Koebke challenges Jorgensen in 37th

By Steve Sharp of the Daily Times staff
Thursday, October 23, 2008 1:19 PM CDT

FORT ATKINSON - Democrat Andy Jorgensen said this week his campaign has been going well as he attempts to retain his post for a second term as representative in the state's 37th Assembly District this November.

“I feel proud of the campaign I've run thus far, because I am staying positive and really just talking about the issues we face and the positive changes I believe we can achieve together,” he said.

Jorgensen, a former radio host on WFAW in Fort Atkinson and assembly line operator at General Motors' Janesville plant, is an active member of the Farmers Union and Farm Bureau. He serves on the board of the Respite Care Association of Wisconsin, volunteers for the Jefferson County Literacy Council, and works with the Cub Scouts. He is a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, having taught Sunday school for many years.

Jorgensen took time this week to discuss with the Daily Times some of the issues of greatest concern to his constituents.

“I think going door-to-door is the most positive and productive way to campaign,” he said. “So far, I've brought my message and a listening ear to thousands of homes throughout the 37th Assembly District. I'm finding that my priorities are my constituents' priorities. They seem to agree that we need to create more good-paying jobs by investing in emerging industries like renewable fuels. I am committed to making Wisconsin a leader in developing alternative forms of energy, because I know this mission will be a huge source of jobs and a boon to farmers.

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He said voters also seem to agree that the state needs to focus on finding affordable health care options for its citizens.

“I will fight to create subsidies for small business owners, so that they can afford to provide coverage for their employees,” he said.

Jorgensen said people say government also needs to create tax breaks for the middle class and commit itself to no tax increases in the term ahead for working families.

“I share that view,” he said. “I have been, and will fight, for cuts like the ones outlined in a bill I wrote known as HOPE - the Home Owners Property tax Exemption. This plan would exempt the first $60,000 of a home's value, saving the average family $600 a year. To make up the difference, I'd close some corporate tax loopholes. Similar plans have worked well in other states and it could here, too.”

He said voters believe state government must keep its promises when it comes to school funding and community aids.

“I believe this, too and will represent their views in our Capitol,” he said.

Jorgensen said he is the best candidate for the job because he believes in looking past party lines to find the way to creating good policy.

“In so many of my committees, I've been able to team up with Republicans and Democrats to write legislation, and get it signed into law,” he said. “Now, more than ever, folks need a representative who puts them before politics. I also think voters know I'm a listener. I've held more than 60 listening sessions in the past two years, with at least one in every community in the district. I respond to their feedback, too, with letters and phone calls.”

Jorgensen said he thinks it's going to be important, with so many challenges ahead and another tough budget and economic issues to address, for the next state representative for the 37th Assembly District to know what he's doing in Madison.

“I've learned how to get things done over the past two years and right now we need to make the positive changes we've talked about for so long,” he said. “When it came to saving SeniorCare, Washington listened because of (my efforts) and that absolutely ranks among the most satisfying accomplishments of the past two years for me.”

He said he is also proud of the ethics bill he helped push through that provides more oversight of campaign activity. He said he was proud to be a part of the effort that overturned the Governor's “Frankenstein veto” authority.

“I was proud to support and work for the expansion of BadgerCare, so that all Wisconsin kids are able to see a doctor when they need to,” he said.

He said he is also proud of work he did that he believes will never make headlines.

“When I could help a constituent navigate the FEMA system, or work with them to write a bill, or make sure their request for disability coverage was reviewed quickly, I felt I was really doing some good,” he said.

FORT ATKINSON - Kent Koebke has been busy knocking on doors of local residents to inform them of the attributes he could bring to the office of representative in the 37th Assembly District.

Koebke said his campaign on the Republican ballot is being aided by his family and many supporters as he takes on incumbent Democrat Andy Jorgensen of Fort Atkinson.

“The people we've met agree that we need more than business as usual in Madison,” Koebke told the Daily Times this week. “With families hurting and the economy struggling, we need tax policies that help bring good jobs to Wisconsin and keep them here. If we're going to get back on our feet, we also need top schools to prepare students for careers. We need health care reform that addresses cost and quality without taking medical decisions away from people and their doctors. The existing spending controls should stay in place to help keep property taxes in check while we work toward reform that brings our state and local tax burden in line with families' abilities to pay.”

Koebke said he is the best candidate for the job of representing the 37th Assembly District because he is a good neighbor who is willing to ask tough questions and say “no” to higher government spending and unfunded mandates.

“My education and experience with the Marines and Fort Atkinson School Board have prepared me to deal with large budgets and hold officials accountable. I'm not a career politician,” he said.

Koebke is a graduate of Fort Atkinson High School who has a bachelor of science degree in political science from the Univer-sity of Wisconsin-Whitewater, master of arts in education from East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C., master of science in strategic intelligence, Defense Intelligence College.

He is a retired Marine colonel with active duty from 1974 to 2001. He is a career and academic adviser for Madison Area Technical College in Watertown; part-time teacher, business communications, economics and management at Madison Area Technical College, Upper Iowa University, Marian University and Cardinal Stritch College.

Koebke is also president of the School District of Fort Atkinson Board of Education; an Eagle Scout Project Leader; Finance Committee chairman, Small Group co-leader, men's group member, First United Methodist Church; treasurer, Fort Atkinson Disabled American Veterans Chapter 39.

He volunteers with Habitat for Humanity, is an Eagle Scout and a former board member with Milwaukee Leadership Training Center, a charter school working with highly at-risk middle and high school students.

Koebke said the government should spend with the needs of the people in mind.

“We need to hold the line on local, county, and state spending and prioritize our requirements,” he said.

He advocates looking at new alternatives to handle rising health care costs. “There should be incentives to stay healthy and choose affordable health care,” he said.

He said most of his conversations with the public have centered around the economy, “and basically their buying power.”

“They are seeing their buying power going down due to gas prices, the economy and health care, and they are looking to the government to hold the line on things so they don't lose the ability to buy the things they need and live the way they have been used to,” he said.

Koebke said the only surprise he has run into on the campaign trail is just how much people want to talk about the economy.

“It was unanimous across the board that they are concerned about the economy and concerned about what they could afford last year they won't be able to afford next year,” he said. “That concern goes from retired people or people on a fixed income, to people who are working. The people who are working are not getting the raises to keep up with inflation and they have to cut back and they are saying that if they have to cut back then the government has to cut back.”

He said a theme of conversations he has had with the public has been “uncertainty.”

He said people want the government to protect their pocketbook and lifestyle.

“Adding taxes would do just the opposite," he said.