have attended several Conservation Lobby Days with the League of Conservation voters and recently attended the Special Session on Assembly Bill/Senate Bill 34.

I decided to get into this race because I believe I can make a difference in the lives of the people in this district. In my mind the primary job of a legislator is to help constituents solve problems. Law making is secondary and is an outgrowth of the problem solving. As a direct result of all my years in customer service and other helping positions I think I am qualified to help people solve problems. Unlike others, I see this job as a full time position. The need for constituents to have year round access to their assemblyperson is paramount to their active participation in this democracy.

It is my firm intent to involve people in the democratic process as much as possible with regular town hall meetings over the district and as much access to me as possible. A healthy democracy has stakeholders included in decision making as much as possible.

Wisconsin Eye interview.

Richard Schoenbohm

Wisconsin Eye interview.