Recently it was my pleasure to have the opportunity to sit down and chat with Glen Brower, the Democratic candidate running against Rep. Mark Honadel in Wisconsin’s 21st Assembly District. Upon meeting and speaking with Mr. Brower, I was struck by two things: his obvious passion for serving the public as well as his desire to fundamentally change the way our state government works.
Our interview started with the question all candidates should be able to answer without hesitation: “Why are you running for office?” When asked the question, Brower responded that he was running for the Assembly because he was outraged at the course our nation and our state had taken in recent years, and he noted he wanted to make an impact on the issues affecting Wisconsinites as a member of the State Assembly. Brower also noted his lifetime of service, both as a member of the United States Army and as a public servant, and he stated he wanted to continue to serve the public and contribute to the community as a member of the Assembly.
Asked to define his political views, Brower was unequivocal in stating he’s a progressive, noting that while he recognizes the term “progressive” can be a lightning rod of sorts, he doesn’t feel the progressive label is a negative. He also made it clear he supports fiscal responsibility, oversight, and a system of checks and balances that works.
As the interview turned towards specific issues, we spent a good deal of time discussing campaign finance reform, health care reform, and tax reform. The first discussed at length was campaign finance reform. As a self-described “underdog” candidate, Brower spoke about the financial obstacles candidates for elected office can face, especially when running against an entrenched incumbent, as is the case in the 21st District. He made a point to express his support for “taking the money out of politics” through public financing for political campaigns, so as to ensure a level playing field for all candidates. To dovetail the discussion of campaign finance reform, Brower also indicated he wanted to take action to reinforce the ethics codes for legislators.
In discussing health care reform, he commended efforts to try and provide coverage for more of Wisconsin’s citizens through programs such as BadgerCare, but he was quick to point out a need to go further. Brower was clear that he wanted to take a long look at how to provide comprehensive health care coverage for all Wisconsinites. When asked how he intended to fund comprehensive health care coverage for all Wisconsinites, Brower was honest enough to admit he had no specific ideas on how to provide the funding necessary to provide coverage, but he was quick to pledge to look at the issue extensively, and he also cited his background in policy planning and budgeting as being assets as he tried to address the issue of health care reform.
When asked how he thought he could help make health care more affordable, Brower again pledged to do a total review of the entire health care system. He was quick to note the fact that the Canadian health care system spends roughly half as much to provide health care for all its citizens as we do in the United States, yet the life expectancy in Canada is 3 years more than in the United States. He also mentioned reviewing how hospitals are taxed as a possible means of generating revenue to pay for universal health care coverage.
Brower made it clear he felt it was unfair for legislators in Madison to pass unfunded mandates for communities to follow without providing the necessary funding to follow those mandates. He discussed unfunded mandates as being one cause of rising taxes for communities throughout the state as those communities are being forced to fund those unfunded mandates themselves.
The final issue that was discussed at length was tax reform, namely Brower’s desire to make the tax code more fair for families. He spoke about working to close legal loopholes that allow businesses to pay less taxes, so as to shift some of the tax burden off families. He also debunked the conservative mantra that Wisconsin is a “tax hell,” pointing out that Wisconsin’s business taxes are actually much lower than conservatives would have people believe, and he noted he would work to bring some parity back to Wisconsin’s tax code, so that corporations pay their fair share of taxes so middle class Wisconsinites would see some of the tax burden shifted off their shoulders.
Asked about his opponent, Rep. Mark Honadel, Brower acknowledged he is the underdog in the race, and he admitted he anticipates he will be outspent by Rep. Honadel, who has roughly $30,000 cash on hand and will no doubt get heavy backing from Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce as well as other conservative special interest groups. Brower talked about running a true grassroots campaign, and he cited his family’s deep roots in the community as well as his own life experiences as being among his greatest assets.
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