Beans & Banter
We are Keith and NiCole Fischer, owners of The Mill in Bonduel, Wisconsin. The Mill is a coffee lounge, bourbon retailer, and boutique. But more than that, it’s a gathering place for numerous people, full of countless stories. Join us as we dissect our
Beans & Banter
The Reality of Being a Representative
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In this episode, we hang out with Representative Elijah R. Behnke. No fluff, no pretending, just real talk.
We dig into what it actually means to represent people, not a party. From stadium deals to lake laws, the toughest calls aren’t always the ones you’d expect.
Nothing polished. Nothing scripted. Just a straight-up look at how decisions get made when there’s no perfect answer.
Grab your coffee, pull up a chair, and get to know Elijah Behnke with us.
Connect with us!
We were eating steak the other night and Knox, our eight-year-old, said to our seven-year-old, Hope you choke on that. And Keith said, Nox, where'd you hear that? Don't say that. And he goes, Jake says it. Jake says it. And he goes, Who's Jake? He goes, Officer Roadie.
SPEAKER_02Oh.
SPEAKER_06And and then I go, who did he say that to? He was, he said it to me when I was eating my ice cream.
SPEAKER_01So backstory of that is he wanted to take the boys uh mini golfing and then get him to get ice cream. So uh him and his wife brought us mini golfing at their favorite place and then got ice cream, and he's like told Max to choke on the ice cream. He's like, There's no way I said that to him. There's no way I was I said it. You probably heard me say it to my wife. I'm like you a feeling.
SPEAKER_00Good morning.
SPEAKER_06Good morning.
SPEAKER_00Hi morning, Elijah. Good morning. Thank you for having me. Yeah. Pleasure actually sitting down and getting to know you instead of meeting and passing.
SPEAKER_06And passing. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01This is Elijah Bankey for people that don't know him. Yeah. My name's Keith.
SPEAKER_06My name's Nicole Fisher.
SPEAKER_01That's Cammy.
SPEAKER_06This is Cammy.
SPEAKER_01I like your glasses, Cammy.
SPEAKER_05Me too. Thanks so much.
SPEAKER_06This is Beans and Banter, and we have a special guest today. Elijah, can you um explain who you are? Yeah, sure.
SPEAKER_00So honestly.
SPEAKER_01Not like an interview, but a basic.
SPEAKER_00Um I'm here in my official capacity as the Sixth Assembly State Representative. But no, I I grew up in Ocano County, um, not far from here. I was born in '83. I was one of four kids and basically grew up on a very um low-budget farm. So we had like 13 cows when I was in middle school, and we got up to 40 in high school. So when I was a kid, the way farming started is we'd come here to Bonduel to the equity barn, and my dad with his Monte Carlo would buy a couple of sickly cheap calves, put them in the trunk, and try to nurse them back to health. So the start of our little family herd was right out of Bonduel. So, as a side note, when I was a kid, this is how poor we were. I thought the food there was really good. And so it was like a little treat to go to the sale barn, get a burger and some fries. Because, like, we didn't go out to eat to McDonald's. Like, if it was your birthday, you got to go to Pizza Hut, right? So, very poor. My mom stayed at home for a while. So, my dad worked some mill jobs as a mechanic and other things. And so it just took a while to get off on their feet. But they also married in high school. Let me back up a little bit. So the first crazy story is um my parents uh met high school, started dating in high school, and basically the final uh senior year of my mom's high school career, they got married over Christmas break, right? Like back in the good old days where the Baptists say, if you can't keep your hands off each other, you gotta get married, right? Yep. So they chose to get married. He was 19, she was 18, and basically um her last semester when she like skipped school as like a senior prank, the office called my dad and said, Your wife skipped school today. And so there's just such a crazy start. So I came along about two years later. I know, I know, and do you think he cared? He didn't care. So because they fell in love young and then um had four kids, by the time she was 25, they were just young and poor, right? So um growing up, it was just a very simple life. Going to Fleet Farm was exciting, going to church in the grocery store after, you know, was a big deal. And yeah, it was just uh a nice rural Wisconsin upbringing. So you are you Baptists? Well, my mom was raised Baptist, my dad was raised Lutheran. Um, but we actually uh they met at Okano High School, and so the church in Okano is where they settled on, it's across from the public library, the Okano Gospel Chapel, and that's actually a Christian and missionary alliance. So it's like if the Baptists and the assemblies of God had a child. So like they believe in healing and you know, um is that what Baptists believe in is healing? No, they're cessationists. Like, what does that mean? Okay, so a cessationist basically means um because side note you went to school to be a pastor, correct?
SPEAKER_06I did, yep, yep. Okay, so you're saying words I don't know.
SPEAKER_00Okay, cease. Certain acts of God, like prophecy, yeah, cease to exist, right? So the Baptists would say, These are the 66 books of the Bible, no one can prophesy any longer. Certain other denominations um or Pentecostal kind of believe in some prophecy still, right? And so you have this, you know, biblical uh lines of like, can you pray for healing, right? Well, I believe you can, right? Okay, but some people don't. So basically, my parents compromised on this, you know, Christian missionary alliance. And I actually went to a Christian missionary alliance college called Tacola Falls College in Georgia. I just picked it because it was under 20 grand a year and far away from my parents, so I didn't have to come home to do barn chores, right? So if I went to a Minnesota or Wisconsin school, I would be asked to come home and milk cows on the weekend, and I did not want to do that. So I went to Georgia. It was a great experience, the food, the people, but um, yeah, they basically uh raised this Christian missionary lines. It'd be similar to like evangelical free, um, just a typical non-denominational church. The thing that separates them is 20% of all the tithes that come into that denomination get sent to foreign missions. They're all about that. Matthew 24 spread the word to all tongues in all nations, right? So um, there was a lot of missionary kids at my school.
SPEAKER_06Okay, cool. And so we're gonna we always kind of skip around. You went to school to be a pastor. Why aren't you doing that? Like what changed your path?
SPEAKER_00Um, finances really. So I borrowed like 83,000 to go to this private school. And then, you know, I got job offers from 16 to 24,000. So I'm like looking at my budget and even a church that said you can live in this house for free and we'll pay you 20,000 between, you know, keeping a car going and gas and food. I just couldn't take the job, right? So I'm looking at, you know, joining the military to see if they'll put pay off my loans, uh, construction. I had a Mennonite boss that, you know, I'd worked for a couple of years in college, and he said, you know, I think this is a housing bubble, which is 0506. So he sold called the housing bubble a couple years in advance. Yep. Wow. So he said, this isn't the industry you want to get in. And then I worked for a couple of chicken farmers in South Carolina because my college was like six miles from the border. So I would like leave, you know, campus or my duplex and go to work. Um, not it's Seneca, South Carolina, very small town, like 30, 40 minutes in the into the the state. So that was just a crazy job because their number one duty is like clock in and then go pick up the chickens that died the day before. But when your farm has like 300,000 chickens and like one to three percent die each day, that is a lot of dead meat. And then you put it in the same pit. And after you know, you eat that then?
unknownNo.
SPEAKER_00Here's what's okay. It is sad because some of it does go to waste. Okay. And you think about like people in need. So the the chicken waterers and the chicken feeders are raised a little bit as the flock grows. So if a chicken has a bad knee and it can't quite, you know, get to the feeder at first, eventually it gets too small to reach the waterer or get to the feeder. So, because it's mass production, instead of taking the couple with a bad leg and putting them in their own pen and you know, giving them their own time, you're asked by your boss to cull them. So I've actually killed probably 10,000 chickens just wringing their necks because it it's either going to starve to death, which is inhumane. Right. Or, you know, and I was a poor college kid. I didn't have like my own backyard to bring them home. I don't think my you know, campus would have been like, Well, I'd just for all these chickens, right? So I uh definitely farmed for this wonderful couple. They took me in as like the you know, second son. So I got great southern cooking, and you know, if I needed a shower, are you food driven?
SPEAKER_06You talk about good meals a lot. Yeah, yeah, pretty much. I think growing up porn eating the same thing all the time.
SPEAKER_00Like, because we were farmers, we had all the beef in the in the world. So, like steak was not rare, hard, or expensive. It was just in the freezer or fridge. You could eat it whenever. So when I got out of you know the rural Wisconsin farm life, like ordering a good piece of chicken was a big deal, right? So, like going to Georgia, passing a an exam, I'd go to Chick-fil-A to reward myself for Zach Spees to like get a good meal. So, yeah, I think because I grew up so poor and like going out to eat was so rare, like going out to eat now is like a flex, like I've made it in life, you know.
SPEAKER_06It's really a waste of money, but so you um you decided it wasn't. Do you think you'll ever like future you ever be a pastor? Oh, is that off the table?
SPEAKER_00No, it's not. It's not. I would definitely consider it if I felt God was calling me to do it. Um, right now I think my ministry is working in the state house. Like, for example, when Roe v. Wade was overturned, um, it was up to the states. We, you know, me and my colleagues whipped enough Republicans to like not change it just to ban it. So abortion was illegal in Wisconsin for like a year until a liberal court in Madison said actually they meant infanticide. They didn't mean abortion, which would be like the killing of all babies, right? So the 1849 law that's said basically it was like Wisconsin's first state statue on abortion, like it was banned and it just said if it's performed, the doctor's the one that like pays the price, not the mom, not the woman. And so the state statue is like three sentences like if you're caught doing this, uh, this is who you know is gonna be punished, and this is how much. And I don't remember if it was you know a huge fine or jail time or a little or both. But basically when Roe v. Wade was overturned, it came back to the state. Well, we didn't have you know a bunch of laws, uh, we had some, but basically went back to the original 1849. If you didn't know, Wisconsin was founded in 1848. So it was like one of the first things they said is let's ban abortion. Of course, it was a lot more dangerous back then. But um, so yeah, that was kind of my my ministry, still is like I'm not saying I legislate, you know, just Christian values, but you know, school choice, school vouchers like that helps a lot of private kids. Like my daughter goes to one in Green Bay, and families that could never afford private school have the opportunity through the voucher system to send their kids to a private school. So I think it helps out, you know, parents that can't afford it. I think um, you know, instilling Christian values in your young kids is super important. And so I could see myself doing a little something on the side if I wanted to teach a Sunday school class of middle school kids at my church. Like if my pastor asked me to do that, I would. But I think just, you know, being involved in different ways. Um, like here's something where my Christian values like got instilled into um my public office. So it's kind of a fun story. I did like five listening sessions here in the Sixth Assembly District, and so I did one in Bonda Well and like four people showed up, right? Which is fine. Like, and then I go to Shano and like 13 Democrats like tell me that I need to get rid of Doge and all these other things. I'm like, I don't even have his phone number, guys, right? Like talking to the wrong guy.
SPEAKER_01So federal. Yeah, exactly. Please know the difference.
SPEAKER_00They usually don't, but um, that was interesting. So I go into Matson, which is like down towards Clintonville, and I assume nobody would be there. Like maybe one farmer read it in the newspaper or something, right? And so I get there and there's like 13 cars, and I'm like, wow, what happens? This is like a shock. Maybe they're there for something else, right? Like, that's how these listening sessions go.
SPEAKER_01They're not here for me.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, small crowds and usually Democrats that yell at you. So um, basically, it was uh a shot-based uh uh community alternatives. Um, basically, they they take care of the facilities and employ the people that take care of disabled adults, okay? So if you or I had a disabled kid, of course, someday we're gonna pass, we can't take care of them any longer. So the state helps us subsidize with federal dollars to allow facilities around the state. So there's not like institutions, right? And so it's a definitely a more generous and um some of these people do have the ability. They may be stuck in a wheelchair, but they can still, you know, go and play and and and some of them date, some of them don't, some of them are mobile, some of them are vocal. But basically, I believe as Christians we should take care of those that are like the least able to take care of themselves themselves, right? The poor, um, small children, the disabled, right? So basically, all the people at this listening session got the email. Go talk to State Rep Elijah, get them to fund a $3 an hour increase for the next state budget. So, what happened was uh in COVID, nobody was working for $10, $11, $12 an hour anymore, right? It got up to like $15. And so the state through the ARPA dollars, the American Rescue Plan Act, right? The big Biden, you know, let's throw money at things. Um, the governor took those ARPA funds and put the $3 an hour raise to those that worked in those care facilities. Okay. So the governor just gave them a raise. Please don't stop coming into these facilities, we'll pay you. Well, that was just a patch, right? So then it came to the 2025, 2026 budget. And I basically had to like get my colleagues, we're not, you know, in favor of maybe the governor getting to dictate what raises we're giving, right? And just convince them that this is the right thing to do. We have to take care of those that can't take care of themselves. So um it was like a $250 million statewide ask because it's every facility in the entire state. So it was my budget motion that got pushed in the budget, and the Senate, you know, also passed it along. Of course, the governor wanted it, so he signed it and didn't line item, veto it. So basically, something that people maybe locally that voted for me don't know about because you know, we don't go into every newspaper and say this is everything we've done. But that's something that as a Christian, I just think we should and ought to do. And as a society or as a state, I think we are a little overtaxed. I'll definitely agree with that. But if our taxpayer money is gonna go for something, it should be something like that.
SPEAKER_06Which I think is um overlooked if people look at party sides, they they look at the Republican Party as not that um with that type of morals. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about? That's compassionate, maybe yeah, and and so it's refreshing to hear that because it it's not that's not always the case. Yeah, sometimes it's the case on each side, but um hearing that it's that's cool.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, absolutely. I think um, even though this is like a heavily Republican area, right? That's not unknown, I think you guys are kind of proud of it. And so um, I won with 68 uh percent of the votes, and so I could be like obnoxiously Republican, but my you know, principles love your enemy, love your neighbor. Like this is all applied. So I don't get in fights, you know. I try to respect those. I do have some Democrats in my family, so if I melt off, you know, on podcasts or on the radio, you know, I'd have to hear it at Easter versus.
SPEAKER_06Yeah, and I but I think that's a that's a healthy balance. Yeah, that's it's like a 90s.
SPEAKER_01I think it's important to have uh people that don't have your viewpoints within your circle and be willing to talk to them and have just conversations with people and respectful conversations, not just you know people getting angry at each other because of who somebody voted for. Like we have to. I think somewhere along the line we lost sight of um just loving each other and respecting each other's decisions, and you don't have to agree with it, but at least listen to them. Yep. You know, there's nothing wrong with that.
SPEAKER_00So yeah, no, I came into office in 2021, so like I got yelled at for not wearing a mask, you know, get off my lawn. Of course, January 6th happened, and people got views on that. And so I'm campaigning. Well, you know, a lot of Americans are worried about a stolen election, other people are worried about their health, and so um the reason I got elected the first place is I was basically a nice guy from middle school on. So my classmates voted for me, my ex-girlfriend's parents voted for me because I've always been a nice guy. I know that sounds like Keith. Oh, is that is that how we got into his office?
SPEAKER_06No, but I mean, like I got I got cookies. We used to buy cookies from his ex-girlfriend. He brought her to Titanic in seventh grade. Oh, cute. Long movie. Good move, man.
SPEAKER_00Anyone went on a date to that movie? I think we saw it twice. That's hilarious.
SPEAKER_06Side note on the cookie box, yeah, like where you buy them, it says Keith's ex-girlfriend from seventh grade phone number. So when they need to reorder, because that's what they know her as, is Keith's ex-girlfriend from seventh grade. Hilarious. And people like, oh, who made these? I'm like, my husband's ex-girlfriend from seventh grade. They're like, whoa.
SPEAKER_00Wow. But sorry, dude. Are you both from like the Bonduel area?
SPEAKER_06No, um, Mayanowah, he's Seymour.
SPEAKER_00Okay. So kind of floated this way.
SPEAKER_06Yeah.
SPEAKER_00My wife's a Minnesotan, so like she got hired by St. Vincent's and recruited from the Mayo Clinic where she went to college. And so I was just looking for a wife. So we met at a Bible study in De Pier. So after I kind of secured the like, we're dating, um, I stopped going to the Bible study because it was like a bunch of college kids, and I was like 26 and had to get up at 4:30 in the morning to go clean some factories like an adult.
SPEAKER_01Felt like the unk.
SPEAKER_00I did. Yes, absolutely. Yes. And so she's like, how come we don't go to that Bible study anymore? And I'm like, I kind of was looking for a wife, and I I get what I want. But um, yeah, it's it is interesting. Um, she's the one who actually told me about the mill. So when I said, you know, hey, honey, I'm praying about the sixth and thinking about running there. She's like, Well, you gotta check out this cool coffee place because that Nicole lady, she's she's popular. Yeah, yeah, you'll have to meet her someday.
SPEAKER_06So it's a it's a even like doing this episode with you is risky. Yeah. Um, so we have to dance a like a fine line in this type of environment.
SPEAKER_01I don't think I don't think we have to. I think as long as we're respectful about it. We are respectful about it, but it's sometimes it matters.
SPEAKER_06People, I think people have an idea of where we stand, but I know I really wanted to support you like hosting here and too. And I'm like, oh, we our place would be burnt. Yeah, that's crazy. It would be it would be burnt down.
SPEAKER_04Oh, okay.
SPEAKER_05Um that's made of brick now.
SPEAKER_06So you're feeling like no, but like here's an example of the type of stuff that like I have to navigate. And I I am not a very gentle person, so I have to work through this.
SPEAKER_02Yep.
SPEAKER_06Like my um, our son Sawyer manages the Google reviews. So if you're doing a Google review, it's not me responding because I would not be that kind. Just know that it's my son. Um, but like when the plumbing company in Embarrass donated $100 on a gift card for any law enforcement to come in, pay for their coffee. Well, I didn't even know if I wanted to post a thank you about it.
SPEAKER_01Which is horrible. I know. Horrible because it was right after all of this going on in Minnesota with her, like her MO is like she just spreads positivity all the time. And what isn't more positive than that? Yeah, I know.
SPEAKER_06So I was humming and hoeing about even posting a thank you about it, a shout-out. And the girls are the one that sent it to me. They're like, this plumbing company came in. They're like, any cops that come in, I want to catch their stuff.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_06And it was literally the day before one of the incidents happened from in Minnesota. And so I'm like, I don't know if I'm gonna open that. I'm gonna do it. And luckily I did because it got like a ton of like thousands like of good positive attractions. But I did get a message and it was my question for you is if an ice agent comes in, are you going to serve him? Or her? And I left it on red. Yep. And I'm like, I'm not touching this. Yeah, not no way.
SPEAKER_01She said in advance, she's like, if anybody says anything negative, I'm just not I'm just gonna ignore it. So this is not meant to be. Are you though? Yeah, are you? I did though.
unknownI did.
SPEAKER_06I did. I ignored them. But then it was like an hour later, she noticed um I didn't respond back. And she goes, judging by your lack of response, I will never be coming there again. And like, just went off. I'm like, you know what?
SPEAKER_01Like you've just totally, totally lost the point.
SPEAKER_06Like, you know, like we don't have to always agree, but like I think the whole thing is is like love everybody, right? Like it's supposed to be like everybody try to get along, and I'm I'm not like we got calls to my office every day saying a lot, you need to stop ice.
SPEAKER_00And I'm like, that is a federal yeah.
SPEAKER_06Like, how are you gonna do that?
SPEAKER_00No, I'm not. I I definitely And I won't.
SPEAKER_06Here's a side note I'm not gonna refuse to serve anybody, yeah. Anybody in no matter what you are.
SPEAKER_01I'm not going to probably a good policy.
SPEAKER_06Yeah, like it's that's just how unless you're disrespectful. Yeah, we have no doubt saying get out. You know what I mean? Like, but I mean, like, if you're a respectful person, why would I deny anybody? I know Jesus went like that. Would he? Do you have Jesus?
SPEAKER_01Thanks. Uh we forgot a couple things. Okay. Yeah. So just wait. Before we get I kind of feel bad that we were getting a little too serious. We gotta we gotta take it back a little bit. Okay. Okay. I I'm really curious to hear how you stand on this position.
SPEAKER_00Oh boy, here we go.
SPEAKER_06I have I have an idea.
SPEAKER_01Do you believe in aliens?
SPEAKER_00Oh my goodness, this is a great one. I'm glad you're gonna ask this. Okay. Shut up. No one's asked me. And I have never taken a public stance. Here's here's what I think. I'm not interrogating this. Yeah, I'm so excited. Okay. I believe if the God of this universe, right, with all the galaxies and all the stars, it would be arrogant of us to think we're alone, right? If we serve the most all powerful God, but he's definitely set up a system here on Earth with Sonny's son Jesus to die for our sins. I think it's about him and his son and not like aliens coming to visit and like take over, right? I think the story for Earth is to know and glorify God, not to discover aliens. I could be wrong. I think there's aliens all around. God's so creative, right? I mean, think about the animal kingdom. I mean, you got from whales to minnows to hawks to the smallest sparrow, right? So to say all of you know intelligent entities are gonna look like us, no. Like that's so arrogant, right? So I do believe there's probably life on other planets. I just don't know if they're coming here. So it's interesting that the federal government's like, hey guys, we have aliens. Yeah, like why, why?
SPEAKER_06You think that's like a hey, look over here?
SPEAKER_00Okay, so my dad told me when I was a kid, the DOD, like the Department of Defense, is probably 10 years ahead of what they're releasing, right? Oh, and so I think they have some pretty cool spacecrafts and like ways to fuel them. And we're just gonna be slowly letting over the next 10 years, hey, this is our tech. You know, like you can kind of see it even in the current events in the East, um, Middle East, you know, we probably have some toys that, you know, they're not telling us they have, but they have. So I don't think it's aliens, I think it's a lot of government spending on a lot of crazy toys.
SPEAKER_06Are you gonna ask them that follow-up stupid one?
SPEAKER_00I got I got a couple extra ones.
SPEAKER_06Okay, I'm not gonna take a drink because I don't know what it's gonna be.
SPEAKER_01The second one. Do you think we went to the moon?
SPEAKER_00Oh, that's another good one. I definitely grew up thinking we did, of course.
SPEAKER_01I did too. And then I changed my mind.
SPEAKER_00Okay, yeah. Let's see where I'm at. Okay. So, philosophy in college, the professor basically like made you rethink everything you knew by presenting evidence that we didn't land on the moon. I'm a betting man, I don't think we did. Um, just because how come we didn't go there for 30 years and now we're just talking about going again? My wife's more the conspiracy theorist than like digs into these things. And so, like, I'll watch a short video, but I don't like sit and research because it doesn't probably affect my life. Uh-huh. But if you ask me to bet 50 bucks, did or didn't, I'm gonna say to me, didn't okay.
SPEAKER_01All right.
SPEAKER_06So you like him, he's okay.
SPEAKER_00Take it.
SPEAKER_06I just I think it I think it's okay to question some things once in a while and just not be so he has never minded boys questioning and told their Sunday school teacher when the Sunday school teacher was like, What's a lie? What's something that is or who's a liar? Or explain a lie. And our son Nash, the youngest, is like NASA.
SPEAKER_01They're like, What we they're like, what?
SPEAKER_06He's like, We were never on the moon.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, they lied to us about it.
SPEAKER_06Little kids like, yeah, we were. He's like, No, we were.
SPEAKER_01So we gotta work on that. We gotta accept other people's opinions. We gotta, you know, that's okay.
SPEAKER_06Well, I heard bedtime story, and I was walking by and he's like, and we were not on the moon. That was if we were, I'm like, oh my gosh. Like, what do you mean we weren't on the moon?
SPEAKER_00Oh my poor kids. A couple of funny things from this last election. Um, my four-year-old then, okay, was super excited in June when we'd stop here for coffee in the morning or hot chocolate, and I basically paid them at ice cream to knock doors. So, like, I had one paid staffer, and so I took the four-year-old, Annika took the uh uh then 10-year-old, and we're just knocking every door in Boundowell, right? And uh, after she got sick of it, you know, getting out of the stroller saying, Look at me, here's my picture, right? Um, so this is like after the 4th of July, so maybe five weeks. And those are those parades are brutal.
SPEAKER_06Yeah, I know. We helped campaign one time.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it is. So it's it's long. Uh, this district has a like a parade every Saturday for a lot of them May through the end of September. And so it wasn't just that, we knocked 10,000 doors. Oh, just at first, we started every door in Shawnee, every door in uh Bonduel, so every door in Gillet, every door in Searing. So basically, after she got sick of doing it, she started telling people at the door to vote for Peter Schmidt because she knew that was my opponent, and that's how she got out of work. So these smart whipper snapper kids, I know. And I'm like, sit down, you're gonna stay in the car seat. I'll I'll park in the shade and I'll just walk, you know, the five, ten houses around you, bro. Oh my gosh, that is how old? She was four. Now she's five.
SPEAKER_06Oh, that's so she's so smart.
SPEAKER_00Yes. So yeah, my my then 10-year-old, now 11, she like knocked doors on her birthday. You know, little kids' birthdays are like everything because we spoil them too much. But she like tells, I I knocked doors on my birthday. I'm like, yeah, I took you to Florida after we won. Okay, like I get it. We celebrate it after, but she still brings it up. Like, I'll be talking to people about politics, and she's just saying, Yeah, Annie made me dock doors on my birthday. And I'm like, I know, honey, I love you. That's what hard work is.
SPEAKER_06Like, my dad brought calves home into trunks. Yes, yes.
SPEAKER_00You have it better than me, right? I was getting up at 4:30 in the morning to milk cows when I was in sixth grade. You are not. So, yeah, she knows the oldest is pretty, you know, aware, but no, it's it's helpful when you have a cute family, you know. Um, my wife came out, knocked some doors on Pulaski, and it's just who you know, right? So, like we organically kind of ran into each other because my wife knew of the mill off of Facebook. And then you might tell a friend or you know, you know, someone that I grew up with, and you can check, hey, is this a Logic guy, a decent guy? So I feel like in the state of Wisconsin, for all elected uh positions, like this is the top one you can get, just grassroots organically, right? So most people in my position, they literally like work for a state rep or campaign for a state rep and they like involve themselves in the you know county parties and the political system. And then after a seat opens up, after five or 10 years, I mean, even Robin Voss, who was the speaker for the last 10 years, he was a capital staffer as a young man, right? And so most of my colleagues, they have all this, you know, prior experience. And so it's like me and Joy Gobin, and maybe uh a nice lady, Lindy Brill, out of Sheboygan County, like three out of the 54 of us that had no prior experience. We just like I got called non-essential in 2020, so that's why I wanted to run in 2021. And so I was just a good kid from Ocano County that just knew a lot of people. I've always been talkative and social. So I'll kind of tell you the God story of how I went from a couch at my parents' house to the state house. Basically, um, three weeks after John Migrant won in 2020, he retired. And so basically took a lobbyist job and, you know, quadrupled his income. So the seat opened up and the governor set the February 16th primary. I'm like, if an if a regular guy, you know, like from the middle of nowhere, right, can actually get this job, it's a February primary where no one's thinking about doing it. So there was a five-way primary, two people with big money, like $150,000, a realtor. He got $100,000 from the Wisconsin Realtors Association because they want to keep realtors in office to protect their industry. And then uh a lady from Brown County, like the Brown County Republican Party, raised $35,000 just for her to run. And my wife said I could spend five. Like that's it. You're not gonna spend more than five.
SPEAKER_06And you're tell the audience your reason that you wanted to run.
SPEAKER_00Well, I thought it was just unfair that regular people didn't have a voice in Madison, like it's the lobby core, because the way it happened is residential cleaning was considered non-essential because he has a cleaning business.
SPEAKER_06Yes, still. So he's a business, small businessman, and he that's what I liked about your story is that you're like, I wanted to fight for the people. Yeah. That are like the small businesses and stuff that aren't being heard. Yep. So that's why you decided to run. Yeah, because which is a good story.
SPEAKER_00Thank you. Thank you. Yeah. So think about like Procter Gamble and Kimberly Clark. Like they have a lobbyist, and they said, no, no, no, our cleaning services are definitely staying here. Like we re-essential are weak in the world's toilet paper. Everybody just bought all our toilet paper, right? And so we need our business to run. But like a mom and pop shop like me that had, you know, 60 houses and five businesses, that was, you know, not represented in Madison. So I ran the first time, and still to this day, people that are being bullied by like state bureaucracies, like, you know, a Peschill feed mill was being picked on by the government agency that like makes sure they're weighing the feed coming in, weighing it out, and making sure it's fair. And so they were getting like a little over-opinionated on like how they should run their business. Like, sure, the states should make sure scales are working the way they should, but they tell someone how to run their business and like maybe someone shouldn't buy it. Like, that's a little intrusive. And so here in the sixth, like this guy um out of Navarino was, you know, being bullied by the state meat inspector and you know, threatening his farm. And so as soon as the state rep shows up, because we fund the state agencies, they just act more professional and less like bullies, right? And so one of the most powerful things I can do is just intercede on my constituents' behalf to um, you know, if you need a license, right? If you need, you know, state agency to respond to you. They might not care about poor old Keith, right? But they'll listen to the state rep. So when it comes from my email or my phone number, it gets plucked and maybe put at the top of the stack. And that's not official, but that's kind of how it happens, right? So, like I'm getting my hair cut in Swamako, and this nice girl is like, if I don't get my license to cut hair in the next 13 days, I'm gonna go back to $13 an hour and just the front desk girl. And I'm like, Well, that's actually my job. I can help you. So she had an unpaid parking ticket, and that's why this state wasn't giving her her license to cut hair, right? Kind of silly, but that's the paperwork that needed to be done. So she got her license and now she loves me, right? So it's just, I like the part where you're helping people, right? Um, you know, so it's I can't help everybody, you know. There's a guy in Chase that he thinks, you know, a cheese plant expanded and all the rain off the roof is flooding his backyard and it's gonna, you know, and I'm like, okay, the state can't put $250,000 just to like pump your one pond, right? Like I can help state agencies, public schools, but like using state dollars for just one person, uh, that's you know, a bad look, right? So um, yeah, I've been able to help, you know, quite a few people. So, like in this last month of February, where we did a lot of legislation in 2023, the state put $125 million into a trust fund to help do clean water cleanup. So a lot of PFAS, are you aware of this at all? Okay. So in Marinette, over the last hundred years, a company uh used to be Ansel, then Tyco, now Johnson Controls owns it, huge company. They've been testing firefighting foam in the same spot for literally 100 years, from like 1909 to now, right? So over 100 years, right? And so it got into the groundwater and moved miles out of town. So like 200 people south of Marinette can't even drink their own groundwater, right? So it's not just there at the factory, but all the fire departments across the entire state were trying to put out a burning car at an airport. So any fire department that kind of tested the new recipe of firefighting foam in the same spot for you know decades, they also have bad groundwater underneath. So it's Democrats, it's Republicans, it doesn't matter, it's all over the state because it's dumps. Uh, there's PFOS chemicals in a lot of your um car washes, right? Because it's like a non-stick agent. And so basically, um it's like if you drink too much of it, it it's like thyroid cancer, testicular cancer, right? Like it's a it's a bad thing, right? So the state realizes it's a problem and puts $125 into a trust fund, and then any corporation that's like found guilty of polluting on purpose, their lawsuit funds would go into this account as well, right? So we couldn't agree on two sides of the aisle on how to get this done because at first, 23, 24, even 25, the Democrats were more willing to just punish businesses. Well, I don't want to run Wisconsin's paper industry out of the state, right? Because some recycled paper has some PFOS on it, right? Like that's not fair. They're like doing a good thing and helping recycle it, right? And so um, over the last decade, I think businesses have become aware and taking it out of their products, right? Not all, but most. And so private industry is trying to do the right thing, right? Even, you know, Johnson Controls is put in nine wells to dig up all the groundwater under the city of Marinette and spent like 17 to 20 million dollars like cleaning up groundwater. So like private industry is doing it, but good governance needs to do it. So you want to hold companies responsible for polluting, but under the Wisconsin spills law, if your neighbor was burning tires and dumping oil in his backyard for 30 years and now it's in your groundwater, you're also the polluter because it's on your property. So looking at what used to be maybe a good concept for, you know, Wisconsin spill laws, let's keep our waters clean, right? Great state resource. But you don't want to like, because here's where it gets really complicated. So the city of Marinette was taking their biosolids because this company would flush certain things down the drain, it would go into the city's municipal waste. Then the municipal waste would be taken to the 60 poor farmers that wanted some cheap nitrogen put on their fields. So now this PFOS chemical is put all over 60 plus farms in Marinette County alone. And so are we gonna now call these farms polluters? Well, they didn't know they were taking this toxic stuff, right? And then it's super complicated because it's like, okay, what's what's cancerous? Is it 10 parts per million, 100 parts per billion, 7,000 parts per trillion? You know, like it's very complicated. So you have to like pick some numbers and some guidelines. You have to agree on where the funding is, where the cleanup's gonna be, who's gonna decide? Is it the DNR? Is it a third party? So basically at the end of this 2026 session, we finalized the deal where we're not gonna chase people out of the state, right? Let's just stop pointing fingers and just fix the process. So, one of the best things I think going forward is if you do have a bad well and you can't drink your own water, now there's state dollars that will literally pay for a new well. That's awesome. Because if you can drill deeper, a lot of that's cleaner, right? This PFOS sticks in like the first 70 feet, right? So it affects shallow wells, not deeper wells, right? And there's filters that you can also get, but um, the state won't pay for like the filters, but they're not that expensive. I wouldn't want to pay for them, but it's not unaffordable. But a $10,000 well is a big help, right? So um, we're trying to do the right thing.
SPEAKER_06What are your thoughts on the AI plants?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, let's get into it. It's it's a necessary evil, in my opinion. And this is why. I think China with a bigger population and dictatorial governance, right? Like things can just happen. We're putting up 200 nuclear power plants and we're doing it fast, right? So we kind of need to compete with energy, right? Energy is power. Um, and I also think we need to compete with the digital age. But I'm very concerned, okay, and I don't know how you feel, but that you know, we grew up with Terminator, right? Like Skynet's coming for us all. Like, there is evidence that AI is trying to defend itself, trying to communicate. And so it's insane. It is insane, it is insane. So I feel like, okay, so we passed a law. Well, the house did. I don't know if it got through the Senate and signed into law, but basically, they need to provide their own energy. If you're gonna try to power it with uh, you know, green energy, it has to be on site, so we're not putting solar and wind all over the state, right?
SPEAKER_01And exchanging it with other states or anything like that.
SPEAKER_00Yep, and then you know, the water has to be a closed system, so we're not like taking water from the Great Lakes every day, right? If it's a hundred thousand gallons, take it once, but keep that in your own system. And there's like a couple other things, but it was really to protect the Wisconsin consumers of energy, right? We already pay enough. Um, we don't need the grid going, you know, sky high. So I don't want energy to cost more for the average voter. Um, and I want um, here's why it's kind of nice. Like solar, in my opinion, for Wisconsin doesn't make sense because it gets dark at 4, 4:30, 5 o'clock for at least a third of the year. But the heat of an AI data center is helped by Wisconsin. Like it's hard to build these and sell these in Arizona because it's hot for most of the year. It's kind of a cold climate gig. So someone's got to take it in the upper Midwest, right? So um I'm not involved in the Port Washington project, right? Um, I just see it as if we're going to succeed as the world's superpower, we need to compete with AI um for military tactics. And so having my phone know a few more things, like I've I've had Grok help me with some homework for my kid. I'm not that good at math and algebra, but that's all I use it for. I don't need it, right? I don't need anything to move faster. My phone works fine, all right. I'm kind of a low-tech guy, and so it's it's for the the bigger, um, bigger needs in our society.
SPEAKER_06Do you think it's gonna ruin our beautiful Midwest? Because I think the concern of the people is like it's our water and all of that. Like, and and maybe part of it is because I I don't know a lot about it, yeah, is the unknowns. And I think that's kind of like what I've seen online is the anger is like, what is happening?
SPEAKER_01Yep. And I mean, I say it all the time, but you you kind of suck at stuff for a while when you first try it out. So do we really want to be the people? Yeah, the first you know, the testing that's a good point.
SPEAKER_06Do you know much about like that side of it?
SPEAKER_00I don't well, okay. So I don't think there's gonna be one in every county. Okay. I think if we as a state took a couple, that would be the burden is three or four. Now, I haven't researched this a ton, but people that are in that industry or a lobbyist is like swinging by my office to talk about something else. I might ask them a few questions because I'm hearing the pushback, right? The state rep over Port Washington. I mean, they've gotten obliterated because Charlie Barns is against it and he's popular in the state. So um it I actually more pro uh micronuclear plants. It's you know, like Utah is gonna get one. So the the power of their our aircraft carriers, we can now have a modular version to like power Sean O'Bondewell and you know a few other areas, right? And I'm so it will help everyone's electric. Yes, that is like the cheapest electricity going forward. Oh, um, and you could put one of those nuclear power plants paid by Microsoft, paid by the big guys that got the money, and just put it next to their data center to power it, right? So I think that would be, you know, obviously the the nuclear of the past that have had meltdowns and health issues. I mean, we haven't seen that in 30, 40, 50 years. So um, it's smaller, it's cool, different, it's way safer. I'm not saying, you know, I want to live next door, but in a vast open area like Menominee County, could they take one? Yeah, sure. Like there's a few like up north where the population is a little lower, like take a couple, you know, like poor counties like Florence County. I'm not saying they want one or need one, I'm just saying they could take one, it would help their tax base, they could get some incentives. Because like some of these solar projects, right? They're like, hey, we'll give you an extra $500,000 a year for the township or for the county. Well, that's a huge chunk of money annually. No, it needs to be local, like local say. I totally believe in that, right? If the village of Bonduel doesn't want it, the majority rules.
SPEAKER_06Yeah, because wasn't that kind of the issue was it was kind of sneaky? Yeah, and I hate what was going on. Yeah. Because that, yeah, that that type of stuff pisses me off. Like when you're making these meetings late at night. Yeah. So like the the people don't know. Yep. And I think that's what caught him off guard. Absolutely. From what I've observed online, I don't know much about it. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00I haven't studied a ton. The one I can speak a lot about is the Birch Solar Project in Morgan, which is easy here a little bit. So, like three farmers or two farmers and another friend of theirs were on the Morgan town board, and they were, you know, confronted or talked to by Next Era, which is the largest US-based, Florida-based green energy company. So the biggest of the big businesses putting in these solar projects, basically said, Hey, you know, if you could put up this 1200-acre solar project right next to this transfer station, that'd be good for you. Good for us. We can still sell the electricity off the solar project, you know, nationwide, right? So good for the industry. Well, the problem is two out of the three people that were the supervisors owned like 800 out of the 1200 acres. So they slid that through, didn't really make a public announcement. And the local ticked off all their neighbors, not only got recalled off their supervisor positions, but then they were also recalled off of their county board positions, right?
SPEAKER_06Yeah, that's slimy.
SPEAKER_00It is slimy, and it's so slimy that I mean, he he's not gonna sue me, but I won't name him. But the farmer, the head guy, he like owns one of three private fire departments in the whole state, and next era cut the Morgan Fire Department a seven thousand dollar check to buy in you know, local community support.
SPEAKER_06That's like that's like high government shit.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's like it's at every level. Yeah. No, my uncle, who's a Democrat, he said, Hey, you be careful, people are gonna bribe you in this business, right? Meet you in a parking lot. Have you seen that? Yeah, one. It was $25,000. I turned it down. But yeah, that's really yeah. I know. Maybe another episode where we can just engulf it fully, but I do think another crazy thing that's gonna face Wisconsin over the next 10 years. Our public school formula is like from the 70s, and so I don't nobody understands it. There's like one mathematician in the whole state that like knows how our public schools are actually funded through this massive formula, but it was like what good.
SPEAKER_01I was just curious about that exact same thing. Okay, I asked a number of people if they could explain it to me. And I'll give you my elementary. Everybody like points at each other and says, No, that's that's why it is, and nobody can give you a straight answer as to why.
SPEAKER_00So I think it was like in the 1970s, the age of your buildings and the needs you had at the time and some of the size of your district. Well, that's changed so much, right? So if Bonduel has grown and Gillett's gotten smaller, it's still based by a per pupil like number, but there could be a student in Wisconsin that's worth like $12,000 per kid. Like, do you have a high school kid? No, yeah. So Bonduel could get like $12,000, five for your student's enrollment at the school, but Gresham might get $9,900, right? It's such a weird formula. So some kids in Milwaukee are $16,000 per kid. So I don't know why. I don't know how. I know it's at the time of decisions, Milwaukee was big. Milwaukee had old buildings. So they got more money. So every time the governor comes out and says, we want to help our public schools, well, the formula funds and favors Milwaukee. So as we're trying to decide how the surplus, like $2.3 billion surplus, I want to give it back to property tax owners, right? Because I think that is one of the ways we're the most overly taxed. And so the governor's still the governor. So he gets his demands and he wants to fund public schools. Well, that's fine. But like special needs funding by federal law, once you put like 200 million more to take care of our students, it has to be there forever. So the crisis is our population in Wisconsin, amongst our youth, is getting smaller, right? Like you had a couple of kids. Me and my wife replaced ourselves, but we couldn't afford a third kid, right? But it's the Camilles, right? The younger adults in their 20s that aren't going to have five kids, right? And so let's say um the state of Wisconsin spends like $25 billion every two years on public schools, which is a rough estimate. It's the most expensive thing in our state budget, but we have a declining population. How are we going to address that as a society who's all proud of their local schools, right? Bonduel, that's awesome. Suring, proud, awesome. But if there's empty classrooms and eventually empty buildings, like a concept is consolidating, but then you're taking away that local pride, which I'm, you know, I was proud to be an O'Connell Blue Devil and I hated those O'Connor Falls Panthers, right? When you're a kid. But now as an adult, you're like, uh, what are we gonna do? Right. So um, you know, it's I think harder to be a teacher. I'm not trying to pick on teachers. I think that's a hard job when you can't have disciplined kids coming in from a disciplined household. Um, I do see that. Like, I'm not wrong. Like, I've hired adults that are graduate from high school and they like don't even show up to work or don't keep their word. And I'm like it's bizarre. It is. So I'm like, all right, I can like literally dictate a schedule. If you want to work Tuesdays in the evening or Monday mornings till noon, you tell me when you want to work and I'll find a client or a customer to be in that slot. And they don't even last two weeks or two months. So I'm basically me, my wife, and my sister-in-law. That's all. I mean, what my wife still has a medical job, but she um helps me on Fridays or weekends or days off that you know, I'm overbooked. She'll come in and clean, which she hates. She married me for the free cleaning. She did. So now that I'm like, come on, honey, please. She's sweet enough to help me out.
SPEAKER_06And what is your cleaning business called?
SPEAKER_00Echelon professional cleaning. I was on a run when I was young, you know, like a five-mile jog, and I saw that flying V of Canadian geese.
SPEAKER_06Just a five-mile jog.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I used to be a runner. I'm not anymore, but I was a collegiate cross-country runner. Five miles used to be easy, like 10 to 13 was a long jog, but um haven't done that in a long time. But basically, I was on a run, and the the V shape of you know, um, flying geese is called an echelon. And so it helps like break the wind and they can fly farther if they fly together, right? And so cleaning's not, you know, a big deal, but I'm making your life easier. So yeah, for sure. Echelon, I'm here to make your life easier, right? I love that. And then in military ranks, the top echelon is the best. So I'm like, the best at cleaning to make your life easier. That was my thought. And I don't even have a website, it's all been private referrals. So like rich people, they don't want to call like someone off the internet. They want to know, oh, if you're not gonna steal my stuff. So like I've cleaned for CEOs of like Triber Foods, right? So the five million dollar house, you know, it's like, all right, these are luxury homes. So I've cleaned for sweet old ladies in little apartments, but now I kind of just pick who I like and who likes me. So it's not really the square footage or it's just how how do you treat me? So yeah, there's some 8,000 square foot mansion, and then there's some, you know, hard, busy working moms and dads that just treated me well over the last five years. So I basically sold my business to Camille, not this Camille, a different Camille and a Katarina. And uh they they took like two-thirds of my houses and I kept my favorite like 15. So wow, like the lady I'm gonna clean after this podcast um in Hobart, it's I've I've been like her cleaning service for like 19 years. So she's been with me the whole time, stuck with me through COVID, sent me a check and said, be safe, right? So, like I take care of those that take care of me. And so um, they also, you know, are Republicans and don't bash me. Like, if you're like following me around the house or making me wear a mask as I'm scrubbing your floors, I'm like, I'm out. Like, it's already hard work. I don't want to also do it masked up. So if that happened, oh yeah, yeah. There's like a doctor in Wright's town on the river that's like, hey, you need to wear a mask. And I'm like, I'm so sorry, I'm not doing that. Or like, hey, have you gotten your vaccination? I'm like, no, no, but if you don't want to hire us, that's that's the gig. So bizarre. It filtered. So I don't think people knew how I voted as a business owner like you. So careful. I think I was 60% Republican and 40% Democratic.
SPEAKER_06Can we talk about yeah? So yeah, and and that's what I that's why I thought you were safe to be on, too, is because you're like, you know what? I can kind of go both ways.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, but you told me not in that way. Oh, no, don't start any rumors.
SPEAKER_01Um yeah, I thought I knew you.
SPEAKER_06Um anyways, uh because we are because we are that way. Yeah, we're kind of like not. I I voted, I vote both. Yeah, I've I've voted Democrat and Republican. And so I think it's when anyone is middle of the road like that, yeah. I feel like they're a healthy mindset, like they can see both. Yeah, it just when you have a business, yeah, you have to be super careful. But I also don't like being backed in a corner. Oh, yeah. There's like that's when it's like, wait, what timeout? Like, I don't, I don't care what you who you vote for. I'll still go to your business. But if you're an I'm not going to. But it has nothing to do with what you politically, you know, vote for. And I think what people need to realize too is it's not always all or nothing. You don't always agree with everything. Correct. You just have to pick the lesser of the evils half the time.
SPEAKER_01In in your perspective. Yeah. And your perspective can change over time and how you does with us all the time. How you mature and your life experiences, and that's okay.
SPEAKER_00No, having this job is like definitely woken you up, right? Like there are, you know, huh? Is there a uniparty, right? Like, yeah, I see some signs of that. So um, there's definitely some bad Republicans that I do not like and I don't like their values. And, you know, I've had to vote on a few bills that I don't love, but you gotta help your team a little bit. So like I've been able to navigate it some, but the reason the lobby corps spent 30,000 to try to, you know, diss my you know, name or, you know, being late on this or he's a bad guy, blah, blah, blah. It's just because I have the strength to say no, right? Like the system on both sides wants absolutely a yes man or yes woman, right? And so just because I will listen to the people that I represent, like, here's a great example um, the Brewer Stadium. I don't care about baseball. Sorry if I lose a few friends, but we literally went to Arizona for baseball, but it's okay. So I personally don't care. And, you know, like the governor just throws something on, you know, X and like that's how he governs. So he's like, Yeah, we're gonna help the stadium, 490 million. And he hadn't even talked to us, like as the assembly, so that's like a little odd. And and so we're like, hey, what are you guys talking about? So like we have to send, you know, like Tyler August down and to like meet with the brewers and be like, so what actually do you need in this building?
SPEAKER_06Like, why are we helping a professional baseball stadium for school?
SPEAKER_00I was a no for like six months, even though my dad is a brewers fan. Okay, shout out to my dad. Like huge. Like he turned 50 and just instantly started caring about baseball. So maybe in like another seven years I'll start loving baseball. But as of now, don't care. Don't have a vote, don't you know have a friendship with the lobbyists, like nothing, right? Just don't care. Don't want the people that I represent to pay more in taxes for a professional team, right? That was my principle. And I like the brewers. Yeah, yeah. But I don't want to, yeah. I I did go to a game or two like since then, but it's because other people paid and I didn't have to go. I wouldn't go off my own dollar, right? Like a friend, right? So boy, I know. I'm so sorry, Keith. All right, I'll stop dissing baseball. Um, so basically, uh, I represented oh more of Ocano County at the time. I still represent, you know, like nine municipalities in there. But it was um the Ocano County Republican Party. It was their monthly meeting on a Monday night in Spruce, and Tuesday was the vote on the stadium, and I still had made up my mind, right? But I said, hey, everybody in this room, because I explained to them, all right, it's not our taxpayers like the general revenue, right? It is the players who come from other states and other teams. It's their income tax while they're working in Wisconsin and our players, our coaches, even the janitors, all that money from that team is now gonna support the renovations of that stadium. So it's their sales tax. Oh, no, no, not sales, income, income tax. It's their income tax that will be basically recycled into that stadium. That made sense. Nothing up here, up north is gonna be affected. And so the stadium's you know gonna stay here till 2050. It's a good investment, right? And so it's like a lockdown because like the state owns part of the stadium, and so we have a responsibility to do that. I didn't know that. Yeah, the Bucks and the Brewers have been like agreed upon to be owned by the state. So I did not know that.
SPEAKER_06So that makes sense now why we're the tax and I'm like, why I don't get that? Yeah, so that makes sense. I did not know that.
SPEAKER_00Lambo's a little different, but the Milwaukee-based teams, like long before I was in office, they basically came to the state and said, Hey, we'd like to stay here, we'd like to build a better stadium and like give us some money for the you know, the building, so like we own part of the building, right? Okay, so um, I just let the 40 people at this county party meeting tell me how to vote. So I'm like, all right, we're going off a general democracy, majority wins. I explained how it's being funded. Who wants to vote yes for the stadium and who wants to vote no? So, like Scarband, the sheriff in O'Connor County, is in the back. Like, he gets very passionate.
SPEAKER_06He gets so much airtime, that guy on our podcast.
SPEAKER_00Oh, funny. Usually, usually I'm picking on him. Yeah, okay, okay, that's so funny. So he's been great to me, but he was a no vote, right? But he was one of 17 no votes, and there's 23 yeses, and so I just voted yes on the stadium because that's what the people that I represent vote.
SPEAKER_06It doesn't sound as bad with the way you explained it. Correct. Like I get that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yep. Makes it make sense. And so the the overall um, you know, just is just trying to listen to as many people, like here's a tough one, and this is like the dumbest, ugliest vote I've had to take so far. So there's wake boats, right? The ones that load up with all the water and they create their own wave. Oh boy, a little controversy. Okay, and so it's gonna be a big thing. It is, it is. So again, my approach is just be a man of the people. I don't have a wake boat, I don't even have a boat, I don't live on a lake, and I don't have living on a lake money. Okay. So the few people that do, you know, I I know some people that have a lake house on Shawnee Lake, right? So I contacted them and like, hey, what do you think? And they're like, yeah, it's such a big lake. There's not a lot of wake boats, it's more of a pontoon, you know, day drinking kind of scene. So we we don't we don't care. And I'm like, okay. So then I go to Legend Lake. I know the Legend Lake Association, I know the president, I call myself and I meet with a few old guys and like, yeah, we don't like that it causes maybe on the turns, you know, a little erosion, but they're gonna do it anyways, and it's not heavily trafficked up here, blah, blah, blah. So then, like two days before the vote, a couple of lakes um in Bell Plain are like, no, our lake's only 40 acres, our lake's only 60 acres. Our biggest lake in this chain of lakes is 200 acres. And I'm like, okay, all right. So then I looked into the signs. So, okay, nine feet, this is what a wake boat looks like underwater. Because the University of Minnesota did a study, and I could watch the videos of what they did, cameras on the bottom. What does a wake boat do at 12 feet or 15 feet, 20 feet? And so that study said 20 feet is kind of the magic number of like wakeboats not causing a ton of erosion. Well, when I went to the, you know, let's say the DNR, and they're like, hey, do you have depth at each lake? And they're like, not only do we not have every lake charted, but how are we gonna enforce it if there's like a part of Winnebago that's a little shallower? Like depth is really hard to enforce. And so that's their words, not mine. But basically, the votes coming up, the wakeboat people are, you know, knocking on your door, and the constituents are knocking on your door, or not literally, but emails. But out of the let's say 40 people that contacted my office, it was like a 19 to 21. Like it was close. Because some people, you guys are gonna realize this is kind of the Bonduel attitude or the you know Sean County attitude is like, I don't want the government telling me what to do, right? And so the legislation just said from 100 feet next to shore to 300 feet, so there is a little less erosion, right? That's a good thing. And towns can make it even further, like 500 feet. So the problem is in Bell Plain, small town, low budget, if they force it to 500 feet or 700 feet, which is basically making it impossible to be on that lake, they can legally do it. But then the wake boat owner can then sue to have their constitutional right to have a boat be put on a thing of water. Like right now, the state has only said what you can and cannot do while you have a boat on water. It's not said you cannot have a boat on water, right? Like it's like taking away your civil rights a little bit. So it is uh something I think we have to continue to work on. I think the 300 away from shore is a step in the right direction. Um, but I I don't know if it's gonna be a legal thing. Um, I wish we would have had protections for the small towns that can't afford a big lawsuit. I wish we would have given them immunity. And so, you know, we'll see who comes back in power and what we can do to you know make this better. But if I could fix the legislation, because I just have a say, I just have a vote on it, right? But if I would fix it, it would make that small municipalities would have immunity from lawsuits so that if they do choose to go to four or 500 feet, let the majority rule. If the 200 people living on that lake and 150 of them say we don't want it, because I've been told on that particular instance, and again, I don't know these people personally, these are just people reaching out. It's like 200 homeowners on this chain of lakes and three wake boat people, and only one out of the three is like obnoxious, like purposely trying to tick off the neighbors, right? And so it does get personal. So I think I'm gonna have to face a lot of lake owners in this you know 2026 campaign and just be upfront and be confronted, maybe get yelled at and go back with that feedback and try to do better. But what have you heard about it? I'm kind of interested.
SPEAKER_01Uh just that uh primarily negative comments from landowners. And um I've never done it. I don't I don't have like a passion for it or anything like that, but I sort of agree. Like I don't want this is weird coming from a cop, but I don't want the government telling me what to do.
SPEAKER_06I think that's okay. I I did water patrol when I was a cop in Wapaca County on the chain, and there was a lot of the chain's a pretty big lake. Are you familiar with Wapaca? Okay, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Um I've heard of it, but it has never been.
SPEAKER_06It it would be a nightmare dealing with the homeowners, and they're all it was none of them from Wisconsin, really, a lot of Illinois homeowners, and they were the complained the most. So we would enforce all these laws, right? Yeah, DNR citations all the time. But I don't want to say majority, but a lot of the time when we'd be stopping the boats, it'd be them or their kids. Or, you know what I mean? So we'd be like, it's kind of funny that you're complaining about people on your lakes doing all these things, but it's like your guest at your house that we're stopping, or we're, you know. But um, I hated that job. Yeah, hated it.
SPEAKER_00I know with Legend Lake, I went to like their annual meetings, right? And like half the people that own property on the, I shouldn't say half, I don't know the number, but a very large number um can't, you know, don't live here, it's not their primary residence. So um, you know, nice say hi. But like when I sat at a table and they basically um they're like, I can't vote for you, son. You don't have to eat next to me. I'm like, well, I'm just here to eat lunch. Like, yeah, I'm like non-voters too, you know. Like, come on.
SPEAKER_06We have a lot of legend lake people that stop in here. Um a lot, and they're really nice. It's good, it's a beautiful lake. Um I'm not saying that's how all homeowners on lakes are, but yeah, that was our that was our experience.
SPEAKER_01We've had great experiences with um a lot of lake property owners.
SPEAKER_00Do you see tourism lift up your numbers in the summer? 100%.
SPEAKER_06Okay, it's July is in our sales, is so the J month's rule of thumb is J months are the slowest for retail or business. Okay, but but not July is our busiest. Wow, it is so busy.
SPEAKER_01It's really close, it's really close with November or December. Yeah. Wow.
SPEAKER_00And because knowing people in like the mayor of Shawnee, like they say the population up there doubles, right? And so it's definitely insane.
SPEAKER_06So we got the DOT report when we decided to have a coffee shop here, and the numbers are just insane. And so we're a really good pit stop. Yeah, yeah, on the way up north, you know, like heading, so people know now um to stop in before they get to their destination. But yeah, we have they're great, and it's funny because we have a sweatshirt that says we sell out, we don't have it right now. It says up north more trees, less. And so when we have people from Illinois buying in, I'm like, you know, that's about you, right? And they're like, they're like, Yeah, that's why it's funny. Because like, I, you know, I always chat with them, like, where are you from? Oh, Illinois, and I'm like, Yeah, that's about you.
SPEAKER_03That's awesome.
SPEAKER_06But yeah, we sell out of it all the time. That's so I cherry.
SPEAKER_01There was one other question I wanted to ask you, but if you have anything for us, um no, I didn't come prepared.
SPEAKER_00Sorry.
SPEAKER_06No, that was it. We just chat, I just want people to get to know you and what I liked about you and why I thought you were a good one is because you're not a lot of things that you said would still appeal to a I'm gonna say it, a normal Democrat listening, not an extremist that is like so hateful on each side. You know what I mean? So I think they'd be like, okay, he's a good guy. You know what I mean? Like, and like there's a lot of things that you say that aligns with the Democrat Party, like help help people.
SPEAKER_00I know it's so crazy, like clean water. I'm like an organic farmer, right? I would ban glycophate if I could, right?
SPEAKER_06So that's like a hippie side of you. I know it is. I'm a hippie too. Yeah. I say that I would love a subaru. Oh, okay. I wouldn't go that far, but he won't let me get a subar. Oh, but I'm a huge hippie, like the AI plants that makes me cringe, but I do understand we need the upper hand. Yeah, we do like I get it, but I don't know enough about it to have a dog in the fight. Yes.
SPEAKER_01So with that, do you do you have any recommendations on who we could maybe host from the from another party that is respectful?
SPEAKER_06So people won't come at us kind of.
SPEAKER_00My favorite Democrat that's in the building is Alex Dores. You should reach out. He's uh a young dad, uh, a little younger than me, um, better looking, um, maybe smarter, but he's just a nice guy, right?
SPEAKER_01Oh, good.
SPEAKER_00So I'll tell this quick story. Um, so basically just be respectful, be friendly, right? So, like some of my colleagues like call us names and like pick fights for fun. And we have a guy on our side that definitely just picks fights just to be a jerk, right? And I'm that's his prerogative, but that's not me, right? I rarely speak on the floor because it's just a charade. We've already decided behind closed doors how we're gonna vote. So they're just standing up to have like a false present uh presentation, to be like, I'm fighting for my constituents, and then they clip it and send it to people like, hey, I'm fighting for you. Like, no, you've already been told how to vote or you've already decided how to vote, right? So I don't really divulge into the silly politics, but like Alex George has done some like assault-wise, which was uh I think a bipartisan bill, to try to you know incentivize a little more sand and maybe a little assaults and kind of do a best practices class through like the Department of Agriculture or DNR. Just like if you're an applicator of commercial salt, like you guys maybe hire someone to do your parking lot, right? Our legislation said, hey, if you do this best practices, because you don't want that oversalting where there's a pile three days after the snowstorm, because that's bad for our freshwater, right? Then um, you know, we don't want sweat in the falls, we don't want injuries, but we would allow for this, you know, me and Alex Schores, this bipartisan bill, we would have a little immunity for the commercial applicator so that they can do the right thing, right? Not over the top, because they're all just trying to save their butts so they don't get sued, right? So why not over salt, right? So we're trying to do best practices, and it gets to the governor's desk and he vetoes it because the trial lawyers gave him so much money and they want the money from the slip and falls. So stop. I'm being serious. You can look it up, it's public record. I mean, it's not public record that he vetoed it for the trial lawyers, but that is why.
SPEAKER_06That's why. So some politicians have a $50,000 salary, but they make $700,000. Yeah. It's because of stuff like that. Yeah, right. Exactly. Yes. How do you make that much money? I know.
SPEAKER_00I'm not that guy.
SPEAKER_06I well, I'm not saying that, but I'm saying it to like polit politicians left and right. They're all crooked.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. There's yeah, some in our state, you know, I don't have proof. I could have inclinations, but it would just be accusations. I don't, I don't go around digging. Um, it's just kind of obvious of who's owned by who, right? Um, but I will say I've never voted Democrat, but like if my uncle Kevin ran for office, I would vote for him in a heartbeat because he's a reasonable guy, right? So we can disagree on how much public funding has to go or how many libraries we need and how they should be funded, right? But as long as you're reasonable, you're not name calling, you come with good intentions to negotiate, right? And sometimes the governor has and sometimes he hasn't, right? But um, the few things like shared revenue, the brewer stadium, like when the governor gives a commitment, which is not often, um, he follows suit inside. So the last thing we can talk about is just the surplus, right? So I would like to give all primary um property owners a little, you know, hey, you've paid in all this money in property taxes. Property taxes are going up. Let's give some property tax relief to the primary residents only. So if you own a home on a lake from Illinois or Iowa, you're not getting this, you know, three to six hundred dollars back, right? Well, the Senate's really pushing for some kind of um $500 income tax credit so that, you know, Camille, she might not own a home, but she works, so she gets a little more back on her taxes. I think the flaw with that is you're really not going to communicate to the average voter where it came from, right?
SPEAKER_02Right, right.
SPEAKER_00And so they just got more on their taxes. Yay! You know, which is good, but they're not gonna give Senate Republicans credit, right? Unless this blows up and everybody in the state sees this, right? But the governor just wants more funding. Maybe you never know. Um, and the governor wants more money for public schools, and I think that's fine. I think, you know, we're looking at some definitely special needs, right? The the reimbursements for the extra care, like where a student might have like one staff, right? That's just working with one or three kids. Clearly, that costs the school a lot more money. So um we're we're negotiating, you know. I I don't know how we're gonna come to a final. I just got an email saying you're coming back to work on St. Patrick's Day. So I think we're close to a deal because that's otherwise I wouldn't be asked to go back. So but I you guys are in a freeze right now? Well, okay, it's really weird, but it's just like sessions. So, like the state patrol is the enforcement and kind of at the control of the governor. And so if I refuse to go to work, like they did under Act 10 and some Dems left to the state, like the State Patrol can force you by law to vote, right? So you have to have an excused absence. So if you have a sick kid, you technically can skip a session day, but um the governor can call for a special session, but we don't have to go, right? But we only can vote when it's not a religious holiday to respect all religions, and so there's a lot of holidays amongst like the Muslims and the Jews and the Christians. So if you combine them, if you combine them all, there's only like half the year you can vote. So we basically put out a calendar of these days you could be called. So like August, you can still fly to Europe for a week if you got the money, because we're we got no session dates, right?
SPEAKER_04Oh, okay.
SPEAKER_00And so there are like blocks on the calendar, like we honor the Christmas and Hanukkah and all the other so like most of December, like after the ninth, because of all the religious holidays, you can't, you know, vote on anything. So you do have most of so I tell people the the state of Wisconsin legislates biannually, and it's like a college semester. So you have a spring session, which in 2027 will be the budget for the two years, then you have the summers off, just like a college kid, then you go back for a fall session, which is like more policy, and then you have a spring session, and then you're off again, like I am this fall. So after like April 15th of 2026, no, nobody can really use their office for like state resources. I mean, there's like it's called the 50 lit rule. You don't want politicians using state funds to campaign. So if you want to communicate with constituents, it's gonna have to be 50 people or less. So I could send something from my office to be like all the coffee shops in the 6th assembly district, but I can't just send it to uh even every police officer in the district because it'd be more than 50, right? So there's kind of a squashing after April 15th of using state resources to communicate with constituents so that it's it's not state resources for campaigning, right? That's illegal. It's definitely not something I do, but we're gonna have you know a good campaign. I do think I'm gonna have a primary opponent, this random guy who just wants my job, which is fine. I'm not gonna say his name because he's not overly popular, but I'm probably gonna have to stop by and say hi again and remind people to vote in August. But I don't, I don't think, I mean, if I didn't lose last time, I'm not gonna lose this time. It's just the way the system kind of is, right? Incumbency comes with a lot, just like a good reputation. So I've worked hard, I've gone to a lot of meetings. I mean, Sean O'Connor got two extra assistant district attorney positions. Oh, really? Yeah, they need it. I got that in the state fund, uh state budget.
SPEAKER_06Nice job. Thank you. So, like we'll have to tell Catherine she'll be a fan. Yeah, she's my Democrat friend. Oh, okay. She won't be a fan, but she might. She probably might.
SPEAKER_00She might. We all need one Democrat friend.
SPEAKER_06Like, I she is so great, though. Yeah, she's our kid's godmother, but she is. I mean, we don't always disagree on everything, though. You know what I mean? But like it's she's very, very that's cool.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I'm working with a Lori that used to be my landlord. Her son has disabilities, and so like making sure the state resources actually go to the person, you know, like the opposite of Minnesota instead of stealing resources. Yeah, we want to make sure there's accountability and access and you know, like knowing how the system works. Obviously, I don't think we have anything like Minnesota. Is there a little fraud here and there? Sure. But um, she wants a little more accountability on the government agency. Sometimes the legislature hires a third party to dispense dollars to these agencies that take care of disabled adults. It's the middleman sometimes that's given maybe more than they need to off the top, right? So having some more accountability on like state funds that way. And so she's a Democrat. She's you know, loves Elijah, but hates some other guys in DC, right? So it's like it's okay. Yeah, it is okay. Um, I think we all need one friend on the other side of the aisle. Because if we stop talking, like Charlie Kirk said, that is when you're right, you know.
SPEAKER_01So and Cami, do you have anything for our friend Elijah?
SPEAKER_05Um, let me just turn myself up. I have a question, but it is totally off topic. And if it's personal, we can just cut it out. Yep. Is your wife a cardiologist? Uh she's green bay.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, kind of, but not a doctor. She's the echo tech. So it's like, um girl. I know, good question. Stalker might go echo cardiograms.
SPEAKER_05So I'm pretty sure. Um, and it could be, I don't know, but my family has come here and I think you were campaigning here once. Okay. And my sister recognized your wife because she would have been part of saving my niece when she was born. I think. Oh, I'm pretty sure because it you fit the bill.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, yeah. So her name's Ashley, and um, the reason I'm gonna say yeah, probably, is when she got hired in 2009, St. Vincent's and Preveo were the only like pediatric cardiologist in the Green Bay market.
SPEAKER_06Okay.
SPEAKER_00So for like 10 years, she was the only echotech that would look at a brand new baby's heart and see if the valves were all working and not closing or if the arteries were connected and all that detailed stuff, right? Okay. And so um, since then, like Bellin's kind of gotten their people and Aurora, whatever, whatever. But I think since 2009 to date, I mean, she's whenever someone recognizes her and not me in public, I'm just like, it's a patient. Okay, like I think like that's pretty cool. It is cool, yeah.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, because my niece, she was born, I think at St. Vincent, if I remember right, and she had SVT. So just like the heart is like constantly rapidly pumping or wow, like really high. Um, anyway, but your wife, I think, was a big part of making sure she was okay after she was born in NICU.
SPEAKER_06So look at that. That that string theory that everyone's has so love that around here. Yeah, so that's cool.
SPEAKER_05So it is thank your wife.
SPEAKER_00I will.
SPEAKER_05Absolutely. She'll love it. She's doing great.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, no, she's very good at what she does, she's very book smart. She got like a 4.0 from the Mayo Clinic and was recruited around the world, right? Because the Mayo Clinic is very renowned. And so she was top of her class, which she'll be embarrassed that I'm bragging about her, but she's very smart.
SPEAKER_01Um, I'm more interested in all the conspiracy theories.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, let's see how it's gonna be.
SPEAKER_01She'll have to come on for beers and banter. Yeah, we're gonna have beers.
SPEAKER_00Does she drink a beer ever? She could do a hard cider. Oh, yeah. Not a middle light. Yeah, okay. She's shy, so I doubt she'll come on, but maybe a couple beers before the that might help. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01That's awesome.
SPEAKER_06Because we want to have a after Tony was on, the Tony you know.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_06Um, we decided to have a beers and banter of like conspiracy theories and like a group, couple a little bit more.
SPEAKER_00I mean, going back to like I haven't I've had so much business, right? That the demand I've never like worried, it's really finding the help, right? But I mean, people I've gotten my life threatened three times, just you know, and it is it is a bizarre time.
SPEAKER_06I'd never and so like I'm thinking of back in the when I my great aunt and my grandpa, you didn't ask who you voted for. Yeah, you could assume, yeah, you know what I mean? But like they're always like, You don't ask, but it was such a normal time, it was so like you don't hate the other party. You'd you would all pick on them equally, like everyone picked on George Bush, right?
SPEAKER_01It'd be like your boss, like everybody picks on the boss, yeah.
SPEAKER_06Right, it was just like a thing. Now it's like hate. I'm almost super excited, and I don't think I don't know if this will be on, maybe not. She'll she has good judgment for Trump to be out of office because I feel like there's so much hate for him and his personality.
SPEAKER_00We're about to find out. I think, I mean, you could be right, because there's like right here in Bonduel, perfect story. Um, up the hill, right, where there's a few nicer homes, clearly all Republicans, but some of the sweet old ladies like, I'll sign your nomination papers, but I will not vote for that man. So I beat Trump by like, I don't know, the vote total by like 0.71%, you know. Uh so like to get more votes than Trump in this very Trump-friendly area is insane. But I just knocked more doors, people knew me. You know, I had conversations with Democrats and said, Hey, I'm I'm hearing Elijah Banke gear, you know. Now, do I here's where I think Trump's gonna be kind of misunderstood for the next five or 10 years. Okay, this is where I'll defend him. To do the foreign leaders and picking powers, I think it's because China is winning in the manufacturing and the energy sector. And so if we want to keep speaking English and not have the global superpower be a communist that will tell you what you can and cannot do, we have to control the world's oil. But I also think little things like the the Golden Dome, right? That's not gonna be built in his presidency. But to feel better as a country that a missile from Russia can't hit us, like I feel good about that stuff. But I another thing that's is is separating us, right? On each side is now that we're kind of on our phones, like even my dad at 64 is like looking at Facebook reels and like I think he believes a few things that might not be true, right? Because like it's the AI is so good. I I literally know certain things are not true, but you watch the video like that happened. Yeah, exactly. So like you're like, I was there. This didn't happen.
SPEAKER_01This did not happen. Um, but yeah, do you see that getting worse? It has to, right?
SPEAKER_00I don't know.
SPEAKER_01Like, okay, or are we gonna get smarter to it?
SPEAKER_00I'm gonna assume our generation we're a similar age, I'm 43, but I think so. We grew up with like Captain Planet, right? So, like our generation maybe cares a little bit more about recycling and cleaning up, right? And so I think we're like moving a little bit, knowing where your food comes from. Like the Maha movement is real and it's massive. Yeah, and so I think getting dyes out of American you know, cereal and candy, like so much of this crap that's not sold in Russia, it's not sold in Europe, but we're poisoning ourselves. So, I mean, I just saw like a uh someone in Tel Aviv, and it's just like cameras just going around hundreds of people. Nobody was obese. I don't think they staged that. I just think there's other countries that are way healthier. So I think the generation behind us, like I see young men that I know personally that are like, I'm gonna get my fiscal house in order and then I'll chase a girl. I think our generation, at least for me, I just chase girls, right? I didn't really like starting. I didn't chase girls, but but I'm just saying like the attitude is changing. They're like, you know, the alpha generation, my daughter's generation. I think they might use YouTube to like build things and do things and not just be totally addicted. Not we'll see where the masses go. I think the masses might just be addicted to their phone. But I think our leaders are already seeing, like, you know, a big difference. Like my daughter driving a tractor and she's 10 or 11, and then she sees that other kids in the class, like, here's a great story, you really enjoy this. So she gets picked up by uh a classmate, they're just driving her to my wife's work, which is very sweet of them to do, but a deer got smashed in front of her school by another vehicle. So my daughter's the sixth grader, and she's like watching me kill a deer, right? And then watch it bleed out and watch me gut it and all that stuff, right? But because this eighth grader has another girl has that never seen this before. She like shuns away and is like, oh my gosh, I can't believe it, right? So, like, you're just exposing your kids to more responsibility, more what's real in the world. And I think that's healthy. I think that gives them pride. Like, I can do this. And so I think you know, we we gotta like apply that pressure to our kids and that next generation. Like, our parents probably didn't parent us enough, so then our age we may be overparented. Well, I think we gotta correct that a little bit and just let them get lost in the woods without a cell phone and find their way back. So, right, yeah, it'll be interesting to see where our kids go. But they are, you know, my daughter's have already had so much political experience, right? Um, she knows the issues, I think, better than most kids are.
SPEAKER_06Maybe she'll be a politician. Maybe probably better than me. I'll say that much. No, yeah, I think you're doing a great job. Thanks. And we appreciate you coming on.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely, it's fun. Thanks so much for being here.
SPEAKER_06Absolutely. All right.