Meet the candidates running for Wisconsin's 87th Assembly District seat

Republican Brent Jacobson and Democrat Bill Switalla are running in the Nov. 5 general election to represent Wisconsin’s 87th Assembly District.

Assembly District 87 will have entirely new voters and a new representative after its geographic shift in the 2023 redistricting process. Candidates running for the seat in the Nov. 5 general election are Republican Brent Jacobson and Democrat Bill Switalla.

The 87th Assembly District covers the cities of Mosinee, Schofield and Marion and the villages of Kronenwetter, Rib Mountain, Rothschild, Iola, Wittenberg and Birnamwood. The district previously covered a portion of northwestern Marathon County, all of Rusk and Taylor counties and most of Sawyer County.

Wisconsin State Assembly representatives serve two-year terms. Republican James Edming of Glen Flora has served five terms in the seat since 2015. He filed to not run after his residence was no longer located in the district following redistricting.

To learn more about registering to vote and finding your polling place, visit the My Vote Wisconsin website.

USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin asked each candidate to address the issues that matter to the district and why they are running for office.

Brent Jacobson

Residence: Mosinee

Age: 40

Profession and training: Practicing attorney with a law degree from West Virginia University and a business degree from St. Cloud State University

Relevant experience: Small business owner, Mayor of Mosinee, Marathon County Supervisor, Chairman of the Mosinee Planning Commission, Chairman of the Marathon County Public Safety Committee, and former Chairman of the Mosinee Area Fire District

Campaign Website/Facebook Page: www.jacobsonforassembly.com and Jacobson for Assembly on Facebook

William Switalla

Residence: Wittenberg

Age: 59

Profession and training: High school graduate and self-employed as a florist

Relevant experience: I have been the President of my village council for over 10 years and a member of the Shawano County Board of Commissioners. I started working as a teenager on the family farm with my father, learning to work hard and appreciate the farmers of our state. After the farm, I worked with my mother and learned the florist trade; we ran it together for over 30 years before she passed away. I have been married for almost 30 years, have seven children, 11 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Campaign Website/Facebook Page: Friends of William Switalla for the 87th Assembly Seat on Facebook

Why are you running for office?

Jacobson: I am running for the state legislature because I feel that Wisconsin is at a critical juncture. We are one level of government away from becoming a state that will be subject to far-left, liberal policies that do not align with the beliefs, values, and needs of rural Wisconsin. Common consumer issues like the cost of groceries, gas, and home ownership will be lost to liberal issues like higher taxes, runaway crime, illegal immigration, and gender identity, to name a few. I am running to speak out and advocate for rural Wisconsin in the state legislature.

Switalla: Despite all my work and community service, I still feel the need to help people, and in the current state of the world, help is needed more than ever. The women in my life deserve to be treated as first-class citizens and have control over their own bodies. I am also running for the protection of clean water and air and for protection from insurance and utility rate increases.

What makes you the best candidate in this race?

Jacobson: I have private sector experience as a business owner. I understand the burdens businesses face from government overreach, whether it be taxation or industry regulation. I can use my private sector experience to ensure that pro-business policy supports the bills I vote for. I have a positive record as Mayor. Downtown Mosinee has come back to life, our business park is expanding, jobs and residents are increasing, and taxes have remained low. As County Supervisor, I am tough on these issues, having fought wasteful spending and far-left efforts to reduce penalties for drug offenses.

Switalla: I am the best candidate because I have the most experience and knowledge to help the people of this state. I understand the need to work together with both parties because compassion and compromise are both desperately needed.

What is the most pressing problem facing Wisconsin and how would you address it?

Jacobson: Inflation. Seniors on fixed incomes and struggling families are worried about the future. The cost of food, gas, and home heating is skyrocketing. Energy costs are fueling inflation. We can fight inflation by becoming an energy independent nation. While much of that responsibility falls on our federal elected officials, at the state level, I intend to be an independent energy legislator when it comes to stringent state regulation. In addition to fighting inflation, we can put more money in people’s pockets. I intend to support efforts to exempt retirement income from taxation and to flatten and eventually eliminate the state income tax.

Switalla: The most pressing issues are attacks on our Constitution, women’s rights to control their own bodies, and the protection of our air and water. I look forward to joining my colleagues in Madison to help solve these problems in any way I can.

What do residents think are their most important issues and how would you address them?

Jacobson: As I mentioned earlier, the cost of living is the number one issue I hear at the door. However, residents are increasingly concerned about the increase in crime that has hit our small communities, most often drug-related. Small communities are struggling with police departments that are stretched thin and a tax base that can barely afford to fund more. The state needs to provide additional support to rural police departments to put more experienced officers on the streets. This simply means that we need to get our priorities in order when it comes to the state budget process.

Switalla: I have heard concerns about water safety, Roe v. Wade, and the economy. I don’t have all the answers, but I have assured people that I will do my best to work tirelessly on these issues. In my role on the County and Village Council, we work together every day to improve the lives of our residents.

Residents of central Wisconsin are seeing rising costs for essential, everyday expenses like housing, child care, groceries, health care and transportation. If elected, what will you do to help residents who are struggling to make ends meet?

Jacobson: We consistently lose to states like Florida that have no income tax. We are not even competitive with many of our neighboring states that have lower overall tax burdens. Every dollar that stays in the economy is far more powerful than sending it to the government. As I mentioned above, I will work to make retirement income tax-free to help our struggling seniors and I will work to reduce and eliminate the state income tax to help our hard-working families who are struggling to make ends meet.

Switalla: The candidate did not provide an answer to this question.

Costs to individuals have increased, as have costs to our local communities. Our local schools and technical colleges, our municipalities, and our counties are limited in the amount of local taxes they can collect. These limits were set decades ago, and adjustments to them are rare and inadequate to keep up with rising costs of living and inflation. If elected, what would you do at the state level to reduce the burden on local residents who so often have to vote on referendums on tax limits for school districts, public safety officers, or major transportation projects during elections?

Jacobson: No resident should be faced with repeated referendums. Much of this depends on better oversight and management at the local level rather than blaming the state Legislature. The Legislature can encourage responsible local government spending while increasing local funding through the Spending Restraint Program. As Mayor of Mosinee, our community regularly receives additional state aid because we keep our spending in check. I would work to expand this program to the Legislature to help responsible local governments.

Switalla: The candidate did not provide an answer to this question.

Erik Pfantz covers local government and education in central Wisconsin for USA TODAY NETWORK – Wisconsin and values his background as a rural Wisconsinite. Contact him at [email protected].