OUR VIEW: 5 easy things to get done at the state Capitol
Political campaigns highlight sharp differences between candidates and parties.
But governing, now that the election is over, requires cooperation.
That's especially true in Wisconsin, where power is split. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has to negotiate a state budget and policy next year with a Republican-run Legislature.
Compromise should be easier because the GOP's legislative majorities have narrowed by 10 seats to 54-45 in the Assembly and by four seats to 18-15 in the Senate. That makes it harder for Republicans to ignore reasonable voices in the political middle where lasting deals typically get done.
Where can agreements be reached? Here are five places to start, based on bipartisan consensus we heard during our endorsement meetings with dozens of candidates in the weeks leading up to the Nov. 5 election:
The state is still sitting on a surplus of $4.6 billion. Some of that should go to schools, which held a record 241 referendums this year, about 70% of which passed. That's one out of every three school districts in the state, and it suggests their needs are not being met because of state-imposed revenue limits. State aid has failed to keep pace with inflation.
Republicans such as Reps. Todd Novak of Dodgeville and Scott Johnson of Jefferson worry about rural schools being shorted. Similarly, Sen.-elect Sarah Keyeski, D-Lodi, and Rep.-elect Karen DeSanto, D-Baraboo, favor better funding for districts near them.
Many candidates want more state aid and flexibility for local governments, too. Vital services such as emergency medical care are at risk in communities with volunteer fire departments.
Two political opposites — progressive Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes Conway and conservative Republican Assembly candidate Rebecca Witherspoon of DeForest — both said they'd like to discount property taxes for older people struggling to stay in their homes. Easing that burden won't be easy, given a constitutional requirement to apply property taxes uniformly. Yet calls for a solution seem to be growing.
Lots of candidates on the left and right during our endorsement meetings agreed that fair voting maps shouldn't hinge on which party controls the statehouse or Supreme Court. Wisconsin needs a lasting and nonpartisan process to end gerrymandering for good, similar to the Iowa model.
Democrats such as Rep. Mike Bare of Verona and Republicans such as Waterloo Mayor Jenifer Quimby (who narrowly lost an Assembly bid) told us they favored legalizing small amounts of marijuana. The revenue can help pay for other state priorities and provide medicinal benefits for sick people. It also can ensure safe products while freeing police and the courts to concentrate on serious crimes.
Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota allow dispensaries that many Wisconsin residents already access. Keeping that revenue in Wisconsin is overdue, as most Democrats stress.
President-elect Donald Trump's newfound support for legal cannabis should encourage more Republicans to abandon failed prohibition.
Eric Hovde, the Republican banker who lost his bid for U.S. Senate, complained that ballots were counted late into the night after the polls closed in Milwaukee. Of course they were — because GOP state senators refused to change the law last year so Milwaukee could start processing absentee ballots sooner, as most states allow.
The GOP-run Assembly and Democratic governor want to fix this flaw in our elections system that needlessly delays results and creates unwarranted suspicion. The state Senate must act before the next election.
