Letters to the Editor

Dear editor, A million thank you’s to those of you who showed up for Fair Maps Coalition Lobby Day September 27. Over 200 concerned Wisconsinites showed up to say, “We want fair maps!!” It was a whole day you sacrificed to demand a level political playing field for us, and it did not go unnoticed. The drawing of fair maps is a bi-partisan issue everyone can get behind. Fifty-six out of 72 counties have passed fair maps referendums, so now it is time our legislators act. We the people of Wisconsin, should not let them look the other way and pretend they did not hear us. If you could not make it to the virtual lobby day, please send your legislators a message letting them know you want and deserve a fair Wisconsin map. If you are my neighbor in Wisconsin Senate District 17 and Assembly District 51, Senator Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green_ and Representative Todd Novak (R-Dodgeville) should hear from you that you know what their constituents have asked them for: Fair maps, doggonit! You shouldn’t have to cheat to win elections. Lisa Andrewski Spring Green   Dear editor, I would like to share with you an open letter I have sent to the River Valley School Board: Dear River Valley School Board, You may remember that I spoke about the mask policy at a recent school board meeting. I thought you might like an update on our family. First, I want to say that I appreciate the time you take out of your lives to do an often under-appreciated and difficult job. However, I also remember that you volunteered for the position and asked voters to entrust to you the health and well-being of our students and by extension our community. Ten days ago my 11-year-old displayed symptoms and tested positive for COVID-19. At the same time we received messages from school alerting to us to a high-risk contact. Since he has only been at home and at school it doesn’t take a detective to figure out where he contracted the virus. At the time of this letter he still has a fever and is unable to keep food down. We have been advised by our doctors that if this doesn’t improve in the next few days he will need to be hospitalized. Also at the time of the letter his severely immunocompromised sister, also a River Valley student, is in the hospital having a blood transfusion. We are hopeful she can come home tomorrow. The sad and irritating truth is that this could have been avoided, if you had simply continued the mask mandate from last year. By choosing to kowtow to a misinformed, albeit highly vocal, minority of parents, you have endangered not only my children and other children in the district, but vulnerable members of the community. I will state again, with a few possible exceptions, parents are not medical experts. And yet, you ignored the advice from your own medical experts as well as those on the national level to enact an irresponsible compromise.  I have a dear friend who is an attorney who is urging me to take legal action. This isn’t something I am going to do because it generally isn’t in my nature to pursue litigation. However, if the unthinkable were to happen, a wrongful death suit isn’t off the table. I am not saying this to threaten you. I merely want to make you aware of what you have opened yourselves and the district up to by making the decisions you have. You could well be facing a very different letter from a parent who is more inclined toward litigation. You also might want to ask yourself who in your life might become ill or die, and is not upsetting a few parents really worth that risk? I have also been told by students and parents about multiple incidences of students not wearing masks bullying those who choose to. I would normally tend to think they are isolated situations. But in this case the information is coming from a wide variety of students, parents, and even my own children. By buckling under political pressure you have given opportunity to create intolerable situations and left teachers and staff powerless to do anything. I am once again asking you to rethink your policy on masks, it is time to make the hard decisions, and truly serve the students and community you have pledged to support. Sincerely, Jenafer Humphries Spring Green Parent of two students in River Valley School District   Dear editor, The following is a letter sent to State Senator Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green): Dear Senator Marklein, I realize that the Gableman “investigation,” which claims to be investigating the integrity of last year’s election, originated with your Wisconsin Assembly colleagues. But I have not heard you object to this crassly political stunt, which isn’t just a waste of our taxes, it is downright dangerous.   It appears to be specifically designed to CREATE doubt about our election process.  Republicans say “well, there are folks who doubt the outcome of the election and we have to satisfy them.”  Say what?  First of all, your Republican party, under the direction of the former president, created that doubt before the election even took place.  And secondly, all you have to do is acknowledge the truth, that the 2020 election was fair and accurate, as multiple non-partisan audits have already revealed.  Isn’t it easier—and cheaper—just to be honest? Do you value our democracy?  Are you willing to protect it?  I hope so. Barbara Morford Spring Green   Dear editor, We met with Morgan O’Flahrity, Representative Todd Novak’s (R-Dodgeville) aide on September 27 during the Statewide Fair Maps Lobby Day. We thanked Novak for being a co-sponsor of Fair Maps. We  were then baffled and dismayed when Novak, the next day, voted in favor of Joint Resolution AJR 80 that essentially suggests using the former highly gerrymandered maps as the basis for new maps. Wisconsin, unfortunately has the reputation for having one of the most highly gerrymandered maps in the nation, even though 82 percent of Wisconsin voters support a fair and transparent redistricting process! We are requesting three things of Novak… 1. To hold public hearings on Assembly Bill  395, a nonpartisan voting legislation. 2. To vote into law AB 395  3. Use the People’s Maps Commission maps that have been created in a very nonpartisan manner.  We thank Novak for all he does for our community and think these would be consistent with his co-sponsorship of Fair Maps. Christine Tsubokura, Mineral Point Myra Enloe, Dodgeville Claudia Looze, Highland