Growing from the grassroots - Wisconsin Way looks for answers
Mitzi Keadle, a teacher from Waukesha, addresses the crowd
during a Wisconsin Way forum (July 21, 2008).
It’s a grassroots effort coming to your neighborhood soon, and Waukesha teacher Mitzi Keadle hopes you’ll get involved.
“I’m very excited,” Keadle said after attending a Wisconsin Way forum with teacher Bev Bradford. “How can you not be an advocate for this?”
Wisconsin Way is a coalition committed to building a stronger Wisconsin economy that supports public services, including education.
In its second phase of forums, Wisconsin Way lays out a variety of solutions to the divide between the economy and demand for public services. From economic development to taxes, from education to roads, everything’s on the table.
The solutions were all suggested by citizens at meetings held last winter, and now is your chance to react to them. Your feedback will help shape a plan that will be presented to legislators.
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Waunakee teacher Steve Wright adds his feedback to the discussion. |
“There’s a lot of work to do and a lot of complexity, which is why this isn’t going to happen overnight,” said moderator James B. Wood. But if a solution isn’t found, he said, there will be a tremendous impact. “I’m here to tell you, the next (state) budget’s going to be worse.”
“What’s it going to take to get the government to stop the politics?” asked Rick Dorshorst, a father of three. “Everybody’s frustrated by this. How do we get government to look at this and know we’re serious?”
The answer may fall in the middle, Wood said. “We’re going through this exercise so we can find the middle ground between all of this,” he said. “Where we can bring the Realtors in on one end and WEAC on the other, and engage in problem-solving, we can bring the legislators in,” Wood said.
“We can’t do this by ourselves. We need you to do it.”
Wisconsin Way is a grassroots project that pulls together the support and resources of a wide variety of interests to find ways to build a stronger Wisconsin economy that can better support public services, including education.
You! This grassroots effort depends on participation from citizens from across the state. Coalition partners include WEAC, the Wisconsin Counties Association, the Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association, the Wisconsin Realtors Association and Wood Communication Group.
Wisconsin Way forums are chances to get your voice heard. Look for upcoming forums in your area at WEAC.org/WisconsinWay.
Visit WEAC.org/WisconsinWay or WisconsinWay.org |
Posted July 24, 2008