The River Falls Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau hosted a conversation with District 10 State Senator Rob Stafsholt as part of their government relations committee. Russ Korpela, the chamber’s executive director, prefaced that the conversation is not an endorsement of any candidacy and is presented as an educational event. Stafsholt, a Republican, will be running against retired educator, Paul Hambleton, a Democrat, in this upcoming election.
Stafsholt on key legislation that got passed, upcoming legislative priorities:
For Stafsholt, some highlights include getting rid of the personal property tax and increasing funding for local municipalities. Senate Bill 274 cuts the real estate property tax by a third of the funds while allowing more funding to local governments. The bill was passed this February. He said a top priority moving forward will be Wisconsin’s healthcare system — both for lowering costs and increasing access to residents.
“The system is broken. There’s no easy solution,” he said.
How Stafsholt feels about the state’s election system:
“[Counting votes] such a serious business that I don’t think we’ll ever relax,” he said “We have to keep an eye on it all the time.”
Stafsholt recalled a bill he authored to permit absentee ballots to be canvassed before the official count on Election Day,to make for a smoother process, but the state assembly never voted on it.
With his district, Stafsholt finds that elections are fair and wholesome with expressed confidence in local clerks.
The senator from District 10 spoke of the state's election system. Photo: Submitted.
Stafsholt on various shortages creating complex problems (childcare shortages, housing struggles, etc.):
According to a recent study by Forward Analytics, Wisconsin will need to build nearly 140,000 housing units by 2030 to accommodate its under-65 population.
Currently, Stafsholt said he finds the answer in many areas, essentially creating a lot of solutions that’ll help a little. Some of these solutions include: reassessing the cost of building a home itself, relooking at dwelling codes and their necessity and finding potential residential areas in available spaces. For instance, if there’s a retail shop in a downtown area that holds an upstairs living area, people should be able to rent at an affordable price.
Again, the solutions lie in a variety of spaces and these items may not fix the issue, but it can alleviate part of it, he said.
Stafsholt on the country's divisive political culture:
Stafsholt finds that he has an open mind and offers an open-door policy to hear the needs from all types of people in his district.
While he may not agree with everyone at times, he said he strives to understand what led people to come to certainsolutions or beliefs.
Stafsholt finds that communication and solution-based thinking are key to restoring such divides.
He also noted that in politics, there is more bipartisan action being taken than one may assume, based on popular headlines or online discourse.
“At the end of the day, we [elected officials] have to lead by example,” he said.
More information on Stafsholt’s candidacy can be found on his Wisconsin State Legislature page, legis.wisconsin.gov/senate/10/stafsholt.
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