Joe’s personal history has always included service to the community. From boy scouts in his youth to becoming a scoutmaster as an adult. Joe doesn’t wait to be called; he seeks out opportunities for service. In the fall of 2017 he and other US military veterans from all over the country were called to Standing Rock to witness peaceful protesters trying to preserve their heritage. Through a cold North Dakota winter they stood shoulder to shoulder with Indigenous residents protecting their home land from desecration and destruction by corporate power. Joe has the courage and determination to put himself on the line in defense of American ideals.

It is this commitment to social justice causes, as well as his work as a teacher and public servant that brought him to where he is at this crucial moment in our history.  

The challenges presented today by a cult like devotion to an extremely flawed man puts our democracy in danger. The MEGA agenda does not include the values of public service, honest government, respect for one another, and devotion to American ideals which have defined Joe’s life. Joe believes proof of integrity can be found in the willingness of a person to put their own self interest on the line in defense of higher goals. Whether helping to establish a food coop or advocating for disadvantaged students, Joe has and will continue to put the people of Wisconsin first. He has and will continue to fight for democracy.

Joe is not a pie in the sky idealist. He’s a thinker, but also a worker and a doer. He knows from practical experience in the public and private sector what it takes to make positive change. He’s a man who can and will make a change in the direction we need Wisconsin to go.