About Jane Benson
Hello Assembly District 4! My name is Jane Benson, and I am running to be your State Representative in Madison.
As my campaign motto says, I want to be a fair voice for all residents of the 4th. We are in an amazing time in Wisconsin politics. We have hope for the first time since 2011 when the worst gerrymandered maps in the country went into effect in Wisconsin. NO MORE! New, fairer voting maps are in effect starting with the August primary.
The two questions I get asked most often as I travel the district are, why should I vote for you and what are you going to do if you get elected?
My answer to the first part of that question is simple – my life, my work and my community service have prepared me for just this moment.
My Life, My Work, My Community Service
LIFE…My husband, Jeff, and I have been married for 24 years. Our two sons are grown and now have kids of their own, but sometimes it feels like yesterday that I was a single working mom. Like so many women and families in our district, I know exactly what it’s like to worry about how to pay the rent and childcare, and wonder if my health insurance will cover us when we really need it.
WORK…As an entrepreneur and small business owner specializing in websites and online business development, it has been my privilege to use my skills and experience to help many other business owners achieve their own entrepreneurial dreams. I understand the critical role small businesses play in our economy and the challenges they face in a 21st century marketplace. As funding for high-speed internet comes to WI, I am determined to make sure District 4 gets a fair share of the money and development!
COMMUNITY SERVICE…I’m a long-time organizer/activist. I serve on the state-level “Fair Courts-Fair Maps” committee of the League of Women Voters. We do deep research to make sure people get background on all candidates and critical issues so they can confidently make informed choices at elections.
With the Fair Maps Coalition, I helped bring larger groups of people together for rallies and spoke publicly on how our voting maps were rigged and then why the 2024 Supreme Court decision that found the maps unconstitutional was factual and justified.
I brought together small groups of people to meet with federal legislators about healthcare in the early days of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).
I’m an active Board Member of the Clean Water Action Council, and advocate regularly for responsible water policies in Northeast Wisconsin.
So, back to the question – why vote for me? Because my life experiences as a single, working mom; my 16 years as a successful internet specialist; and my efforts to achieve a truly representative government will bring a unique combination of experiences to the legislative process. They make me a better advocate for all my constituents.
And now for the second question I get asked most often – what am I going to do when I get elected? I work for you and your priorities are my priorities. The 4th is as diverse in its issues as it is in its geography, but as I travel, here are some issues that come up often.
Caring Communities
The district has a wide variety of communities in it. Some are quite wealthy, while others are scraping by. Most of us share a love of place. When we don’t have a lot of money, we often have deep roots, and enviable connections to family and friends.
We share the needs for affordable housing, good paying jobs and suitable childcare. Seniors and people with disabilities require care options to age with dignity.
We worry about support for our rural hospitals and clinics, so they won’t close. The state needs to increase Medicaid reimbursements to help with that. We want the state to take federal money to expand Medicaid to cover many more people under Badger Care.
Maintaining our roads and bridges as industrial farms replace family farms is another part of realistically facing the changes in our rural areas. Bigger, heavier equipment means greater wear and tear on roads and bridges. We need strategies for how to pay for that.
Reliable Public School Funding
Strong public schools are the backbone of our communities AND our economy. We must fund public schools consistently and fairly, and school districts shouldn’t have to beg for money through referendums!
When it comes to special education per-pupil reimbursement, it is unacceptable that Wisconsin currently reimburses at about 33%, meaning the general fund of public schools picks up the other 67%, reducing money available to run schools successfully.
WI public school teacher pay has fallen to 33rd in the nation. Teachers are leaving the profession at an alarming rate and fewer people are entering the profession.
Significant federal ESSER funds from Covid relief need to be committed by September 2024, or they will be lost. Costly diversion of resources to school vouchers, our inadequate school funding formula, elevated costs, and an uncertain revenue outlook mean our school system needs attention and action!
Reproductive Rights
Women deserve the rights to bodily autonomy and family planning, as well as the privacy to make decisions that fit their unique circumstances. We are witnessing Republican legislators abandon women by repeatedly proposing legislation which criminalizes those who would help women. More women are needed in the legislature to represent and support women.
Support for Caregivers
Caregivers come in many forms: childcare for working families; respite care; home healthcare for the disabled and elderly; and care for those in assisted living and nursing homes, as examples.
We have childcare deserts in many places, which keep a parent at home and out of the workforce because there is no affordable, safe place for children to stay during work hours.
Caregiving more commonly affects women than men. More women should be in the legislature to highlight these needs.
Clean Water
The rivers and creeks of the district lead into the bay of Green Bay which makes up the eastern border of the district. The bay is the largest freshwater estuary in the world, incredibly rare! It is also part of the Great Lakes which make up 90% of the surface fresh water in the whole United States.
Many homes in Wisconsin use well water from groundwater. We are caretakers for all these waters.
Making sure that water is free of toxins for healthy drinking water is critical for all of us.
Fishing, birding and boating are big economic drivers for the state. They create good quality of life, and help to draw new workers and tourism dollars here.
We face PFAS “forever chemical” water poisoning, CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feed Operation) waste contamination and NPS (nonpoint source) runoff from mega farms. Legislators before me have been ineffective at addressing these issues.
With new voting maps and you electing environmental supporters, we will do better.
I am proud to have lived in Assembly District 4 for 22 years, surrounded by so many smart, hardworking, independent and generous neighbors. Our district may be small but our hopes, dreams – and potential – are not! I look forward to the opportunity to be your voice in Madison. I humbly ask you to vote for me – Jane Benson on Tuesday, November 5.